Watch Good

Released in 2008, Good is a historical drama film directed by Vicente Amorim and starring Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs, and Jodie Whittaker. The movie is based on CP Taylor's play of the same name. It tells the story of John Halder, a German literature professor in the 1930s who struggles with his decision to support the Nazi party despite his personal morals.

John Halder (Viggo Mortensen) is a talented writer and a university professor living in Germany in the 1930s on the brink of WWII. He's married to a sickly wife, Helen (Anastasia Hille), and has two children: a son who joins the Hitler Youth and a daughter who is mentally disabled. Halder struggles to get his latest novel published, but when he meets his old school friend, Maurice (Jason Isaacs), who is now a high-ranking Nazi official, things start to change for him.

Maurice asks Halder to write a book justifying the Nazi Party's euthanasia policy, and Halder agrees to do so, hoping it will help him secure a promotion at the university. As Halder's career prospects improve, he joins the Nazi Party, much to the dismay of his Jewish friends, including the beautiful and enigmatic Anne (Jodie Whittaker).

As Halder becomes more involved with the Nazi Party, he starts to see the dark side of the ideology that he once thought was beneficial to Germany. He sees his Jewish friends being persecuted and denied their basic rights, and begins to question whether he made the right choice in supporting the party.

The film portrays a complex and compelling psychological struggle faced by the protagonist which keeps the audience engaged throughout. Halder's decision-making process is influenced by the constant ethical dilemmas he confronts, and his inner turmoil is palpable. Mortensen's portrayal of Halder is nuanced and reflects the slow process of radicalization which was taking place in Germany during that time.

Jason Isaacs plays Halder's Nazi friend Maurice with intensity and conviction, while Jodie Whittaker's portrayal of Halder's Jewish friend Anne is sympathetic and moving. The chemistry between Mortensen and Whittaker is tangible, and their scenes together are some of the most poignant and emotional in the film.

The movie is visually striking and captures the atmosphere of pre-WWII Germany with impressive accuracy. The attention to detail in the set design, costumes, and props is impressive and helps to transport the viewer to a different time and place. The overall color palette of the film is muted with a lot of greys and browns, taking a minimalist approach that is both effective and understated.

Good touches on themes like morality, ethics, and the dangers of blind allegiance, which make it a thought-provoking film that is relevant to contemporary times. It raises pertinent questions about what happens when people start looking for quick-fix solutions for complex problems and the consequences of turning a blind eye to injustice.

In conclusion, Good is a well-crafted and thought-provoking film, which benefits greatly from its strong cast and exemplary direction. It manages to paint a complex and nuanced picture of a dark time in history, without being simplistic or moralistic. The film's strength lies in its ability to make the audience empathize with a character, who is far from perfect, and to illustrate how easily one can be drawn into the propaganda of extremist ideologies. It is a film that will resonate with audiences for a long time to come.

Good is a 2008 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1 and a MetaScore of 40.