'Good' review

Viggo Mortensen (Credit: Thinkfilm)

Pre-WWII, German professor Halder (Viggo Mortensen) is slowly coaxed into joining the Nazi party even though he opposes their beliefs and seeks only financial security. The story follows Halder—who proves to be a traditionally “good” person who looks out for his mother, wife and kids—as he gradually becomes a part of a group he once opposed, while remaining oblivious to the atrocities his cohorts are committing. Jason Isaacs co-stars as a Jewish friend of Halder's.

The buzz: This drama has less whimsy than the superior “I Served the King of England,” but “Good” likewise depicts how one man maintains distance from tragedy. Can a versatile tough guy like Mortensen convince as the well-intentioned guy in denial?

The verdict: Few actors are better than Mortensen when it comes to expressing conflicted emotions about your own moral compass, and the film packs a chilling take on oppression that escalates so gradually—like a shower’s temperature rising one degree at a time—that some don’t acknowledge it until it’s too late. But it doesn’t say anything about how society descends into chaos or how one man’s principles fly out the window without him realizing it. “Good” spends too much time in Halder’s head—which, of course, is where the professor’s strengths lie—and fails to convince that this man could remain so removed from the horrifying events unfolding around him.

Did you know? Halder’s mistress (Jodie Whittaker of “Venus”) remarks that anything that makes people happy can’t be bad for anyone. Try to think of three examples that prove or disprove that statement.

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