Screenwriter: Eric Roth
I must say, I continue to be pleased with this year’s holiday blockbuster lineup. This film is another excellent Hollywood offering that has the potential to garner an award or two at the Oscars®.
The Good Shepherd is a biopic about a complex man who led a complicated, yet focused, life as a CIA agent for the United States during the Cold War. Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) was the quintessential gentleman spy who was actually a poet at heart. An extreme introvert by nature (and probably due to a childhood tragedy), Wilson seemed destined to guard the important secrets of the world, including how his father had died (which one could argue was the reason for his inability to connect with his own family).
So how did this gentle man get mixed up in all this cloak ‘n dagger business? It all started when he was tapped to be a member of Yale’s Order of Skull and Bones “fraternity,” that’s groomed several U.S. presidents, congressman and other dignitaries. General Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro), who was assigned the task of setting up the CIA, felt Wilson’s patriotism, integrity and discretion made him an obvious candidate to head the world’s most notorious spy organization.
This film is really two stories entwined as one: (1) how Edward Wilson, the patriot and workaholic, protects America, and works with our allies to protect our country’s interests from World War II through the Bay of Pigs invasion; and (2) the detrimental affect his work has on his family life. Ironically, although Wilson had to spend his son’s formative years overseas, their lives ended up to be hauntingly similar in many ways.
The Good Shepherd boasts an all-star cast featuring: Angelina Jolie as Wilson’s wife, Clover; John Turturro as Ray Brocco, Wilson’s wise-cracking “muscle”; William Hurt as Philip Allen, Wilson’s boss; Alec Baldwin as FBI agent Sam Murach, Wilson’s “Deep Throat”; and Robert De Niro (who also directed this film) as General Bill Sullivan.
What I liked: This is a high-level, well-written drama that history buffs, spy aficionados and regular folks alike will enjoy. The acting is first-rate, as expected. Angelina Jolie gives an especially moving performance. However, I disagree with those critics who have dubbed it the “Godfather” of all spy movies. That may be true if you’re comparing the length or somber mood of both films. But if they mean it’s “the greatest spy movie ever,” in my opinion, most of the James Bond films still top that list for me.
What I didn’t: I found the jumping back and forth in time a little difficult; it was hard to keep track of what happened when. And at 2 hours and 40 minutes long, I felt myself squirm a lot during the third act (last 45 minutes or so). But I don’t know what part(s) they could’ve edited to make it shorter.
Madeleine says: Worth full price.
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