The Good Shepherd (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Matt Damon harbors dirty secrets in 'The Good Shepherd', a drama directed by Robert De Niro. It is 1939 and Edward Wilson (a stoic Damon) is recruited for the new CIA. There, his patriotism is tested as Cold War mania hits close to home. He wants to do whatever it takes to thwart communism. But at what cost? His lonely wife? His scared son? They all barely know each other. And as he delves deeper into the CIA, inching closer to the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, he realizes that he can't trust anyone. This espionage film has many good parts, but plenty of weaknesses that are hard to ignore.
Edward is born, bred, & inducted into Yale's Skull & Bones society in typical WASP fashion. The FBI nail him and ask him to spy on his gay-Nazi-poetry professor (Michael Gambon). His astute precision and tidy manner lifts his position to OSS (Office of Strategic Services), and subsequently into the CIA altogether (where he deciphers if the good guys are actually Soviet spies). Meanwhile, Edward does have a life outside the box; albeit restricted. A sweet romance with a deaf girl (played well by Tammy Blanchard) goes by the wayside when he accidentally impregnates Clover Wilson (Angelina Jolie). Not in love, they marry, & he disappears in the CIA for 6 years. When he returns, he sees his son for the first time, & realizes that he must learn to love a family who knows nothing about himself or his line of work. But is he ever around long enough to make an impact on his family as husband/father?
Edward has nowhere to turn for relief. Why? He witnesses the demise of the professor he once spied on. He has to deal with a slimy Euro-CIA operative (Billy Crudup). He has to watch his partner, Brocco (John Turturro), brutally torture some men who swear they are not who the CIA thinks they are. He sabotages entire groups of innocent people to make way for a greater good. He has to make assumptions that assumingly-innocent women are working for the enemy; thus they get mercilessly murdered. He receives dismembered fingers in the mail (a la horse head from 'The Godfather') as threats. Most importantly, someone responsible for the initiation of the Bay of Pigs invasion can run personal shockwaves through Edward & everyone he knows. His neglected wife turns to alcoholism. His teenage son (a great Eddie Redmayne) joins the CIA to feel closer to his father; bad decision. Edward has not had one mili-second of fun over the 22 yrs. which this film tediously covers. And in particular, neither have we had any fun.
So much is interwoven into the plot of this movie. Events covered: Edwards woeful childhood, his induction in Yale, his courting of two lovely ladies, World War II, FBI negotiations, OSS meetings, birth of CIA, Cold War tensions, life at home with the family, secrets abounding, secret meetings with Italians, Brits & Russian adversaries, JFK, murders, sex, tortures, Swiss bank accounts, Bay of Pigs, the list goes on forever. For as many interesting things that occur through all of this, just as many uninteresting things occur. There is no way this film should have been 180 min. long.
The cinematography is rather good, although, it's so good that it almost comes off as being obnoxious (wanting to steal the show from 'the plot'). The supporting acting is good. Damon is excellent (if you consider tight-lipped, starch-collared, moroseness good acting). It's much more effective trying to figure Edward out in the many moments when he "isn't" saying anything, at all. But then again, I suppose that's a downfall, as well. How can you feel, understand, & pull for a man who doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve? 'TGS' is crafty, intricate, & succeeds in showing the birth of CIA. But don't let your mind stray for one second, or you'll be seriously lost. At times, the film is incoherent, slow, too restrained, & stifling ... but it has some moments of thought-provoking brilliance near the long awaited end. De Niro does a stellar job. But if this is an indication of his movies to come, I'd send a letter to him saying, "Don't love your movie too much, you CAN edit".
Edward is born, bred, & inducted into Yale's Skull & Bones society in typical WASP fashion. The FBI nail him and ask him to spy on his gay-Nazi-poetry professor (Michael Gambon). His astute precision and tidy manner lifts his position to OSS (Office of Strategic Services), and subsequently into the CIA altogether (where he deciphers if the good guys are actually Soviet spies). Meanwhile, Edward does have a life outside the box; albeit restricted. A sweet romance with a deaf girl (played well by Tammy Blanchard) goes by the wayside when he accidentally impregnates Clover Wilson (Angelina Jolie). Not in love, they marry, & he disappears in the CIA for 6 years. When he returns, he sees his son for the first time, & realizes that he must learn to love a family who knows nothing about himself or his line of work. But is he ever around long enough to make an impact on his family as husband/father?
Edward has nowhere to turn for relief. Why? He witnesses the demise of the professor he once spied on. He has to deal with a slimy Euro-CIA operative (Billy Crudup). He has to watch his partner, Brocco (John Turturro), brutally torture some men who swear they are not who the CIA thinks they are. He sabotages entire groups of innocent people to make way for a greater good. He has to make assumptions that assumingly-innocent women are working for the enemy; thus they get mercilessly murdered. He receives dismembered fingers in the mail (a la horse head from 'The Godfather') as threats. Most importantly, someone responsible for the initiation of the Bay of Pigs invasion can run personal shockwaves through Edward & everyone he knows. His neglected wife turns to alcoholism. His teenage son (a great Eddie Redmayne) joins the CIA to feel closer to his father; bad decision. Edward has not had one mili-second of fun over the 22 yrs. which this film tediously covers. And in particular, neither have we had any fun.
So much is interwoven into the plot of this movie. Events covered: Edwards woeful childhood, his induction in Yale, his courting of two lovely ladies, World War II, FBI negotiations, OSS meetings, birth of CIA, Cold War tensions, life at home with the family, secrets abounding, secret meetings with Italians, Brits & Russian adversaries, JFK, murders, sex, tortures, Swiss bank accounts, Bay of Pigs, the list goes on forever. For as many interesting things that occur through all of this, just as many uninteresting things occur. There is no way this film should have been 180 min. long.
The cinematography is rather good, although, it's so good that it almost comes off as being obnoxious (wanting to steal the show from 'the plot'). The supporting acting is good. Damon is excellent (if you consider tight-lipped, starch-collared, moroseness good acting). It's much more effective trying to figure Edward out in the many moments when he "isn't" saying anything, at all. But then again, I suppose that's a downfall, as well. How can you feel, understand, & pull for a man who doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve? 'TGS' is crafty, intricate, & succeeds in showing the birth of CIA. But don't let your mind stray for one second, or you'll be seriously lost. At times, the film is incoherent, slow, too restrained, & stifling ... but it has some moments of thought-provoking brilliance near the long awaited end. De Niro does a stellar job. But if this is an indication of his movies to come, I'd send a letter to him saying, "Don't love your movie too much, you CAN edit".