“The Good Shepherd” (Universal Pictures)
A View of the CIA Godfather Style
“The Good Shepherd” is a film about the CIA from its start at the end of World War II to the Bay of Pigs incident. It takes the fictional life of a man named Edward Wilson and uses him as a mark point for the journey. The story may be fictional but the impact of the film and its characters is true.
The film starts with Wilson (Matt Damon) being a student at Yale. He is asked to be a member of the secret society of Skull and Bones, and once he is a member he is asked to become part of an espionage team. Along the way he acquires a wife named Margaret (Angelina Jolie) and a son named Edward Wilson, Jr. (Eddie Redmayne).
Wilson is a man who knows how to keep secrets, which is something the CIA requires. But in keeping these secrets he also keeps himself repressed and this is very difficult for his family. The only person who ever gets to really know him is his first love Laura (Tammy Blanchard).
Damon is at his best as the cold, repressed man known as Edward Wilson. He barely breaks a smile in the film and is totally believable as the man who has ice water in his veins. He creates the totally dedicated civil servant.
Jolie is playing against type as the beaten down Margaret. She makes the heartbreak this woman feels evident in her eyes and demeanor. It is a solid performance but one we wouldn’t expect from Jolie.
William Hurt, Billy Crudup and Robert DeNiro all give solid support in their roles. Alec Baldwin is also on view but his role is very brief.
DeNiro not only acts in the film, he directed it. He gives the film a “Godfather” type of importance with his briefly violent scenes juxtaposed against the calmness of the characters. He also uses the music from operettas as background for the most climatic scenes in the film.
The film is rated R for profanity, violence and brief nudity.
The events that evolve in “The Good Shepherd” are not always understandable. Certain plot lines lead in one direction and then another; others just play out and disappear from view. Therefore the movie is not always comprehensible and this diminishes the overall enjoyment. Still there is enough logic to make the film fascinating to watch.
Matt Damon’s performance, Robert DeNiro’s direction, and Angelina Jolie’s beauty are plus elements of the film and end up placing this movie in the better than average column. It isn’t great but it is good.
I scored “The Good Shepherd” a pastoral 6 out of 10.
