Robert De Niro’s “The Good Shepherd” is a fascinating look into the possible beginning of the CIA. The movie follows the life of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) through his education at Yale where, after meeting influential people, he delves into a world of secrecy. The screenplay penned by Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”) is based on real CIA events that attempt to cover a significant portion of history when the now-substantial government branch was first getting its start.
More than a decade after his directorial debut with “A Bronx’s Tale,” De Niro makes a triumphant return to the director’s chair for “The Good Shepherd.” He lives up to expectations, and Damon as well as the rest of the talented cast (which includes Angelina Jolie and Alec Baldwin) create compelling characters.
While De Niro’s direction for the actors is unbeatable, the camera angles and scene set-ups are unoriginal. The movie lacks any technique that can be solely attributed to De Niro’s directing. The scene-stealing characters keep the audience engaged in the story, but De Niro could have found ways to be inventive and more concise — even the most entertaining film starts to drag toward the three-hour mark.
Throughout the lengthy film, Matt Damon continues to shine, having also released “The Departed” in 2006. Damon gives an intriguing performance as Wilson: He is a reserved man who chooses a life of looking over his shoulder rather than being part of a family, and Damon demonstrates this adequately. He uses precise body language to convey and conceal his emotions and secrets. The actor is a perfect fit for the role, as he delivers each scene with enduring passion. Even in the face of adversity, his character remains a strong, emotionless man who is more of a witness to his own life than having an active part in it.
Angelina Jolie stars alongside Damon as Wilson’s wife, Clover Russell, the daughter of a senator. Jolie makes it obvious that the marriage was established without love and will never contain it. While Jolie’s few emotional scenes are mesmerizing, her role in the movie is minimal and would have been better executed by another actress.
Compared to Damon’s earlier love interest, Laura, a deaf student he meets in college played by Tammy Blanchard, the performances simply don’t match up. Blanchard’s small role completely dwarfs Jolie’s presence in the movie. Blanchard is the only one that Damon’s character responds to emotionally, and their affair gives the audience a glimpse of what his life would have been like if he had ended up with Laura rather than Clover. Blanchard is enthralling and devoted to her role, and she could easily become a huge success as an actress in the near future.
The other actors in the predominately male movie all portray men from wealthy families who come together in the Yale cult frat of the Order of the Skull and Bones, who receive jobs of tremendous importance simply because of their economic status in society. Everyone demonstrates an untrustworthy side, reaffirming Wilson’s instinct to watch his own back without depending on anyone. Michael Gambon also stands out among the rest of the cast as Dr. Fredericks, Wilson’s poetry mentor in college and his “teacher” once he enters the world of the CIA.
Eddie Redmayne makes a great contribution in the role of Damon’s son who struggles to connect with his father, prompting him to follow in his dad’s footsteps. On his path to becoming a member of the CIA, he is faced with a disturbing set of circumstances, making the audience hope against hope that Redmayne changes his mind about the CIA instead of becoming emotionally and physically isolated from the world like his father.
Despite superb delivery by the cast, the movie is unreasonably long and is detrimental to the overall success of an otherwise excellent picture. If you rent it, make sure you have some time put aside.
Grade: 3 out of 5