The Good Shepherd (2006)

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Directed by Robert De Niro.

Starring Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, John Turturro, Billy Crudup, Tammy Blanchard.

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One man bears witness to the secret history of America during the Cold War in this drama directed by celebrated actor Robert De Niro. In 1939, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) is a young man with a bright future ahead of him -- he's a top student at Yale and the protégé of one of the school's leading English professors, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon). But Wilson's life changes dramatically when he's invited to join Yale's powerful secret society, Skull and Bones. Through his Skull and Bones connections, Wilson meets Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), an mysterious FBI agent who asks Wilson to investigate charges that Fredericks is a Nazi sympathizer working with the German government. Later, at a Skull and Bones party, Wilson is introduced to Clover Russell (Angelina Jolie), the sister of one of his classmates and the daughter of a powerful politician; their one-night stand leaves Clover pregnant, and Wilson must leave the woman he loves, Laura (Tammy Blanchard), to wed Clover and give their child a name. Shortly after their wedding, thanks to his work with Murach, Wilson is invited to join the Office of Strategic Services, a military intelligence organization organized by Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro), and Wilson accepts. Through World War II, Wilson serves with the OSS, and learns he can trust no one in the game of international espionage, which helps make him little more than a stranger to his wife, his son, and his few friends. As the OSS evolves into the Central Intelligence Agency after the war, Wilson becomes party to America's darkest and most dangerous secrets, and in the wake of the futile Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Wilson is forced to make a terrible choice between the security of his nation and the safety of his family. Inspired by the true-life story of CIA founder James J. Angleton, The Good Shepherd boasts an impressive supporting cast, including William Hurt, John Turturro, Billy Crudup, Joe Pesci, and Timothy Hutton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

The Good Shepard (2006, USA, Ro ...
by CinemaRian in CinemaRian Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"The Good Shepard is a movie about the early days of the CIA, beginning in the days just before World War II and ending in the early 60's, after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. It is the second film directed by Robert De Niro, and I think it's fair to say that he is a much better actor than director. Like his first movie, A Bronx Tale, there are some interesting moments, but both films are poorly edited and far too long, and I get the feeling that De Niro is more interested in imitating the styles of director's he's worked with (Martin Scorsese in the first, Francis Ford Coppola here), than he is developing a unique style of his own. I had thought from the realistic tone of the trailers that the movie was based on a memoir by an actual CIA agent, but the screenplay is in fact historical fiction written by Eric Roth. Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) is a Yale-educated CIA agent who is suspected as being a double agent that leaked information to Castro and allowed the US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion ... " [More]

For Mature Audiences ONLY!
by JakeStevens in JakeStevens Blog

liked it.

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"This movie is for adults. REAL adults. Thinking people. People who read novels. People who like nuanced, understated performances. I almost think this film would be better off as a mini-series, as there are numerous interesting characters and plenty of time-hopping. It's a character study - you've GOT to pay attention in this one, and that's why I wanted to see this in the theater...with no one else in there to distract me. No phones ringing, no geezers coughing, no teenagers giggling or throwing popcorn because they're bored. The "action" scenes are few and far between, and the better for it, because you're not expecting it. The one gripe I have is that Matt Damon's character doesn't seem to age at all (only his spectacles change) while they went to great lengths to make all of the other characters age with make-up and prosthetics. I understand why some people wouldn't care for it - it's a slow burn. " [More]

Interesting...
by makyron in makyron Blog

liked it.

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"I thoroughly enjoyed this film, its inexorable albeit slow pace didn't detract from the experience. It was like a big puzzle slowly coming together in front of you, and although it had a bit of a surprising climax, the ending was somehow a bit lacking, although if it had gone on any longer it would've begun to seriously drag. Worth seeing, it will challenge you to really think about what you're seeing, but not something I'd probably watch again... " [More]

Challenging and thought provoking
by kerihawkins in kerihawkins Blog

liked it.

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"This movie was surprisingly good. I was skeptical because I am not an Angelina Jolie fan, and as always, she overacted her part, but because she's not in the film much, it was really good. Matt Damon does a good job portraying a "good shepherd" in the early days of the CIA. He does what is expected of him and pays the price over and over again in order to do what he feels is best for America. After watching this and the movie Breach (another good film), it was interesting to find out just how much the CIA is involved in everything. Although "Spy Game" is my all-time favorite CIA movie, this one deserves a close second. " [More]

This Good movie needs your full ...
by dj4our in dj4our Blog

liked it.

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"The Good Shepherd ***Rated R for some violence, sexuality and language.2 hr, 45 min.written by: Eric Rothproduced by: Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, & James G. Robinsondirected by: Robert DeNiroIt's taken me almost a week to write a review of this film. I couldn't really figure out how to approach writing about it. Explaining the film to people has been quite a task. It's one of those films that demands every iota of one's attention. It is a very detailed, complex, and involving film. It is more than just a movie about the formation of the CIA. It's about a solitary pursuit involving secrecy, duplicity and paranoia. Ultimately it is a troubling movie about trust and mistrust. The film is mesmerizingly paced and ambitious all while invoking the style of ";The Godfather" which doesn't seem too far off since director Robert DeNiro was directed by Francis Ford Coppola in "The Godfather Part II" who is also one of the executive producers ... " [More]

'Godfather' wannabe, not bad, b ...
by vhsparrow in vhsparrow Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"The length and pedigree of Robert DeNiro’s ‘The Good Shepherd‘ (167 minutes), seems tobe a self-conscious effort to create a Godfather-like epic for the WASP-Intelligence set. With Matt Damon in the lead as a fictionalized version of CIA co-founder James Jesus Angleton, it would have, more properly been executed as a tightly edited 2-hour feature and saved the ‘Director’s Cut’ extravaganza for DVD. The structure of the thing, with its multiple flashbacks and interleaved storylines - personal and Global Politik - by ‘Munich‘ writer Eric Roth - does the audience no favors, as the first hour cuts back and forth between Washington D.C., Berlin, London, WWII, the Bay of Pigs and some African insurgency some-when, some where. So, the CIA was founded 50 years ago by a bunch of Yalie, Skull-and-Crossbones, antisemitic, racist, white guys (and - I couldn’t help but reflect, only 6 years to decimate, by one of their ‘own’). I& ... " [More]

The Good Shepherd
by Windbreaker in Windbreaker!

liked it.

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"The Good Shepherd is long enough to watch over 2 nights, but you need to see it in one sitting. If I was to write out the various plots, they wouldn't seem compelling, but somehow DeNiro keeps you interested. I promise, I won't spoil the movie for you...Dick Clark stars as Matt Damon in this thriller about a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for immortality and immorality. By simply standing in the shadows, shoulders hunched, fadora pulled low, Dick Clark is able to score young babes. Even handicapped babes. Fitting that chicks who can't hear are attracted to him, since he never utters a word. The cast is excellent. Thankfully, the Cigarrette Smoking Man starring as Alec Baldwin isn't distracting as a man who stays away from his home all night, avoiding Kim Basinger who loves animals far more than people. " [More]

It goes somewhere... maybe.
by HalfAngelAngeline in HalfAngelAngeline Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"I'm glad that I read the other reviews before I started mine. I'm pleased to know I'm not the only one who actually enjoyed this without really knowing why. I tend to warm up to the strange and not many are stranger than the lead character. Matt Damon is wonderful as a man of not so many words controlling the emotions bubbling just underneath the surface. Too many people watched this thinking there'd be more action rather than the drama it is and weren't prepared for the long haul. What is it, like 5 days long? Bravo, Robert DeNiro, you've created cinematic ballet. It is introspective and respectful and something about it tugs.As as far as everyone else thinking Jolie wasn't irritating, I beg to differ (of course).. It seems ever since the birth of Brangelina, she's lost all oomph. Where's that 'fire' everyone wanked about back in her 'Gia' days? Has it all gone and given way to birthin'? Just a thought. " [More]

what's missing?
by SwingDancingRed in SwingDancingRed's Film Blog

disliked it.

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"The greatest mystery of 'The Good Shepherd' is how a film with so much potential could go so wrong. Nearly all the ingredients for a decent picture are in obvious abundance here: a terrific cast, excellent acting, great cinematography, fine directing, and subject matter as (seemingly) interesting as the CIA. Yet with all that artistic wealth, it was still fundamentally bankrupt. A flickering contradiction, I watched for the first eighty minutes before the disappointed realization slowly sunk in. It had left out the most essential component to any good film: an effing plot. " [More]

If you like that sort of thing
by ilovegarages in ilovegarages Blog

liked it.

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"I never would have seen this movie if my friends hadn't gotten me to see it without know what it was about. But I really liked it anyways, but like I said, it's trailer would never make me go see it.It's a drama. A political drama. In the mid 1900s. Woah, even that sounds boring. But seriously, it's not. It's just long. I'm not one for politics, making this movie pretty hard to follow for me, but by the end, I got the general idea and it was worth all three hours of it. There was a lot of talking, implied sexing, and deceit. Plus people dying. The most brutal was a death you could only hear; now that's good filmmaking. Robert DeNiro directed this, and if that's any insight as to how well it's done, then you have my opinion right there. Damon is always cool and I barely recognized Jolie, who was very good at convincing me to not hate her because of Tomb Raider II.If you have three hours and Sour Patch kids, this movie rules. If not, well; why on earth don't you have any Sour Patch k ... " [More]

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Tags: CIA , dark , deception , murder , lies
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