The Good Shepherd (2006) - Movie Details

The untold story of the birth of the CIA viewed through the life of a man who believed in America and would sacrifice everything he loved to protect it- is told in The Good Shepherd, an epic drama starring Academy Award winners Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro and directed by Robert De Niro. Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) understands the value of secrecy-discretion and commitment to honor have been embedded in him since...

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Movie Review

Protection, loyalty and secrecy are the themes of Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd, a sophisticated look at the beginnings of the Central Intelligence Agency. Matt Damon heads a stellar cast with his one of his best performances, and De Niro shows that he has the talent to make great films. Unfortunately, The Good Shepherd is only a good film thanks to the overly long running time and consistently slow pacing.

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Comments

Anonymous says:

June 4, 2007

Unfortunatley, my husband and I have to disagree with the reviewer and the previous poster - we gave up on this movie after about 45 minutes out of sheer boredom with the story and characters (despite the impressive cast).

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Anonymous says:

May 12, 2007

I agree in almost every respect with the Movie-Source reviewer's assessment--until the last paragraph. I think it is not the movie that breaks down, I think it is the review, because, for me the pacing was just right, and none of the scenes were tedious. Simply put, the film did not seem as long as its actual running time and I felt no need for an intermission. And, yes, Matt Damon as absolutely superb as Edward Wilson, and he is very well supported by the rest of the cast. The storyline is intriguing and fascinating and puts most other spy thrillers I've seen, including James Bond, to shame with its unflinching realism and historical veracity. The movie is beautifully filmed and the shots are set up with the care in attention each scene needs and deserves. Actually, one of the film's compelling themes has broader application to our society--namely, how we sell out souls to our careers. This is a widespread problem in American culture that extends way beyond the CIA and into corporate, professional, and academic life. My only real quibble with "The Good Shepherd" was that the plot got a little cryptic, making the story somewhat hard to follow once in awhile, but, then again, that's the kind of world we are dealing with in this film. Robert DeNiro has definitely revived his film career with this work, putting his superb directoral skills on display, and giving himself a small, but meaty role. My choice for best film of the year (and for Oscar, but the brain retreads at the academy did not even nominate it) goes (hands down) to "United 93," but "The Good Shepherd" is right up there and definitely one of the year's very best films.

Grade: A
Four stars (****) out of four

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Anonymous says:

September 1, 2005

please note that Patrick Wilson is no longer connected to this production due to his present commitment to the Little Children film now being shot in Douglaston ny. A former college friend has taken over the role with Mr wilsons hearty endorsement.

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