The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating: 3.0

Good spy movie
excellent
The Good Shepard
Le Carré, American Style
A Fantastic Espionage/Spy Flick -- Just Don't Look For James Bond

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The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Matt Damon , Robert De Niro , Keir Dullea , and Michael Gambon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Product Group: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000MXPE7O
2007-04-03

Related Categories:

General

| Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense

| Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery

| Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General

| Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage

| Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Baldwin, Alec

Damon, Matt

Dullea, Keir

DeNiro, Robert

Flores, Von

Gambon, Michael

Hurt, William

Hutton, Timothy

Jolie, Angelina

Pesci, Joe

Pinsent, Gordon

Rea, Stephen

Sessions, John

Slater, Christian

Turturro, John

All Universal Studios Titles

Drama

Action & Adventure

( G )

| Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Amazon.com

A complicated movie about the Central Intelligence Agency and its agents, The Good Shepherd isn't your typical spy movie. Though it stars Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity films) and Angelina Jolie (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Lara Croft franchise)--actors with considerable experience in the action-espionage genre--The Good Shepherd requires that they play more subdued and (much less interesting) characters here. The movie focuses on the career or Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged Yale graduate who goes on to help found the CIA. He is a quiet, serious, and guarded man, even in the most intimate moments with his civilian wife (Jolie, in a role that wastes her talent). Set against a backdrop of real-life events such as the Bay of Pigs, The Good Shepherd is meticulous in creating a realistic timeframe. The film gets a jolt of excitement when Robert DeNiro (in his first directing role since 1993's A Bronx Tale) peppers the screen with appearances by Joe Pesci, Alec Baldwin, and William Hurt. But those moments are too infrequent. At 157 minutes long, the film is crammed with many factual details, but the characters are shortchanged when it comes to development. Viewers have to wonder why anyone, much less someone like Wilson who has everything going for him, would devote his life to a thankless job that brings so little happiness to himself and his family. The Good Shepherd is an ambitious but flawed film. The actors do a formidable job with a well-intentioned but meandering script. However, we meet so many characters and learn so little about each that it's difficult to drum up much empathy for any of them. --Jae-Ha Kim

Description

Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro star in this powerful thriller about the birth of the CIA. Edward Wilson (Damon) believes in America, and will sacrifice everything he loves to protect it. But as one of the covert founders of the CIA, Edward's youthful idealism is slowly eroded by his growing suspicion of the people around him. Everybody has secrets…but will Edward's destroy him? With an all-star cast including Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton and John Turturro, it's the gripping story David Ansen of Newsweek hails as "spellbinding."

Customer Reviews:

Good spy movie.......2007-06-12

This is a movie to watch carefully. The plot twists are subtle but if you miss a little you miss a lot. Matt Damon is excellent as the serious young man trying to lead a double life: Family man and CIA agent. I've watched it twice and plan to watch it several more times to pick up all the nuances.

excellent.......2007-06-12

I really enjoyed the movie although I did not like the time frames back and forth.

The Good Shepard.......2007-06-11

Difficult to follow timeline, makes the plot seem erractic. The twist was a little weird. Lack of dialog was a disappointment, and didn't make use of the cast of good actors.

Le Carré, American Style.......2007-06-10

Though not for all tastes, "The Good Shepherd" (2006) is an engrossing spy drama in the John le Carré tradition. Director Robert De Niro gets the most out of his well-cast ensemble, with Matt Damon remarkably effective as the emotionally cold CIA operative and co-founder. Running nearly three hours, the film's leisurely pace works in its favor -- chronicling the CIA's evolution from 1939 to the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. Hopefully, De Niro will continue to explore this fascinating saga in his next directorial project.

A Fantastic Espionage/Spy Flick -- Just Don't Look For James Bond.......2007-06-10

It's amazing that this film is so highly regarded, especially since we have Matt Damon as the lead character. Damon isn't known for his exciting acting abilities (with the exception of Good Will Hunting which I consider his quasi-breakout role). He's established himself as Jason Bourne in the The Bourne Identity franchise, but that doesn't take much acting ability and is almost purely a physical job. His character in the Ocean's Eleven just seems to go through the motions. He's had limited success in films like Saving Private Ryan and The Departed. I say "limited" because it was the other characters and screenplay that brought him recognition more than his own abilities (try imagining Saving Private Ryan without Tom Hanks or The Departed without Leonardo DiCaprio and you'll see what I mean.) So I wasn't drawn to this flick simply because I knew Damon was our main man. But I was wonderfully surprised.

Damon was the perfect choice for this role, and that isn't necessarily a compliment. His portrayal of Edward Wilson is flat, ineffectual, and unremarkable, just like the character was supposed to be. Just like many of Damon's previous portrayals. It is this absurd, unemotional character that drives the entire film, and thanks to director/actor Robert DeNiro's relentless pursuit of this movie (it was his pet project for over ten years) we have a gem.

Beginning with Robert Kennedy's disastrous Bay of Pigs debacle, the film shows Ed Wilson (Damon) trying to overcome an American/Cuban historical event that many find shameful. The CIA had a leak somewhere that blew the entire assault, and Wilson has to find out who and how. It will take him back to the very beginnings of the CIA, pre-WWII, and then slowly catch up to the1960's.

Battling the Cold War with a very worthy Russian opponent, Ed must come to grips with the death of his father (who was an OSS spy in WWI), the loveless relationship with his wife (played by Angelina Jolie), and what he's prepared to do for his son (Eddi Redmayne) when he learns of ignorant betrayal from within.

The film really looks at the development of the CIA, how it came to be, what spying is REALLY like (not James Bond-ish), and one man's unwavering support for his country. Dark corners are everywhere, including Ed Wilson's own home. Life and business blur. Separating the man from the mission becomes impossible. A panoply of scenes greets each moment of Ed's life, from the shadowy corners of Post-WWII Berlin to the recesses of his home sanctuary. It's an incredible display with truly gripping photography and a frightening descent into the world of phantom spies.

A powerhouse cast graces the screen, with fine performances from such greats as John Turturro (Thirteen Conversations About One Thing), Joe Pesci and William Hurt (Syriana).

Surprisingly THE GOOD SHEPHERD has made it up to one of my all-time favorite spy films. But a warning call must be sound here. This isn't your typical spy flick. It won't be for everyone. But if you like to think about where the CIA came from and how espionage jobs really work, this one will be high on your list, too.

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