A little confusing but the cast makes it all worthwhile

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2007)

The Good Shepherd is downright disturbing. It's a dream film for a conspiracy theorist because it basically shows and implies that for years the Intelligence Community ran this country and did whatever it wanted whenever it wanted. It fulfills every spy fantasy that you can think of complete with code words, secret messages, and assassinations. The whole thing is nicely wrapped into a feel of being realistic and true to life especially since it is loosely "based" on real life. We are shown the birth of the CIA through the eyes of one particular man from the early days of his career where he is recruited for intelligence. Anyone who loves spy films won't be able to help themselves for this one because it has everything and on top of that the cast is outstanding.
Matt Damon leads the cast as Edward Wilson, a Yale Graduate, and brilliant young man is recruited to a Secret Intelligence community eventually to become the Central Intelligence Agency. Damon is strong, quiet, moralistic, and has an incredible character arc throughout the course of the film. He ages well over 20 years throughout the film and pulls it off flawlessly without ever having to look the part. He does so much with this character and I think he was overlooked for Academy Award nominations in this role. Angelina Jolie plays Damon's wife who is pushed aside for his career. Jolie has a small but very definitive role and does a great job. Her and Damon are good together for being 'not good' together. The rest of the cast are mostly smaller supporting roles but they make the bulk of what makes this movie worth seeing. Alec Baldwin is F.B.I. agent Sam Murach, a constant connection for Damon's character throughout the film. Baldwin has a screen presence and he always ups the ante and does a good job. Director Robert De Niro also plays a small but important role as terminally ill General Bill Sullivan who is basically charged with forming these intelligence groups that Damon is brought in on. Not much can be said about De Niro except he's brilliant and powerful on screen and a small role is no exception. Other supporting characters that really do make a difference are William Hurt, Billy Crudup, and Joe Pesci.
De Niro might not be a skilled director, this only being his second role as director but he skillfully creates this man's story over the course of two or three decades and gives us an inside look to the intelligence community. The Good Shepherd might even be considered hyper intelligent and you'd likely have to watch it several times before you really understood the entire plot because it does get lost in it's hefty time frame but ultimately it's about the birth of the CIA and it definitely accomplishes that. Anyone wanting something intelligent and full of spy games and a true story The Good Shepherd will be perfect for you. Well worth seeing!! 8/10