The Good Sheperd: Keeps the Wolf from the Door.

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2006)

Men like Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) select a path of life set apart from society, so those living in the fold of our free system can do so, completely unaware of the man who holds the Sheperd's crook. Edward is a true patriot. The safety of the United States and it's citizens are in his hands. The elements of The Good Shepard are the life experiences of Edward and how after accepting a commission from U. S. Army Intelligence on the day of his nuptials, separates the young couple for the next six years. The bespectacled face of Edward Wilson hides the stone cold calculating heart of a man who knows he will come home from the war. He returns to a wife who does not love him and a five year old son who does not know him. The C.I.A. is the perfect government agency for Edward to continue his protecting of the flock. The sequencing of the film, is in itself a story about many secrets and who can be trusted with these secrets. Edward's right hand man Ray Bucco (John Tuturro) throughout the entire film gives a stunning performance well worth a nod for a recommendation for a Best Supporting Oscar. As The Good Shepard draws towards a close, the audience remembers that this was a period piece from the late 1920's through the mid 1960's and as Edward disappears into C.I.A. Headquarters one can only think of the next bespectacled Sheperd taking his place.