Is It Over Yet?

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2006)

"The Good Shepherd" is an engrossing movie; very watchable. All of the performances were outstanding. Angelina Jolie, taking on a different kind of role for her, does an excellent job as the high-society, charming girl who becomes the neglected wife. Matt Damon, in possibly the most stoic portrayal of the year. leaves something wanting. The passion the character should have, the drive to be successful and for the success of the C.I.A., never comes through. The characterization is totally dispassionate where it should be the opposite. The motivation for the character's resolve and dedication never comes through. One gets the impression the character is a drone of a fifties "company man". Go t work day in and day out at the same company for thirty years and then retire. His personal life is totally disconnected from his career (thus the neglected wife). Damon is most charming in is college days, and again at the end of the film when dealing with the problem his son creates. Interesting to watch, but not one to recommend. I think the directing (de Niro) too much reflects the fifties as baby boomers remember it; and not as people actually lived their lives.