The Good Shepherd keeps its flock safe.

Rating: 7/10 (22 December 2006)

Robert De Niro has crafted a story about espionage, lies and the American way in his second directorial bout. As De Niro borrowed from Martin Scorsese for his first film, A Bronx Tale, he borrows heavily from Francis Ford Copolla in this case and borrows well. This time around De Niro focuses on the inception of the C.I.A, and their involvement in various Government coups outside the United States, all in the name of freedom. Matt Damon stars as Edwards, the perfect arian specimen, bread into Ivy League stature and inducted into a secret society whose predecessors included ex-presidents, senators and congressmen. If there was ever a piece of solid film-making, The Good Shepherd would be it, never seeming too boring or overbearing in its 170 minute runtime. Paralleling the Copolla tradition, De Niro tells this story in a non-linear fashion, which ties in the two stories closer and closer as the film drives to its finally.
The Good Shepard is not as good as A Bronx Tale, but on its own this film's character development does embody a larger scope, and deals with a much more global aspect than its predecessor. There have been many films like this, including Spy Games, that lack the mature and authentic inspiration that The Good Shepherd nailed in its entirety, whether this particular story was true or not. De Niro's role, or cameo in this case, seemed a little forced, and too contrived, but can be coped with, as his role is short and easily forgetful. Some of the dialog is also flawed, due to the scripts weakness in dealing with the underdeveloped female characters, thrown into the film for sheer tragic effect. The overall story, dealing with war-time, both intelligence and counter-intelligence, parallel the way wars are fought today. There are many aspects of the film that, deliberately or not, most likely the prior, mirror how Americans view threats outside the United States. Not only are non-democratic governments viewed as threats, but they are taken down by what this film proves is the ''heart and soul" of the United States, the C.I.A.
Despite the films political message, that might not be pleasantly received by most , and may be viewed by even more as an anti-American film, this is a more American film than initially perceived. The Good Shepherd tries to show the hypocrisy's and sheer ignorance that leads to many of the choices a government makes today, and ironically made the same mistakes in their choices years ago. Much of the film deals with war quietly and the basis that wars are fought not only in the battlefield, but more importantly in offices while wearing suites and ties. De Niro captures these actions brilliantly in this political thriller, and will draw a lot of unavoidable criticism due to his choice of material.