Great Movie, But Is Too Long

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2007)

The Good Shepherd is a great movie; the story is engaging, it was well cast, and the characters are well developed. But, unfortunately the length of the film makes it difficult to keep you interested. It should have been cut down to under 2 and half hours; as it stands, the movie is closing in on 3 hours. I believe that is a common problem among a lot of major films in recent years; audiences typically do not like much over 2 hours.
With this said, I actually enjoyed this film. The pace was slow, yet deliberate and consistent, and this helped to develop the characters and the story. I'd enjoy seeing De Niro direct more films.
Damon was excellent in his role and I think Jolie did a great job as well. I would have enjoyed seeing more screen time for Alec Baldwin and De Niro.
The story projects a nice historical timeline of how the CIA was developed. It is interesting to see how the CIA worked up to the 1960s. There are also some great personal stories involving Damon and Jolie's characters that are woven into the scope of the history of the CIA. These personal stories add great depth to this film, so that the story is multi-dimensional. I don't want to give away too much of the plot since it is a thriller with a rather intense ending.
If you like the spy genre, films of historical significance, and good thrillers, then this movie is for you. If you like to see how the personal lives of historical figures influence their decision making; even within the scope of their important jobs, then you will also like this movie. If you prefer action and a story with a fairly quick pace, then you should avoid this movie entirely. Rating 8 of 10 stars.