The Sometimes Good Sheperd

Rating: 6/10 (6 May 2007)

** out of **** The Good Sheperd starts off slow and continues the pace all the way through the film. If you make it to the end, you almost want to congratulate yourself for being able to stay awake for almost 3 hours.
When I found out DeNiro was going to be directing this film, I was excited as I am a huge DeNiro fan. The film is Robert DeNiro's second in which he directed. The first being the cult classic "A Bronx Tale." "A Bronx Tale" was solid because DeNiro was the set director. " The Good Shepard" DeNiro took over the directing job during pre-production. The film was mess before it got started.
The film is about how the CIA came about. It's an interesting story that loses interest fast. Matt Damon is Edward Bell Wilson, a man who never intended to be involved in any type of government agency but had his destiny fall in the palms of his hands despite his dreams. And though he is perfect for the job and a true American, his personal life suffers because of it. Matt Damon is great in his performance and is reason number one why we continue to watch this film.
The second reason is Angelina Jolie as Edwards wife. Sexy and beautiful, she plays this part with real emotion and the audience suffers with her, not because of her. This may be one of her finest performances as she is real convincing.
The rest of the film is slow and sometimes hard to follow. The story is told in the present and the past and finally, they meet up with each other for an ending that is probably supposed to be surprising but isn't because either you see it coming, or you just don't care about any of the characters that it involves.
All in all, it's an OK film with fine performances and some interesting scenes. It is a film that I would have waited for the DVD or even cable because at least if I fall asleep, I fall asleep at home instead of a theater chair.