An epic by De Niro

Rating: 6/10 (6 November 2009)

Now of the artistic qualities of De Niro's spy thriller—in fact, a kind of an epic—'The Good Shepherd' I would like to mention at least his known sense of the places (--that another actor turned director, Redford, also has to some extent--), see-able in one London scene, the occasionally exciting cinematography—also vaguely soothing; but for the most the movie is situated in Hollywwodian academic abstractness. A second quality the director De Niro has is affectionately filming, with unequivocal though discreet sensuality, the women, and allowing the actresses intriguing, interesting performances. Jolie is nicely glamorized in De Niro's old—fashioned cinema; the German translator is an interesting presence. In some scenes there's a bit of atmosphere, a sketched atmosphere—a room, etc., a feel for everyday scenes; but mainly, it isn't.
The score and the cast are great; this epic is wonderfully scored, and this music supplies much of the atmosphere.
Matt Damon plays 'Wilson'; Angelina Jolie is his delicate wife, 'Clover'. De Niro, Keir Dullea, Pesci, Turturro, Baldwin, Hurt, Gambon, Hutton do great supporting roles; Turturro, Pesci, De Niro exceed all expectations, Baldwin delivers a subdued energetic performance. Martina Gedeck is truly very special.
Of the less achieved things, let's indicate the leading character, flaccid and barely likable (the aim of the art being to present humanly uninteresting characters as artistically interesting)—the less good scripts will make a leading character look as if he was indirectly characterized. Yet this is very arguable; though even if it was intended that the lead leave this impression, it should have been nonetheless an impression of art. Damon does a good role; if there's a flaw with the leading character, there's in the script. Perhaps the movie's flaw is the relative lack of pace, lost of gusto, and its Hollywoodian pseudo—classicism, its _academism; artistically, and narrative—wise, the epic gets lost, the style gets thinner, beginning to look like a Le Carré adaptation's smarter cousin. The movie is unsatisfying, the whole looks aimless and academic. In conclusion, the music, the cast and (seldom) the cinematography are fine; the directing looses nerve, and the script is messy, so that the movie seems both academic, cold, and chaotic, disjointed, heartless and irrelevant, it looks a bit fake and missed, underachieved.