Interesting, but hindered by its length

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2006)

I am a big fan of Robert DeNiro. And when I heard about his official second picture, The Good Shepherd, I was very excited and intrigued all at once to see it. I waited for months for a trailer or even a hint at whether or not the small Oscar buzz was actually right about the film. I was saddened by the dying buzz, and even more so when I heard some of the reviews.
The Good Shepherd is about the "birth" of the CIA and centres around Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), a fictitious character based on a real life person(s) involved in its creation. The film starts out with the botched Bay of Pigs operation in 1961, and continues to jump back and forth between the days that followed and Wilson's past before that moment. Starting with his moments at Yale and his eventual induction into the ultra-secret "Skull and Bones" group, it continues onto early savvy and spy-worthy tactic moments abroad during World War II, and then through the Cold War up until the Bay of Pigs.
But The Good Shepherd is not primarily all CIA and political-based. There are many moments featuring Wilson's first love, Laura (Tammy Blanchard), a deaf woman he meets at school, and even more featuring his wife Clover, who later goes by Margaret (Angelina Jolie). As well, many of the key moments in the film are directed towards his relationship with his son, Edward Jr. (Eddie Redmayne as an adult, Tommy Nelson as a child), who he only meets after returning home from the war.
On the whole, DeNiro's sophomore effort works well, but only to a point. It is excellently crafted, and the conviction he has for the work is shown throughout. The one thing that holds it back from being a true marvel or the so-called "Godfather of CIA movies", is the fact that it is just too long. Clocking in at 167 minutes, the movie just could have done with a good twenty to twenty-five minutes excised right out of it. It is interesting yes, but it is not particularly thrilling in most cases and probably could have been much stronger had the film been shorter. It is not that DeNiro does not know how to focalize on something, or know when to say enough is enough. It is the fact that some scenes just go on and on aimlessly, and others just begin and end in no time. His ultimate success as a director is seriously hindered by this, and is ultimately why the film will not hit as many audiences as it should.
Eric Roth's screenplay is very well done, and highly proficient in the history it covers. Yes, it may be fictionalized for the majority, but it is still quite the intriguing take on such a tumultuous time in world history. At times however, it covers a bit too much and rails a bit off course (which was a problem for DeNiro too). The cinematography excels in many areas, despite being fairly generic in many sequences. The costumes are interesting and authentic all the same. They feel slightly contemporary in a few cases, but at the same time, feel as if they are from the 1930's to the 1960's. The dresses the female cast members wear are obvious look-alikes to those worn at this time period, but some of the suits the males wear feel a bit too closer to 2006 than they do the 1950's. I also liked how refined everyone was, and how they all felt in step with the era. Many movies created now feel as if the extras are all living now, and the main cast members are trying to live back then. Here, everyone is all the same, and no one feels or looks out of place.
Damon, although quite strong in Martin Scorsese's The Departed, is infinitely more powerful here. Although his character looks and sounds one-dimensional, Damon brings a sense of urgency to him. Defined by a stern and melancholic look for about ninety-eight percent of the film, he really has to work hard to show any emotion other than being angry and disgruntled. His trademark smile appears only a few times, as he stays in check with his solid frowning face. His eyes really do more of the emotional output for his character, and you can really see the intensity in them as certain things are occurring. The hurt and aging eyes he sports are the decisive factor for his character, and are what helps propel him out of one-dimensionality.
Jolie is okay in her role as the neglected wife, but she really does nothing amazing here. Her chemistry is lacking with Damon, and he just does not have any strength at all in her role, disregarded or not. Blanchard and Redmayne are particularly inspiring in their roles, and really help increase the emotional intensity of the film. Supporting turns from DeNiro himself, John Turturro, William Hurt, Michael Gambon, Alec Baldwin and Billy Crudup are all well done, and very focused. A bit more characterization would have helped for most of them, as they appear multiple times, and very little is said of who they are and/or their importance to the story. Oleg Stefan is a particular standout as the Russian adversary only really known as "Ulysses". He really chomps into his pseudo-villainous role, and has great chemistry with Damon. Joe Pesci is a sad disappointment, as the trailers make it look like he is someone important, but he turns in barely a five minute cameo filled with preachy anti-Pesci dialogue.
DeNiro's "pet project" is an admirable work hindered by story and editing problems. The cast is top-notch for the most part, and despite its length, the film stays fairly interesting for the most part. A bit of a polish and more focus in certain areas instead of others could have only helped this film get the acknowledgment it should deserve.
7/10.