Worth the trouble, despite pacing problems

Rating: 7/10 (18 February 2008)

I had "The Good Shepherd" lying in my "to see"-pile for quite a long time before i finally popped it in the DVD-player. I always find it somewhat daunting to see movies that are almost three hours long.
This has to be one of the most toned-down movies i have seen in quite a long time. Actually this movie and Zodiac makes me think that the toned-down movie might have sort of a revival now. Most movies made are still full of bells and whistles, the pace is high and the special effects are plentiful. Seeing movies that take more time to tell the story is refreshing, although i didn't think neither this movie nor Zodiac managed to balance the pace perfectly. Both of them become somewhat slow at times, and while i did enjoy both movies, they would have benefited from a more to-the-point story and narrative.
I can start by saying what i did like about this movie. First of all i think this might be one of Matt Damons best roles. I'm not a huge fan of Damon in general. He's a pretty good actor, but very stiff and lacks the edge that would make him great. Here his stiffness works for him and becomes one of the characters main features. It works great. Second i liked the whole story and layout of the movie. The spy business is interesting and this is a very down-to-earth look at it, and probably closer to the truth than most movies. Third i liked that it was about the person more than anything. How much can a man sacrifice for his job and his country? All choices and acts have consequences, and they can be very unforgiving.
What didn't i like? Well, i have mentioned the pacing problem. It's quite substantial through parts of the movie. Not only is the story moving forward very slowly, it also has the habit of moving back and forth in time for a while in a way that doesn't exactly clarify things. A more straight narrative that was a bit more quick on it's feet would have been preferable. Also the running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes is a bit heavy. Even though i was never really bored with the movie, i still think that in general most movies benefit from trimming some of the fat. This movie is no exception.
In the end i found this movie to be enjoyable. It shows that Mr DeNiro is a competent director, able to tell a story in a sombre pace without boring the audience. The movie does have pacing problems, but in the end those problems are far outweighed by the positive features. Matt Damon is excellent in the lead, most supporting actors are great and the movie looks gorgeous. I would recommend it, although you need to know what to expect (a long movie moving at a slow pace) and take your time with it. I rate this 7/10.