New Movie - "The Good Shepherd" starring Matt Damon

"Edward Wilson, a patriot who understands the value of secrecy— discretion and a commitment to honor have been embedded in him since his tragic and privileged childhood. As an eager, sensitive student at Yale in 1939, he is recruited to join the secret Skull and Bones society, a tightly knit brotherhood that serves to develop future world leaders."

Movie type: Drama - This is a talky, slow, very long drama. Although the subject is the CIA, this is not an action film though there are some moments of violence. Fans of Angelina Jolie and Robert DeNiro may be disappointed by their very limited screen time, but Matt Damon fans have plenty to savor.
Director: Robert De Niro
Script: Eric Roth
Starring: Matt Damon (Edward Wilson), Angelina Jolie (Margaret Russell), Alec Baldwin (Sam Murach), Robert De Niro (Bill Sullivan)
Length: 2 hr. 40 min.
Reviews:
”Very Good The bottom line is that The Good Shepherd is engaging cinema. The length is a drawback, but not a big one since the movie earns the majority of its 165-minute running time. De Niro pulls the viewer into the world he has created and holds him there, sometimes spellbound, until the story is over and the end credits roll.” Berardinelli, Internet Critic
”Average Imagine a spy movie -- a spy movie! -- with no intrigue, no suspense, and scarcely any characters, even though there are lots of parts and plenty of good actors to play them. And so, scene after clumsy scene, minute after tedious minute (there are 167 of them altogether), "The Good Shepherd" aimlessly meanders to its dead-end conclusion, rarely missing an opportunity to loop back for an unnecessary flashback.” Roger Ebert
”Good Deliberately paced, epic and ambitious, The Good Shepherd feels related in tone, mood and style to The Godfather. The mesmerizing espionage thriller chronicles the inception and ascendancy of the CIA. What makes the story work so powerfully is his (De Niro's) focus on a multidimensional individual — Wilson — thereby creating a stirring personal tale about the inner workings of the clandestine government agency.” USA Today
”Good Damon's subtle, painfully introverted performance is the film's linchpin, but the supporting cast is top notch. Roth's screenplay, steeped in the peculiar rituals, lock-jawed repression and smug sense of superiority of the WASP ruling class that both shaped America's intelligence community and made it vulnerable, is less interested in derring-do than back-room deals and the day-to-day drudgery of spying, driven by the notion that espionage is a cynical high-stakes game played with people's lives and the ante is human decency and connectedness.” TV Guide Online
Source: cinemareview.com
06.11.2007

06.11.2007