Movie Review: The Good Shepherd

In honor of The Good Shepherd’s director, Robert de Niro, I’ll cut a quarter off of this review, as his film was 1/4 longer than it should have been.

The subject matter of The Good Shepherd is immediately interesting: a glimpse into the genesis and early development of the modern U.S. intelligence community, from the OSS in World War II to the CIA we know and love today. Matt Damon plays Edward Wilson, a fictional Yale graduate whose life is immersed in secrets from the Skull and Bones of Yale to the backdrop of international espionage during the Cold War. Through his eyes we are witnesses to the introduction of the United States to the world of international intelligence, and we see the ultimately crippling effects of too many secrets as we bounce from World War II to the Bay of Pigs.

Damon plays his character close to the vest. Similar in some respects to his turns as Jason Bourne or as the lawyer in Syriana, he displays little emotion and actually speaks very little during the film, prompting other characters to remark that he is “made of stone” or “the silent type.” I suspect this is an intended device to have Edward act as our eyes and ears, so that our exposure to this period of history is seemingly as neutral as possible. Ultimately it’s doubtful that this tactic pays off, as so much of the story revolves around Edward’s personal life, including romantic affairs and his relationship with his son. It seems inconsistent and increasingly improbable that someone so emotionless and silent would have the inclination or opportunity to develop those interpersonal relationships.

That said, the movie is well crafted and deals very well with a sophisticated subject matter. A good supporting cast is key to The Good Shepherd, since Damon’s character is an impassive rock: Michael Gambon, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup and Angelina Jolie each are very strong in their relatively minor roles, even if Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci’s cameos aren’t quite as convincing. Still, the result is an overall dramatic success with actors of the highest caliber.

At the end, the main failing of The Good Shepherd is that of the director’s pride: the editor’s knife is sorely needed. While each scene is shot well and the film seems error-free, The Good Shepherd clocks in at 170 minutes — sure, that’s 80 minutes shorter than the extended Return of the King, but it’s still half an hour longer than the film needed to be. The movie has enough sub-plots, gratituous Skull & Bones rituals and long scenes of Matt Damon staring at nothing in particular that 30 minutes could easily be shaved. That’s not to say that this film is ponderous or somehow sub-par; but its pacing is definitely…. leisurely.

The subject matter and historical vignettes of The Good Shepherd are of such interest that the sluggish filler in-between (including much of Wilson’s personal story) is easily forgotten. At its heart, The Good Shepherd is a success; thoughtful, detailed and sophisticated. If it only hadn’t spent so long ruminating over its own secrets, it would be something truly fantastic.

The Good Shepherd is rated R for spy profanity, spy violence and brief scenes of spy sex. It opens December 22nd.