“The mental facility to detect conspiracies and betrayal are the same qualities most likely to corrode natural judgment. Everything that seems clear is bent. And everything that seems bent is clear. Trapped in reflections, you must learn to recognize when a lie masquerades as the truth, and then deal with it efficiently, dispassionately.”
Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) believes in all that America stands for and will do whatever he must to protect what his country stands for. As one of the founder members of the CIA in 1939, Wilson is also one of the most trusted members of this group of secrecy. When the idea that a mole may be working within the CIA is found, Wilson is told to find out which member is the mole. The path Wilson must take to discover this mole will lead him to question not only the CIA as a group, but also his personal life.
“Soviet power is a myth. Great show. There are no spare parts. Nothing is working, nothing, it’s nothing but painted rust. But you, you need to keep the Russian myth alive to maintain your military industrial complex. Your system depends on Russian being perceived as a mortal threat. It’s not a threat. It was never a threat. It will never be a threat. It’s a rotted, bloated cow.”
The biggest enjoyment out of this film is that it demands that you pay attention to every little detail present on the screen. As Wilson struggles to balance his personal life with his life of secrecy inside the C.I.A., we experience a story about a man who tries to uncover the ultimate secrecy inside a group of secrets. De Niro, having only directed The Bronx Tale before this, shows that his craft in the directing chair has improved (no one really needs to question his acting talents though). Most of the characters he presents (with the exception of his role, Baldwin�s role and some of the more minor roles) felt in place, adding to the tenseness of the story as it unfolded before our eyes.
“I remember a senator once asked me. When we talk about “CIA” why we never use the word “the” in front of it. And I asked him, do you put the word “the” in front of God?”
Speaking of the film’s acting, one quality I’ve come to expect out of actor Matt Damon as of late is that the man certainly knows how to choose his roles. Fresh off his spectacular powerhouse role in Martin Scorseseï’s The Departed, Damon delivers another fierce, taunt performance that demands we pay almost as much attention to the details as Wilson does himself. The rest of the supporting characters, however, seemed to be kind of a hit or miss. Director De Niroï’s own performance as General Bill Sullivan didn’t seem to carry the type of energy he has in his more power driven roles like Raging Bull or Goodfellas. William Hurt as Phillip Allen and Angelina Jolie as Clover gave two of the better performances outside of Damonï’s own homerun. The biggest disappointment, acting wise, was Alec Baldwin as Sam Murach. Perhaps because Baldwin felt so perfect in The Departed, I came to expect something more out of his role. His character just felt kind of there I suppose.
The Good Shepherd, as a film, is intense, interesting and powerful. Presenting a story about a group of people that, at least for myself, easily captivate my interest, De Niro captures the world and its surrounding people during its birth with ease. Despite a few out of place characters, the story and the acting by Damon catapult this film from a mediocre film into a film that contains such an important story about a character that is so depressingly confused that we can’t help but become absorbed by Wilson. In fact, I feel so strongly about Damon and his performance that I will say that The Good Shepherd would have been nothing without him. The Good Shepherd ends up being a taunt, incredible film that everyone with an ounce of patience needs to see.
Obviously this is a dialogue rich film, so luckily the dialogue comes through in a fine manner as it never becomes muddled or hard to understand (which is great considering the amount of paying attention one needs to do here). Surround usage is, as one might expect, minimal at best (this isn’t no King Kong here folks). Dynamic Range is noticeable in a few sequences with a handful of discrete, subtle effects.
The Good Shepherd appears in HD on Blu-ray format with good picture and audio for a fantastic film. The huge disappointment here that brings this one down is the severe lack of any substantial Despite this slight downfall, I’m still going to recommend this one to anyone who enjoys Damon or enjoys a fine thriller.
