The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Michael Gambon, Robert De Niro, John Turturro, William Hurt and several hundred more

Dir. Robert De Niro
Scr. Eric Roth

This movie should have been better than it was. Look at the cast, at the director, at the subject matter. Don’t get me wrong, it was compelling (for the most part), well acted (with a couple of exceptions) and intriguing (nearly all the time). There were moments that floored me – the quote at the end of this review was delivered and phased so perfectly I nearly yelled “Alleluia!”, despite the fact I completely disagree with the sentiment.

Robert De Niro has given us a film about the birth of the CIA, following one man’s journey (Matt Damon) from ambitious young man to cold, hardened spy. The film is weighty, it has authority. It’s dark, it’s intelligent. It deals with serious moral dilemmas and introduces us to an array of fascinating characters. But it lacks heart and soul. We don’t really care about these fascinating characters. The moral dilemmas, serious as they might be, don’t reach down into your gut and swish about. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe the detachment and the coldness is what De Niro is trying to hammer home – the CIA is the eyes and the ears of America, after all. But, jeez, it makes a 167 minute movie damn hard to watch.

What kept me in my seat? Apart from the fact I had paid $14.50 for it? The acting. Stellar. Brilliant. Understated. Spot-on. Before Jason Bourne, I had very little time for Matt Damon, but he shows in this movie, as he has in the Bourne series and in The Departed, that he has some serious talent. Turns from William Hurt, Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci (out of retirement as a favour to De Niro) are perfect. John Turturro proves once again that he is one of the best actors working today. Michael Gambon is the closest thing the movie has to a soul – a wonderfully sensitive and compelling performance. There are many more, including a great turn from British comedic actor John Sessions as a Russian spy who defects to the CIA.

There is, I’m sorry to say, a notable exception. It saddens me to have to criticise the only notable female part in this film, but Angelina Jolie’s performance as the long suffering wife is appalling. She proves once again that she couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. Perhaps she should try and we might be lucky enough to have her suffocate in that bag. She managed to nearly ruin every scene she was in, but luckily that wasn’t too many. There are so many good actresses out there that could have played this role in their sleep.

The film has some excellent scenes that will stay with me for some time. The quote below is taken from one. The ending is another – the choice a father makes for his son. The scene in which a Russian spy is given LSD to make him talk, with dire consequences. There is certainly enough evidence that De Niro has learnt something from all those years in front of the camera.

But, in the end, The Good Shepherd does not get five stars or two thumbs up. But if you’ve got a spare 167 minutes and feel like sinking your teeth into something, give it a whirl. There’s enough there so you won’t regret it.

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Joseph Palmi: You know, we Italians have our families and the church, the Irish have the homeland, the Jews their tradition, the niggers their music. What do you guys have?
Edward Wilson: We have the United States of America. The rest of you are just visiting.