Writer Eric Roth
and director Robert De Niro do a fantastic job juggling one of the most
complex
movies you will see all year long (vaguely based on the history of the
CIA). In many ways,
you have to look at The
Good
Shepherd as an epic, spanning some of the most dangerous
and defining moments
of world history, but they also bring in the human side of Wilson’s
story without making it feel like an
intruder, or a snoozer.
Instead,
it’s
this personal story about Wilson’s time at Yale, his
inclusion in Skull and
Bones, the relationship he has with the woman of his dreams, his
strained
marriage to his wife, Clover (Angelina Jolie), and his absentee
fathering of
his son that help explain how Wilson has gotten into the compromised
position
he finds himself during these stressful days in April.
We learn how he is a man of secrets, a man
who avoids emotional outbursts that could indicate weakness, and how he
is
skeptical of everyone (and why he developed that skepticism in the
first place).
Most of all, De
Niro
lets the movie sink in, and gives the audience a chance to gather all
of the
information it needs to understand Wilson, but also plays up the grand
and
shocking mystery of who leaked to tie everything together without
giving up the
answer too soon. However,
maybe he could
have ended the movie a bit sooner after we get the answer to the big
question?
I have two
issues with The
Good
Shepherd.
First, it
just doesn’t need to be this long.
The
revelation and solution to the mystery are wonderful, but, once that
vital
question has been answered, the audience is ready to move on and end it
all. Sure,
it’s interesting to see Damon’s
reaction and how he attempts to get himself out of the pickle, but I
think it
could have gone a bit quicker. Second,
my other problem is with Damon.
Don’t
get me
wrong, Damon is fine, even very good, as Edward, but I think he needs
to find
little moments to expose Wilson’s
emotional side. Yes,
he is supposed to
be a guy who holds in his emotions to protect his job, himself, his
family, his
agency, and his country, but you just want him to let loose once or
twice to
show his human side. Fans
of the movie
will argue that his lack of emotion is key to the character and his
lack of
reaction to situations is perfect, since it is that lack of basic
humanity that
will irk us and draw out the proper response from the audience (and
expose us
to the man Edward has become because of all these spy games), but give
me one
great yelling, screaming, kicking and stomping moment.
Let Damon have it, so it can be featured in
all of movie trailers and ads, and De Niro certainly can give him some
pointers
on how to do it right!
The
Good
Shepherd is full
of great supporting performances as well, including Michael
Gambon as a Yale professor; Billy Crudup as a brilliant British spy;
Alec
Baldwin turning in his 987th fantastic
supporting role of the year (this time as
an FBI guy); and William Hurt grabbing our attention as
Wilson’s mysterious and
ambiguous patron, so The
Good
Shepherd is a movie you
want to see, even if you
might not be a big Matt Damon fan.
3 Waffles (Out Of 4)
The
Good Shepherd is rated R for some
violence, sexuality and language.
Copyright
2006 - WaffleMovies.com
