IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343737/) / Apple Trailers (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thegoodshepherd/)
Has anyone else seen this yet?
It hasnt got the best reviews, with most calling it too long and soul-less... Id argue both these points, as Ive never really had a problem with long movies - tbh I prefer them. To say its soul-less is a bit harsh as well imo, I think Damon (and De Niro) did a fantastic job. Its a powerful slow burner.
Then again, Im a sucker for espionage flicks :)
I can see a lot of people not enjoying this one, it definitely isnt one for those looking for pace/excitement. It paints a picture of CIA being quite dreary, which is how I largely imagine it.
Personally its a 7.5/10 for me. While it couldve been better, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Heres what Time have to say:
QuoteTHE GOOD SHEPHERD Skull and Bones, the most notorious of Yales secret societies, must have been--and for all we know still is--pretty weird: nude initiation ceremonies, people singing The Whiffenpoof Song at inappropriate moments, a range of blond debutramps with permanent lockjaw to meet and marry. As The Good Shepherd would have it, Bones was the perfect breeding place for another, grander secret society, World War IIs Office of Strategic Services, which morphed into the CIA. Robert De Niros movie (skillfully written by Eric Roth) is a very persuasive and thoughtful study of how the youthful and more muscular scions of the Wasp patriciate imposed their values, their sense of entitlement, on the U.S. and what that endeavor cost us--and the patricians.
The film focuses on Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), a composite of historical figures, who starts out wanting to be a poet and ends up being the bureaucrat at the center of some of the CIAs most notorious activities. Damon is terrific in the role--all-knowing, never overtly expressing a feeling. Indeed, so is everyone else in this intricate, understated but ultimately devastating account of how secrets, when they are left to fester, can become an illness, dangerous to those who keep them, more so to nations that base their policies on them.
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/goodshepherd?q=the%20good%20shepherd
There are some important critics that really like this, I may have to rent it. I liked Syriana which came out in the past year, which was also deeply complex and rather long, which left some critics sour.
I also enjoyed Syriana, if you like that then thisll be up your street.
Its far from perfect - it had all the potential of being the Godfather of spy flicks but falls short in several areas (the project started off with Coppola coming out of semi-retirement to direct, but he detached himself feeling the characters were too unemotional.) While this is the story of one man, to have created a masterpiece it really needed to flesh out the supporting roles more (all perform very well; Gambon, Pesci, Baldwin, De Niro), and give it a stronger story line.
I think between this and Departed Damons up for a Best Actor nomination, alongside Leo probably. Havent watched Blood Diamond yet (hopefully in the next few days, although his South African accent didnt sound very convincing), heard its also meant to be very good.