The Good Shepherd

Review by Steve Rogers

Production Year: 2006
DVD Release Date: April 3, 2007
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Director: Robert DeNiro
Cast: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, William Hurt, Alec Baldwin
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R

Somewhere toward the end of The Good Shepherd, an aging mob boss (played by Joe Pesci) asks Matt Damon's Edward Wilson, the buttoned-down CIA officer protagonist of the film, about "values". The sentiment of his response neatly sums up the attitude of detached, emotionless arrogance which infuses many of the straitlaced characters who populate The Good Shepherd, Robert DeNiro's sprawling 2 hour and 48-minute overview of the origins of the CIA. In contrast to DeNiro's other directorial effort (the underrated A Bronx Tale), The Good Shepherd is an ambitious, complex story beginning in 1939 with the formation of the O.S.S., forerunner to the modern spy agency, and ending with the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

In true Forrest Gump fashion, Wilson is presented for many of the agency's notable escapades as he smokes out Nazi double agents in London during World War II, helps to undermine the nascent economy of a left leaning South American country in the 50s, and jousts along the way with his Soviet counterparts in the KGB as the Cold War escalates.

In reality, the character of Edward Wilson is loosely based on legendary CIA Director of Counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton, but in this murky story, the lines between fact and fiction have been sufficiently blurred to keep most viewers guessing. Wilson's home life is a wreck, and his crumbling loveless marriage to an influential senator's daughter (a miscast Angelina Jolie), a neurotic, neglected son serve to accent Wilson's hollow, soulless existence.

The film features an outstanding supporting cast with particularly fine outings from Alec Baldwin as a career FBI agent and John Turturro as Wilson's menacing aide de camp (his ruthless interrogation and torture of a suspected Soviet mole will leave you squirming in your seat).

Ultimately, despite being weighed down by the sheer scope of history presented here, The Good Shepherd succeeds in capturing the paranoia and suspense that defined the world of espionage during the Cold War. It's a cautionary tale in the current climate of political paranoia. Interestingly, the one word that gets the biggest jolt of emotion out of the taciturn Wilson in this movie is "oversight".

Video Quality

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (2.40:1) the disc presents in a fine transfer with deep blacks and a somewhat muted color scheme as befits the shadowy settings of the movie. Picture quality contains excellent detail, with lifelike colors and flesh tones and no visible artifacts or digital noise.

Audio Quality

The 5.1 surround sound track is primarily confined to the front speakers and there is little stereo separation or surround effects of any real distinction in this dialogue driven presentation.

Special Features

Seven deleted scenes including an interesting story line involving Edward Wilson's brother-in-law that would not have hurt the film's continuity. The others are dispensable.

Summary

This look at the underbelly of 20th century American history is not without flaws (the still boyish-looking Damon doesn't age over the course of the film's 22-year span). However, it's still a solid piece of filmmaking and probably works best as a classic espionage drama, with a plot that's entertaining enough to keep you on board for most of the slightly overlong running time. An enhanced version of this disc with specific annotation on the actual historical background and personalities would be welcome.