The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd
I watched this Matt Damon film tonight, and was thorougly impressed with the film all the way around. There are few movies that would be worth a 2 hour, 40 minute commitment, but this one is well worth the investment. Matt Damon plays a stolid Skull & Bones Yalie turned CIA officer who dispassionately does his duty for King and Country. The movie successfully demonstrates the breadth of characters Damon can masterfully play. His character, Edward Wilson, is a almost a direct opposite of Damon's character Jason Bourne from Bourne Identity.
Wilson is confronted, throughout the film, with a series of what most people would consider "ethical dilemmas," but he handles them as they come, with an ever so slight hesitation coupled with a strong compulsion to duty, although it is never spoken.

Wilson's interactions with his wife, Margaret (Angelina Jolie) are predictably cold and distant, as are his interactions with his son. Because of the way the story unfolds, however, it shows that it is perhaps not so much that the Intelligence field turns people into cold, distant, introverts, but that instead maybe it attracts them. It is the first spy film that I can remember seeing that overtly draws parallels between the secrecy demanded of Skull & Bones and the secrecy demanded at CIA, and makes a particularly strong connection between the two organizations, and why the former became such a breeding ground for the latter.

Much unlike other films about spying and espionage, this movie probably draws a relatively accurate picture of the lives of Intelligence officers. Rather than being an action-packed adventure movie of intrigue and sex like James Bond or Spy Game, The Good Shepherd shows the immense personal and emotional hardships of the profession, and all that it robs from those who play that game with so little in return. In fact, there is a scene in the movie where Michael Gambon's character, Dr. Fredericks, suggests that Damon's character should get a new pair of shoes made by the King's shoe maker. He notes something to the effect that "but aren't we all just shoemakers for the king in our own way?"

DeNiro further proves his worth as a Director with this film. It was extremely well-cast, and the scenes flow with a progression that makes intuitive sense, even though the scenes are not chronological. There were only a couple of instances where I found myself questioning what exactly was going on. Yet, the secret hints and foreshadowing in the film was quite subtle, though still memorable. A couple of the twists in the plot were relatively predictable, but others were not.

I would highly recommend this movie to anybody looking for a quality viewing experience. This film is thoughtful and thought-provoking, and leaves the viewer with a sense of satisfaction at the end.