The Good Shepherd

Anyone who savors John le CarrJ's moody Cold War thrillers should appreciate this atmospheric, finely proportioned American equivalent. Robert De Niro's second directorial effort is an imaginative account of the beginnings of America's spy network, following the preternaturally undemonstrative and obsessive Edward Bell Wilson (Matt Damon) who graduates Yale as a Skulls & Bones initiate, enters the OSS during World War II, and eventually becomes the head of counterintelligence in the newly-formed CIA. The story of Wilson's career (and troubled marriage to Margaret Russell, played by Angelina Jolie) runs parallel with a later effort to unmask an agency mole who might have compromised the 1961 Bay of Pigs operation. The Good Shepherd cannily mimics the historical record in some respects, presenting a melding of the real, the plausible, and the invented that is more of a creative reflection on the nation's early spy business than a documentary-type reconstruction. Both convoluted and episodic, with feints and double-crosses galore and an overarching theme of betrayal, the film's careful exposition, deliberate pacing, and fine acting nevertheless keep everything clear. In terms of Damon's cinematic espionage work, this might be described as the anti-Bourne, and some will no doubt find it too slow and meandering, but others will be drawn to this compulsively fascinating puzzle. Highly recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include seven deleted scenes (16 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a fine film.] (F. Swietek)