It’s James Bond straight up: No babe’s cleavage shaken or Aston Martins steered.
The epic, fascinating “The Good Shepherd” tells the real hard-boiled story of the 20th-century spy game. But, unfortunately, it may not capture the public’s imagination — and has already been snubbed in some early awards season announcements — for the same reason that it is so effective. As directed and produced by Robert De Niro and anchored by Matt Damon as the symbol of the American intelligence community in its formative years, the docudrama and its lead performance work in a retrained, de-glamorized style that mirrors the manner of the bloodless wonks who have really been the top dogs in international espionage.
Though this fictionalized history of the early CIA swirls around Damon’s unavoidably very cold Cold Warrior, filmmaker De Niro and screenwriter Eric Roth find the visual poetry and compelling human high stakes to give it an operatic scope.
Protagonist Edward Wilson is a high-born Ivy Leaguer who eventually risesto head the agency’s counterintelligence division. We follow his recruitment from America’s WASP elite as a member of Yale’s secret Skull and Bones society, a breeding ground for this country’s leaders for decades, through his service against the Nazis as an agent in World War II’s precursor organization the O.S.S. and on to the Bay of Pigs debacle and a series of subsequent showdowns with the Soviet communists.
Meanwhile, Wilson’s commitment to a radical patriotism where the end justifies the means — including the torture and/or murder of former colleagues and foes alike — takes a toll on his loved ones in profound ways. With Angelina Jolie as his wife, Clover, newcomer Eddie Redmayne is his disaffected son and Tammy Blanchard as his deaf college sweetheart Laura — their characters give the deadpan narrative its soul.
The main plot line involves an internal investigation into the mystery of how word of our invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 was leaked. As told through flashbacks and flash forwards, however, it ends up retracing the progression of an institution that has had an unprecedented effect on the course of world events.
That gives “The Good Shepherd” its import. But its immense entertainment value comes from a series of memorable supporting characterizations by a crew of the best mature male actors alive today including Alec Baldwin, William Hurt, Michael Gambon, John Turturro, Billy Crudup and De Niro himself as one of the masterminds who first forged the CIA.
In only his second effort as a director, America’s most distinguished thespian proves himself a force behind the camera. Indeed, De Niro continues to be a good shepherd of sophistication and vigor in American cinema.
‘The Good Shepherd’
Stars: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Alec Baldwin
Director: Robert De Niro
Rated: R for some violence, sexuality and language
