As this loose history of the CIA opens, we watch Matt Damon pick up laundry ticket from Alec Baldwin’s hat. He goes to the dry cleaners and picks up a shirt with super secret documents hidden underneath. This is precisely the sort of capering that makes the spy movie so irresistable and sure enough, The Good Shepherd knows its way around the genre . Aficiandos will surely thrill to the darkened meetings with double agents and moments of nodding respect between cold war rivals.
Robert De Niro’s second film as a director is however,equally effective as an anti-spy drama and has much in common with Le Carre’s end of empire novels. Our hero, the CIA drone Edward Wilson (Damon) is robotic enough to make Bourne look like Krusty the Clown. Loosely based on famed spooks James Jesus Angleton and Richard Bissell, his activities provide a fascinating insight into the development of the CIA from its World War II origins as the Office Of Strategic Services to the defenders of the realm during the Cold War. Sadly, his personal life is rather less interesting. I’m not sure anybody could believe Anjelina Jolie as the long-suffering, cuckolded wife at home. I’m not sure anybody could believe Anjelina Jolie as a real person anymore. These domestic interludes slow the film down as does the sprawling nature of the project. What exactly is Joe Pesci doing in the film? And where does he get to? Still, despite the unnecessary tangents, De Niro has crafted a remarkably taut piece, particularly when one considers the formidable running time. Even his choice of shots is economical, if anything overly so. Often the composition is so basic, it feels like you’re watching a TV drama. Hey. Didn’t you used to work with Leone and Scorsese?