The Good Shepherd (2006)

The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.

Director:

Robert De Niro

Writer:

Eric Roth

Stars:

Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	Edward Wilson
Angelina Jolie	...	Margaret 'Clover' Russell
Alec Baldwin	...	Sam Murach
Tammy Blanchard	...	Laura
Billy Crudup	...	Arch Cummings
Robert De Niro	...	Bill Sullivan
Keir Dullea	...	Senator John Russell, Sr.
Michael Gambon	...	Dr. Fredericks
Martina Gedeck	...	Hanna Schiller
William Hurt	...	Philip Allen
Timothy Hutton	...	Thomas Wilson
Mark Ivanir	...	Valentin Mironov #2
Gabriel Macht	...	John Russell, Jr.
Lee Pace	...	Richard Hayes
Joe Pesci	...	Joseph Palmi

Storyline

Laconic and self-contained, Edward Wilson heads CIA covert operations during the Bay of Pigs. The agency suspects that Castro was tipped, so Wilson looks for the leak. As he investigates, he recalls, in a series of flashbacks, his father's death, student days at Yale (poetry; Skull and Bones), recruitment into the fledgling OSS, truncated affairs, a shotgun marriage, cutting his teeth on spy craft in London, distance from his son, the emergence of the Cold War, and relationships with agency, British, and Soviet counterparts. We watch his idealism give way to something else: disclosing the nature of that something else is at the heart of the film's narration as he closes in on the leak.

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Plot Keywords:

cia | santa claus character | espionage | reference to nikita khrushchev | o.s.s. | 

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Taglines:

The untold story of the most powerful covert agency in the world.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Russian German Lingala

Release Date:

22 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

El buen pastor

Filming Locations:

Potomac River, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,142,760, 24 December 2006

Gross USA:

$59,952,835

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$99,480,480

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Morgan Creek Entertainment,Tribeca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

167 min 139 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name "Bay of Pigs" is a direct translation of "Bahia de Cochinos".

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Goofs

When Edward receives his orders from General Sullivan, the NCO who delivers the envelope wears, on his left shoulder, a red/white patch with a capital A for the First Army. That insignia was not approved until March 1949, the First Army patch in use in 1940 was just a capital A on an olive drab background.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Bill Sullivan: You understand that whatever we discuss here doesn't leave this room?
Edward Wilson: Of course.
Bill Sullivan: The President has asked me to look into creating a foreign intelligence agency.

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Connections

Referenced in Up Late with Alec Baldwin: Episode #1.4 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Fools Rush In
Written by Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer
Produced by Bruce Fowler
Performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra (as Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks Orchestra)

User Reviews

Not for the dim or distracted, an outstanding film.

Not for the dim or distracted, this outstanding trans-generational exploration of father/son paranoia and betrayal fueled by unresolved oedipal turmoil takes us on a historical tour of US Intelligence from the OSS of World War II to the Bay of Pigs. Acting, editing and directing are all superb. The characters are complex and vital, and the relationships textured.

No narrative spoon-feeding here. The viewer shares in the protagonist's bewilderment of who's who and what's what, which may be more than the viewer bargained for. If a second screening is needed to sort out the nuance of it all, consider it well worth the cost of the ticket. -Doug