The Good Sheperd
released 2006
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“The Good Sheperd” is an American, spy drama, historical film produced by Chris Brigham, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Andy Fraser, Howard Kaplan, Guy McElwaine, Lorena Reyes, David Robinson, James G. Robinson and Jane Rosenthal. It was written by Eric Roth and directed by Robert De Niro, who also starred in the role of General Bill Sullivan. It stars Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Tammy Blanchard, Billy Crudup, Keir Dullea, Michael Gambon, Martina Gedeck, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton, Mark Ivanir, Gabriel Macht, Lee Pace, Joe Pesci, Eddie Redmayne, John Sessions, Oleg Stefan, John Turturro, Yelena Shmulenson, Jack Martin, Ann-Marie Cusson, Liya KebedeDarryl Reuben Hall, Jean Jean, Frank C. Williams and many more.

The Good Sheperd IMDb webpage

“The Good Sheperd” is the story of the early years of the C.I.A., from the Second World War to the late 1960s, as seen through the lives of its founding workers. The protagonist is Edward Wilson, played by Matt Damon. He is raised in an influential New England family and attends Yale University where he follows in the footsteps of his father and joins the secret society of Skull and Bones. Edward is a man who knowingly follows in the footsteps of his father but does his best to avoid making his father´s mistakes and ending up disgraced and committing suicide. This is the story of spies, government conspiracies, double agents and double crosses but through it all Edward remains honest, cautious and meticulous while navigating this very dangerous world.

I don´t know how historically accurate the story is but it is surely well written. Hats off to the screenplay writer(s) and editors because they did such a good job, with only a few minor exceptions in the script. Edward is a character deeply scarred by the witnessing of his fahter´s suicide and knowing the reasons why. He is also a man with a strong sense of duty toward his family and probably country, since he was a member of the ruling group of people back then.

There´s a scene where Edward goes to meet a gangster who was supposed to be Lucky Luciano for the purpose of making a deal concerning the war effort. (In fact Lucky Luciano was in jail at the time and it was a gangster by the name of Mayer Lanski who made these negotiations to get Lucky out of jail and deported to Italy instead.). Joe Pesci, who plays the character of Joseph Palmi who is supposed to be the gangster Lucky, does a great job in this small role but the scene misses the mark and I blame the writers on this. When Joseph asks Edward what his group of people have in America Edward´s answer came across as a little too sour. The object of that scene was to convey which group of people ran America back then and it missed the mark on that.

It took me watching it recently, for a second time, to notice things I missed seeing it the first time. I noticed just how cautious the character of Edward was because, I feel, he has a deep fear of ending up like his father and it is that very fear that drives him toward an excellence in his job that ultimately keeps him alive but does not save his family or the relationships he cherishes in his life, like his relationship with his son Edward Wilson Jr, played by Eddie Redmayne. His strong sense of duty also stops him from marrying the woman he loved named Laura, played by Tammy Blanchard.

The sad fact of the story was that while Edward was trying not to be his father, Edward´s son did just the opposite. The characters in this film really behave like gangsters, with similar codes of conduct and flaws. They basically screw each other over, like in gangster films, and most of the characters basically lie so nobody really is who they portray themselves to be, like in gangster films.

This is a very good film with so much going on in the background for the inquisitive viewer, like that bit about Lucky Luciano.

So check it out, at least once. It´s a great film.

John

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