By Jim Seymour
For Variety

IT only seems appropriate, having last week addressed the latest adventures of Bond and his employers at M3, to move on to our own CIA. While Robert DeNiro can undoubtedly be listed as one of the great actors of his generation, his latest directing project (following his premiere A Bronx Tale) helps confirm his distinction as one of only a few superior actor/directors. And like George Clooney, who must also be considered a member of this elite group, DeNiro has chosen a difficult, historically rich subject to examine: the founding and early years of America’s counter-intelligence program.
The film might also be considered a primer for those wondering why our current administration (both Bush Junior and Senior belonged to Yale’s Skull and Bones Society, the locale of much of the film’s action) seems so intent on secrecy.
While The Good Shepherd is not your typical espionage thriller, grounded as it is in the character of one emotionally crippled spy (played by the excellent Matt Damon and based on the CIA’s founder James Angleton), its seriousness justifies both its length and the sometimes awkward casting choices. In order to fully appreciate its mood, one must accept that both the plot and the historical context are not nearly as important as the personal ramifications of one man’s choice to choose country over intimacy and family.
Damon’s Ed Wilson discovers early that life holds nearly unbearable realities when he becomes the sole witness to his father’s suicide, an act that goes a long way in explaining the character’s inability to connect with his emotions. So, when Wilson, having been inducted into Skull and Bones, finds no trouble accepting induction into the Office of Strategic Services (later the CIA) during WWII and discovers his marriage of convenience to the daughter of a well-connected blue-blood at its end, there appears little hope that he will ever truly be comfortable in the outside world.
Every time Wilson must choose between allegiances to either Yale mentors (like the randy professor played by the always intriguing Michael Gambon) or, more painfully, to his estranged wife (inhabited by the somewhat miscast Angelina Jolie) and adoring son, there remains little doubt as to where his duties must lead him. There are glimpses of his human side, most notably when he finds himself with the love of his life (the deaf Laura, played beautifully by Tammy Blanchard) who adores him, despite his inaccessibility.
But Wilson never becomes comfortable enough with himself to abandon his loyalty to country, hell-bent in those years following the war on finding a Communist in every nook and cranny of the globe. His blind loyalty to a society bred in secrecy and silent deception constitutes the subject of this sober film noir, one well worth examination, considering the current state of affairs in America.
The film, however, remains intent on the internal motivations of its protagonist, not on drawing any broad political conclusions, which would have no doubt added another hour to an already overlong film. So, if you’re looking for anything analogous to the Bond genre, this film will not be for you.
If, however, you enjoy the same kind of tightly knit, character driven sort of film made immortal by Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, you are sure to be entertained by The Good Shepherd.