The Good Shepherd

Dir: Robert De Niro (A Bronx Tale)
Cast: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton
USA, 2006

Seen: January 25, 2007 at the Carlton

Reason to see: Oscar nominated for art direction, also working on my third attempt of #7 on my 101 list: See 1 film a week in the theatre for a year. This is my second film for week 5/52.

This film wasn't for me. It's an interesting premise (beginning formation of the CIA), and there were a lot of good actors but it just didn't pull me in. Some of the notes I took included: What is it even about? I didn't believe...., How would you know that? slow....., etc. I felt like the audience wasn't given enough information to come to the same conclusions the characters did, and that just irks me. It's possible I didn't pick up on everything and it was there, I'm not really sure. I wanted to like it, the 'secret' things, talking in code, seamlessness of events unfolding as they came into plan but I mostly was just left confused.

Warnings: torture

Shannon's Overall View:
I was waiting for it to end
I wouldn't watch it again
I recommend it to people interested in spy/historical films but don't need there to be action

No commericals
6 minutes of 3 previews: The Italian, Smoken' Aces, Breach

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© Shannon Ridler, 2007