The Good Shepherd

Pros: Casting, direction, story line.
Cons: Many won't get it.

I can hear the critics now... "Too long". "Too boring". "Too many characters/too much going on - couldn't follow it". That's usually what I hear when a movie such as The Good Shepherd comes out. Make no mistake, this is a LONG movie (160 ...

Pros: Some interesting plot twists, moments of brilliance in cinematography
Cons: Too long, too repetitive, VERY stiff main character

The Good Shepherd is one of the more problematic films I’ve seen in a long time. It is difficult either to recommend it or tell anyone to avoid it. If you like spy flicks, then it isn’t a bad one; if they bore you then it is likely it ...

Pros: great cinematography, lots of stars, promising premise
Cons: dull, meandering, action lite, obsessed with sexual subtext, can't pick a storyline

"You're the guys that scare me. You're the people that make big wars." "No, we make sure the wars are small ones.' "We Italians have our families and the Church. The Irish have their homeland. The Jews have their tradition. The N-----s have ...

Pros: Excellent Cast, Cinematography, decent premise
Cons: Way too long, unwisely edited, confusing at times, no emotional center

I wonder if filmmakers harbor the misguided notion that the longer their film runs, the more epic gravitas it lends their oeuvre. Phooey. Judicious editing could have greatly benefited “The Good Shepherd”, the latest film directed by Robert ...

Pros: Interesting subject matter, several characters based on real people, stellar cast.
Cons: Very dry, uninspired acting.

I’ve put off writing this review for several weeks as I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach it. As a theatrical piece I have one set of opinions and as to the subject matter I have yet another. This was not an easy movie to sit through due to ...

Pros: Superb acting, cinematography, costuming and scenery.
Cons: A broad and shallow treatment of espionage that is too long.

IntroductionI am not a casual movie goer. There are two factors that compel me to see a film in theaters: passion or price. Either the previews have awoken some insane lust to see the picture at the opening, or the $3 matinee in Baltimore ...

Pros: A film intensely studying an immoral character and his slide into total confusion
Cons: A bit long with some minor plot inconsistencies

This review reveals some major plot detains in the analysis of the film. The opening sentence in David Denby’s review of “The Good Shepherd” in the December 25 issue of The New Yorker is a bit startling. Denby’s writes that “In ...

Pros: Strong cast, good story
Cons: Very confusing storyline, cast is primarily made up of walk on appearances

For what it's worth, I did enjoy The Good Shepherd but it is indeed, a movie that warrants a second viewing. Although I've noticed the majority of reviews toward this movie are on a negative side, I'm going to respectfully disagree. Although there is one ...

Pros: Acting, plot, believability
Cons: Historically inaccurate (but then, how do we know, really?)

"The Good Shepherd" has as its subject the first 22 years of the adult life of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), who goes from a promising Yale undergrad to willing-but-unhappy husband and father to top spy. As with most people, the first 22 years of Wilson's ...

Pros: Matt Damon continues to prove his strength, even with weak material.
Cons: Sleppy, political statement, which I actually believe draws the wrong conclusion

I wanted to love this because of the cast, and because of Matt Damon. Matt Damon as Edward Wilson, is proving that of the breakthrough team (of he and Ben Afflek), he is the one with the truely gifted acting chops. It's hard to take your eyes off of ...

Pros: Excellent, superb acting by Damon.
Cons: Choppy timeline.

Many of the trailer’s market this as a great “Spy” movie and many viewers walk away upset, claiming that the movie is not at all like the ‘Coming Attractions’ would have them believed. I must agree, this is indeed the case; however, my response to this ...

Pros: The actors, the quality photography
Cons: No plot, no acting, FAR too long

How can they take such talented actors, such potentially exciting material, and turn it into such a boring movie? Despite an all star cast of actors (including, but not limited to Matt Damon as Edward Wilson, Angelina Jolie as his wife Clover AKA ...

Pros: Great cast with superb acting.
Cons: Much too long and boring in parts.

The Good Shepherd is directed by Robert De Niro and has an all-star cast, including Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, De Niro, Alec Baldwin, Joe Pesci, John Turturro, and Billy Crudup. I was very excited to review this movie based on these facts alone. ...

Pros: acting, suspenseful
Cons: confusing

I still don't understand what happened in most of the key parts.
Definitely interesting, well acted and worth three hours of time, but I'm pretty educated and was lost by the second scene. I don't really understand the necessity of jumping around in time since the plot was so intricate to begin with.
I don't know how people could say it was boring? It had a lot of suspense and was at times a bit depressing and somber, but always intriguing.
Seriously, though, is there some book you could read to understand what's going on before you see it?

Pros: good cast, good acting, nice cinematography
Cons: slow yet confusing plot, too many minor characters

Let's just put it this way, I left midway through the movie to get a drink. Coming back 15 minutes later, I was right back where I was, because I still didn't know who was who, why we cared about who, and nothing had progressed in the plot.

This is a star heavy "thriller" that never moves much (just about as much as Matt Damon "ages" during the film) despite an initially promising premise. I think it tries to cover too much ground and introduces too many characters too quickly. It's a pity, it could have been much better.