An interesting movie often inspires me to Google search it after watching and find out its background, who and what the characters and plot were based on. The Good Shepherd, starring Matt Damon and directed by Robert De Nero was most successful in my eyes for tapping the wealth of fascinating history around the beginnings of the CIA and making me want to learn more. Archie Cummings in the movie was based on Kim Philby, a double-agent in British Intelligence and one of the Cambridge Five… you can follow the Wikipedia link trail on these characters for hours.
The movie, however, falls short of expectations. Or, maybe, falls exactly where you’d expect a film starring Matt Damon to fall: mediocre. Damon’s character, Edward Wilson, is the most boring man in the world thanks to his dialogue and Damon’s portrayal. I can’t think of one character I strongly liked or strongly disliked in the film; they were all clipped and sterile. Amazing, considering the material De Nero was working with. That considered, however, watching it for its history was interesting enough - things like American agents trading Nazi scientists for Jewish ones with the Soviets - and though the movie was overly long and I wouldn‘t watch it again, it wasn‘t terrible!
It would have gotten another star if Alec Baldwin had a bigger part.
The movie, however, falls short of expectations. Or, maybe, falls exactly where you’d expect a film starring Matt Damon to fall: mediocre. Damon’s character, Edward Wilson, is the most boring man in the world thanks to his dialogue and Damon’s portrayal. I can’t think of one character I strongly liked or strongly disliked in the film; they were all clipped and sterile. Amazing, considering the material De Nero was working with. That considered, however, watching it for its history was interesting enough - things like American agents trading Nazi scientists for Jewish ones with the Soviets - and though the movie was overly long and I wouldn‘t watch it again, it wasn‘t terrible!
It would have gotten another star if Alec Baldwin had a bigger part.
**
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