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The Good Shepherd
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The Good Shepherd (2006) More at IMDbPro »

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The Good Shepherd (2006) -- The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.
The Good Shepherd (2006) -- The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   40,652 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert De Niro
Writer (WGA):
Eric Roth (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Good Shepherd on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 December 2006 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Edward Wilson believed in America, and he would sacrifice everything he loved to protect it. more
Plot:
The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations more
User Comments:
Finally a film that doesn't assume you're an idiot more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some violence, sexuality and language.
Runtime:
167 min | Russia:139 min (cut version)
Country:
USA
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Joe Pesci appears in one scene as a Mafia boss ("Joseph Palmi") whom, it is implied in the film, is a fictionalized version of Sam Giancana (in one scene it is mentioned that Castro has seized "three of [Palmi's] casinos and thrown him out of [Cuba]", and, in fact, Castro did "nationalize" several Giancana-controlled casinos) whom the CIA recruited for several assassination attempts against Fidel Castro. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Edward and Laura watch a newsreel filmed in Poland under German occupation; Several days later - enough time had elapsed for Edward to assist the FBI in exposing the members of "The American German Cultural Committee" - the couple go dancing and there they hear the announcement of Britain and France's war declaration on Germany. In reality, that event occurred on Sep. 3rd, 1939, merely 2 days after the invasion of Poland; Bear in mind that in WW-II era it took days for a newsreel to reach from the front to the theaters. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Miriam: You are safe here with me.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Middleman: The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome (#1.12)" (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Silouans Song more

FAQ

Who had the traitor killed?
Who was the traitor?
What was the point of the scene with Joe Pesci?
more
277 out of 348 people found the following comment useful:-
Finally a film that doesn't assume you're an idiot, 28 December 2006
9/10
Author: iantruitner from United States

After enduring trailer after trailer with endless stings of explosions, ridiculous CG-assisted stunts and mindless action, I felt very rewarded with an intelligent and intriguing film that defies the status quo of bigger and louder is better.

The Good Sheperd doesn't insult your intelligence, it stimulates it, sometimes confuses it, and forces you to look several layers beneath the surface. It feels like a throwback to another era of films when the complexity of a character was of greater importance than spectacle.

De Niro took a page from his producer's best work, Francis Ford Coppola, emulating films like The Godfather, The Conversation and Apacalypse Now. The drama rises not from the usual blatant conventional devices but rather by raising questions because of what we're not told and not shown. It requires a great deal of courage to use this style as films have gravitated more and more toward assuming the average moviegoer is of substandard intelligence. The scope of the film is enormous, yet the point of view is narrowly focused to be seen through the eyes of one man. There are a dozen of subplots, but all are carefully tied into the through-line of the story to match the main character's progression.

The film may require some understanding of American history from WWII through the Kennedy administration. It starts with the later years of the story, The Bay of Pigs debacle, and traces the steps that lead to it, one of the more embarrassing moments in the history of U.S. foreign policy. I found it a bit annoying that Matt Damon's character, Edward Wilson, barely seemed to age in the film while others around him did (the best way to determine his age is whether he's wearing wire-rimmed or horn-rimmed glasses), but it didn't ruin the film for me.

Overall though, definitely one of the best films of 2006. A rare film that makes you want to think and understand, rather than forget.

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couldn't watch it; should I try again? CChopper
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