So, are we the sheep?
I saw The Good Shepherd this week, and I loved it. Parts of it were difficult to watch, but it is a highly interesting, engaging film.
The films tells the story of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), an idealistic young poetry student at Yale. The son of a high-ranking federal judge, Wilson is tapped to become a member of the elite Skull and Bones society. After accepting, he is drawn further into a world where the expectations of others will govern his decisions. After a passionate roll in the hay with Clover (Angelina Jolie) at a Skull and Bones retreat, Edward learns she is pregnant. Though he is in love with another woman (the hearing-impaired Laura, played beautifully by Tammy Blanchard), Edward weds Clover.
The film is set at the end of World War II, when the OSS/CIA were operating/forming. Due to the strong connections of previous members (many of whom went on to work in the military and in government), several young men in the Skull and Bones society are chosen to work in intelligence and counterintelligence. Edward begins work, and the audience watches as he sacrifices one thing after another for his career. Protecting the United States is a noble calling, true, but Edward pays a high price for his devotion. He doesn't even see his son until the boy is more than five years old, because he's been working overseas. His relationship with his wife, what little there was of it to begin with, deteriorates due to neglect. He can't trust anyone, and so he doesn't.
What's fascinating about this film is that it isn't all flash and dazzle, like other spy films you may have seen. This film shows the slow, quiet work of the CIA. It shows the strategy behind the organization and what kind of power it wields. It also shows the birth of intelligence gathering in the United States, and it is pretty darn intriguing to go poking into some of those corners of U.S. history. More than anything, though, it illustrates what working in the intelligence industry does to the individuals who commit to it. (And it ain't pretty.)
I think Damon plays a role different from his "type" in this film. Edward has such a character arc. He starts the film with a wonderful, tender relationship with Laura. Though he never seems to be jolly, he is an earnest boy who is not without humor. But by the end of the film, Edward is so careful. He is so silent. He is damaged. Damon expertly paints Edward in all the tones of the things he does not say. This performance is a precise study in minimalism.
Angelina Jolie has some aching moments as Clover, as well. Being married to a ghost takes an enormous toll on Clover, and I have rarely seen Jolie play a character with such frailty. It was quite touching.
The films also boasts fine performances by Robert DeNiro (who also directed), William Hurt, Billy Crudup, and Alec Bladwin. I found this movie riveting, with both character and plot to spare. Acting is fabulous, and the subject matter couldn't get much jucier. Worth seeing.
The films tells the story of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), an idealistic young poetry student at Yale. The son of a high-ranking federal judge, Wilson is tapped to become a member of the elite Skull and Bones society. After accepting, he is drawn further into a world where the expectations of others will govern his decisions. After a passionate roll in the hay with Clover (Angelina Jolie) at a Skull and Bones retreat, Edward learns she is pregnant. Though he is in love with another woman (the hearing-impaired Laura, played beautifully by Tammy Blanchard), Edward weds Clover.
The film is set at the end of World War II, when the OSS/CIA were operating/forming. Due to the strong connections of previous members (many of whom went on to work in the military and in government), several young men in the Skull and Bones society are chosen to work in intelligence and counterintelligence. Edward begins work, and the audience watches as he sacrifices one thing after another for his career. Protecting the United States is a noble calling, true, but Edward pays a high price for his devotion. He doesn't even see his son until the boy is more than five years old, because he's been working overseas. His relationship with his wife, what little there was of it to begin with, deteriorates due to neglect. He can't trust anyone, and so he doesn't.
What's fascinating about this film is that it isn't all flash and dazzle, like other spy films you may have seen. This film shows the slow, quiet work of the CIA. It shows the strategy behind the organization and what kind of power it wields. It also shows the birth of intelligence gathering in the United States, and it is pretty darn intriguing to go poking into some of those corners of U.S. history. More than anything, though, it illustrates what working in the intelligence industry does to the individuals who commit to it. (And it ain't pretty.)
I think Damon plays a role different from his "type" in this film. Edward has such a character arc. He starts the film with a wonderful, tender relationship with Laura. Though he never seems to be jolly, he is an earnest boy who is not without humor. But by the end of the film, Edward is so careful. He is so silent. He is damaged. Damon expertly paints Edward in all the tones of the things he does not say. This performance is a precise study in minimalism.
Angelina Jolie has some aching moments as Clover, as well. Being married to a ghost takes an enormous toll on Clover, and I have rarely seen Jolie play a character with such frailty. It was quite touching.
The films also boasts fine performances by Robert DeNiro (who also directed), William Hurt, Billy Crudup, and Alec Bladwin. I found this movie riveting, with both character and plot to spare. Acting is fabulous, and the subject matter couldn't get much jucier. Worth seeing.
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