The Good Shepherd

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The Good Shepherd

R,

2006,

2h 48m,

Drama/

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

56%

172 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

172 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Discreet, idealistic and intensely loyal, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) finds that service in the OSS and later as a founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency is the perfect career for a man of his talents. His methods become standard operating procedure for the CIA while he combats his counterparts in the KGB. But, as the country slips deeper into the Cold War, Edward finds that dedication to duty above family has a price.

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Critics Consensus

Though ambitious and confidently directed by Robert De Niro, The Good Shepherd is ultimately a tedious drama that holds few surprises and succumbs to self-seriousness.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Jun 27, 2007

C+

Seems thoroughly conflicted about whether it actually buys what it's selling.

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

Mar 24, 2007

In a mystery worthy of the CIA, The Good Shepherd ends up being both too long and too short.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Feb 23, 2007

3/5

Not a film everyone will like. But those who do will appreciate De Niro's insistence on accurate detail.

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Mitchell Beaupre

Paste Magazine

Sep 22, 2022

9/10

The more that Edward loses any semblance of humanity—which Damon expertly captures in the stillest, most internalized performance of his career—the more he becomes a representation of America itself.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jun 13, 2021

3/4

Methodical in its style and intelligent in its execution.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 21, 2020

8/10

Like the very best slow-burn spy games of John le Carre.

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Albus W

Nov 8, 2018

After two hours, I finally shut it off. A root canal would be more enjoyable. It's rare that I check Wikipedia to find out the ending to a movie so agonizing. Not recommended.

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Oct 14, 2018

Just awful.. Such a great cast but such vapid dialog.. Matt Damon looks like he was on Thorazine the whole movie

Theodore W

Sep 13, 2018

This is a great movie in my opinion.

Hermione P

Aug 1, 2018

Highly dramatic, slow movie, hard to identify the plot, and a let down considering the cast in this one. The general story in this one is okay I suppose on a good note.

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Ron S

May 16, 2018

This is a deep, intricate movie that requires an intelligent viewer to appreciate. Many of the outrageous behavior of the CIA is from actual historical events. Acting is superb. A bit leftist leaning ideologically, but not in a preachy way so still a good film. Highly recommended if you can handle complex plot and theme and enjoy historically accurate espionage fiction..

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Rey S

Apr 22, 2018

This is not a fun watch. In fact, I wouldn't necessarily say there's anything fun about this movie at all. The subject matter. The events depicted. The performances. The pacing. The length. Everything at hand here would make for an otherwise dismal watch -- something I'd call much of the first two-thirds of my viewing of director Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd." However, when you let this movie truly play out and reveal itself to you, you start to understand where he and writer Eric Roth are going with all of this. It's a pretty brutal corridor that they take you down, but it ultimately ended up being a satisfying direction to tread towards nonetheless. Again, it's flawed and overlong, with some pretty flat character work. But the plotting here is where the real magic lies.

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Robert De Niro

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Synopsis

Discreet, idealistic and intensely loyal, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) finds that service in the OSS and later as a founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency is the perfect career for a man of his talents. His methods become standard operating procedure for the CIA while he combats his counterparts in the KGB. But, as the country slips deeper into the Cold War, Edward finds that dedication to duty above family has a price.

Director: Robert De Niro
Producer: Robert De Niro, James G. Robinson, Jane Rosenthal
Screenwriter: Eric Roth
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Morgan Creek Productions, American Zoetrope, Tribeca Productions, Universal Pictures
Rating: R (Sexuality|Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $59.9M
Runtime: 2h 48m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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