The Good Shepherd (2006)

Director:

Robert De Niro

Writer (WGA):

Eric Roth (written by)

Release Date:

22 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Edward Wilson believed in America, and he would sacrifice everything he loved to protect it.

Plot:

The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | Cross Dressing | Cigar Smoking | Jet Plane | Drink

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Matt Damon	...	Edward Wilson
Angelina Jolie	...	Margaret 'Clover' Russell
Alec Baldwin	...	Sam Murach
Tammy Blanchard	...	Laura
Billy Crudup	...	Arch Cummings
Robert De Niro	...	Bill Sullivan
Keir Dullea	...	Senator John Russell, Sr.
Michael Gambon	...	Dr. Fredericks
Martina Gedeck	...	Hanna Schiller
William Hurt	...	Philip Allen
Timothy Hutton	...	Thomas Wilson
Mark Ivanir	...	Valentin Mironov #2
Gabriel Macht	...	John Russell, Jr.
Lee Pace	...	Richard Hayes
Joe Pesci	...	Joseph Palmi

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

167 min | Russia:139 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16 | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Singapore:M18 | Malaysia:18PL | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | USA:R (certificate #43094) | Denmark:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Brazil:14 | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | New Zealand:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:T | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

49-51 Chambers Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Lee Pace's character Richard Hayes shares some similarities, including a similar name, to Allen Dulles' (CIA director from 1953-1961) eventual successor Richard Helms (CIA director from 1966-1973).

Goofs:

Early in the film, in a scene set in April 1961, you can see a solid blue US Postal Service box on a street corner in Washington, D.C. In 1961 US postal boxes were painted red on top and blue below.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Miriam: You are safe here with me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: The Good Shepherd (#13.22)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Litany

Excellent

Excellent.

The good shepherd is an excellent film. The reason this film was dubbed the "Godfather of spy movies" is because ala the "Godfather" De Niro uses real life situations involving the CIA and blends them together creating a story around the lead character played by Matt Damon. In addition,several great performances in character parts complement Damon's performance, notably Michael Gambon and John Turturro were both superb. You shouldn't view this film expecting to be blown out of your seats, it is deep, and requires strict attention to detail. My wife and I viewed this film in a packed movie house and we were very certain that half the people in the audience didn't understand or appreciate what they had just seen. I am not saying you need to be of great intellect to enjoy this film, but one of the things De Niro manages to do is bring back a thinking man's drama that is often not seen in today's attention deficit, shoot them up, bang – bang movies. This film makes it obvious that Directors Bertolucci and Leone have left a huge impression on De Niro and the result is a movie that both would be proud of.