Underrated Movie: Damon, Jolie, Pesci & Baldwin Share Screen in De Niro's Star-Studded "The Good Shepherd"

Embed from Getty Images

This one comes with a disclaimer straight off the top:

If you automatically hate "slow" movies, regardless of their content, then The Good Shepherd probably won't be for you. Furthermore, if you religiously steer clear of long films, you can likely disregard my (mostly) positive review.

With that out of the way -- damn! -- talk about big names in this one.

We have the legendary Robert De Niro calling the shots as director and actor, with megastar Matt Damon in the lead, and some superstar support from Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin and Joe Pesci. We also get Eddie Redmayne -- Best Actor at the 2014 Oscars and a '15 nominee -- in one of his very first big-screen roles. I'm sure you'll recognize William Hurt, Billy Crudup (do you know Russell from Stillwater?), Timothy Hutton, Michael Gambon (aka Dumbledore) and John Turturro as well.

Considering all that talent, how could this movie be so widely dismissed?

The Good Shepherd has a pedestrian 6.7 rating on IMDb, to go along with middling scores on Rotten Tomatoes -- 53% from the critics and 51% from the public. Despite De Niro behind the camera and Damon in front of it, the film garnered only one Oscar nomination (Art Direction; it did not win).

Embed from Getty Images 

So today I finally sat down to tackle this two hour and forty-seven minute beast, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The Good Shepherd meanders in a multitude of different directions in the first hour or so, but down the stretch it stitches together tighter than I thought it would. Eric Roth's writing could have been trimmed, and De Niro could have edited himself more, but the film is a mostly-effective examination of cold, hard life in the CIA.

The story operates within a few different timelines, but the overall premise is simple: Edward Wilson (Damon) gets gradually recruited into the CIA by Philip Allen (Hurt) and his boss, Bill Sullivan (De Niro). The FBI, represented by Sam Murach (Baldwin), also tries to court Edward. Woven within his professional endeavors are two different love stories -- one with his true love, Laura (Tammy Blanchard), who is deaf; and the other with his eventual wife, Margaret aka "Clover" (Jolie). We get to see how Edward balances his work and love life, not to mention his fragile son, Edward Jr.

Needless to say, there isn't much balancing. Edward leans heavily in favor of the CIA. He's dedicated his time, focus and determination to the agency, and everyone and everything else are secondary.

More like tertiary, to be accurate.

In the late 1950s and early 60s, Edward is in tactical command of various covert ops involving Russians, Brits and Cubans, among others. Margaret serves as an audience surrogate because, like her, we don't know exactly what Edward does. We know he's in the CIA, in a position of both power and respect, but what exactly does he do in that position?

We know he orders one murder. A second is up for debate. He has a Russian mirror in a similar position, Stas Siyanko aka "Ulysses" (nicely played by Oleg Shtefanko, but we'll get back to him), and there's a grainy, mysterious tape that is being analyzed intermittently throughout the film. But along the way I kept wondering to myself, what did this guy do at work all day? From what De Niro opted to show, it seemed like Edward took a few daily calls and whispered some important orders. How come he never had any time for his family?

Overall, The Good Shepherd works because of its casting. This is a quiet spy movie -- not much in the way of gunfights, chases and explosions -- but it stays mostly interesting because the talented ensemble knows how to pass the baton. Damon is a steady force at the heart of the story -- what he doesn't say often makes him an intriguing protagonist -- Baldwin and Gambon spark the first third; Jolie, Shtefanko and Crudup energize the middle and Redmayne brings us home.

Embed from Getty Images 

This is also a story about fathers and sons. Edward is very much motivated by his father's past. Edward Jr. also intends to follow in his father's footsteps. Roth's screenplay doesn't make any groundbreaking statements, but it does speak simple truths. Most people are motivated by the approval (or lack there of) of their parents and loved ones, and both Damon and Redmayne effectively convey this universal fact.

Yet, in spite of Damon and Redmayne's solid performances, as well as the appearances of De Niro, Pesci, Jolie, Baldwin and Hurt, it's the lesser-known European actors who shined in my eyes. Shtefanko is note perfect. He's charismatic, but dangerous. He's Edward's friend, and foe. He delivers his lines in a way that sounds like he's telling the truth, but his facial expressions suggest otherwise. Or maybe they don't. Maybe he's doing what's best for both countries.

In a small-but-crucial role, Mark Ivanir takes over The Good Shepherd as a tortured Russian claiming to be Valentin Mironov. He takes a beating from Ray Brocco (Turturro); then it gets even worse. Just watch the work that Ivanir does in 4-6 minutes. He gets to be pained, misunderstood, funny and tragic in a single sequence. He nails every note while thoroughly out-acting both Turturro and Damon. You may also know Ivanir from Schindler's List, Homeland and Barry. It's amazing this guy hasn't earned more substantial roles in his nearly 30-year career.

In the end, I think back to the beginning of the film. In entirely different scenes, I saw the same lifeless expressions on the faces of Baldwin and Turturro's characters -- these secret soldiers are drained and disgusted, but they also know what needs to be done. Espionage is a dirty business with no friends or loyalty. These lifers are conflicted, but they also believe they are protecting American liberty.

When Edward shakes down gangster Joseph Palmi (Pesci, in a single-scene role), the latter asks:

Let me ask you something... we Italians, we got our families, and we got the church; the Irish, they have the homeland, Jews their tradition; even the n*****s, they got their music. What about you people, Mr. Wilson, what do you have?

With little hesitation, Edward replies, "The United States of America. The rest of you are just visiting."

** JOHN FRASCELLA'S SCORE: 7.5 out of 10 **

My updated review rankings:

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Margin Call (9/10)
4. Stay (9/10)
5. Gone Girl (9/10)
6. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
7. 45 Years (9/10)
8. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
9. Tape (9/10)
10. A Perfect Murder (9/10)

11. War Dogs (8.5/10)
12. In Bruges (8.5/10)

13. Split (8.5/10)

14. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

15. Basquiat (8.5/10)

16. Moonlight (8/10)

17. The Revenant (7.5/10)
18. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

19. The Shallows (7.5/10)
20. Focus (7.5/10) 

21. The Night Before (7.5/10)
22. The Walk (7/10)

23. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
24. Loving (7/10) - No review available
25. The Boy (6/10) - No review available

26. Joy (5.5/10)

27. La La Land (5.5/10)
28. Molly's Game (5/10)
29. Set It Up (5/10)
30. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
31. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
32. The Program (3/10)
33. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
34. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

35. Rings (1.5/10)
36. Mother's Day (1.5/10)

Reviews to Come...

Lady Bird
Eastern Promises
A Quiet Place
Life of Pi
Wind River
Hell or High Water

Sunshine Cleaning

Zero Dark Thirty
The Box
Annabelle: Creation
The Conjuring 2
Baby Driver
Body of Lies

Untraceable

The Wonder Boys

Jackie Brown

Mean Streets

Nerve

The Hateful Eight

The Seven Five

How to Be Single

Deadpool

Ratatouille

The Spectacular Now
The Visit
The Purge: Election Year
And more...