Fresh off of working with Scorsese on The Departed, MATT DAMON! works with Robert De Niro on The Good Shepherd. All in the family indeed. The movie was sort of presented as history of the formation of CIA, but it plays out as your typical spy movie with a little more emotional depth, an additional five film reels, and Angelina Jolie. I mention her because at the beginning she seems so out of place, but as the movie wears on, she turns out to be the perfect actress for the role, which amounts to a visible reflection of Damon’s eroding soul. Which, in the end, is what this movie is really about. I enjoyed all the performances: the aforementioned Damon and Jolie; John Turturro who adds the edge and grit that Damon’s character lacks; Billy Crudup as the sleezy-slick pre-Bond Bond; Michael Gambon’s ultimately mysterious character; William Hurt spinning his fatherly self as a politico; Joe Pesci being… well, Joe Pesci; and even De Niro himself as the intelligence don, but as far as your more “down to earth” or “realistic” espionage movies go, I still prefer Spy Game.
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