The Good Shepherd

[Ace]

If this movies has been fully covered in other threads, I apologize. Saw it yesterday and thought it was very good.

Terrific cast. And one of those movies that has lots of things to digest.

I thought DeNiro viciously skewered the privileged WASPs that run the CIA (and the rest of the government). It was merciless.

And being a semi-privileged WASP, I loved every minute of it.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Saw it. Loved it.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

As a connoisseur of American lunatics, I ask, is Damon's character supposed to be James Jesus Angleton or not.

 

[MC Sports Guy]

I was really jacked to see this movie, but then the lukewarm reviews made me hesitant. I'll have to go see it, but am slightly less excited than before. Seems like most negative reviews bash the film's length, but I don't mind long movies. Seems like a movie dealing with the beginnings of the CIA should have a little length to it, no?

 

[Armchair_QB]

As a connoisseur of American lunatics, I ask, is Damon's character supposed to be James Jesus Angleton or not.

Yep.

My question is, was this movie adapted from a novel or just loosely based on the history of the CIA?

 

[Ace]

To me, the movie isn't really about the CIA. It's about a small group of people who think they know what is best for everyone and simply can't be trusted. And can't trust each other.

 

[Armchair_QB]

To me, the movie isn't really about the CIA. It's about a small group of people who think they know what is best for everyone and simply can't be trusted. And can't trust each other.

And that small group of people (the OSS) laid the groundwork for what is the CIA today.

 

[Ace]

To me, the movie isn't really about the CIA. It's about a small group of people who think they know what is best for everyone and simply can't be trusted. And can't trust each other.

And that small group of people (the OSS) laid the groundwork for what is the CIA today.

Yeah. I am just saying that the movie really examines the people who started all this. If you went to the cinema expecting to see a story about the start of the CIA with lots of spy stuff and agents in the field, you will be disappointed.

 

[slappy4428]

As a founding father of American lunatics, I ask, is Damon's character supposed to be James Jesus Angleton or not.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Possible spoiler alert ...






I thought the movie was fascinating, particularly the ongoing face-to-face exchanges between Wilson and the KGB agent. It just never occurred to me that rival spies had that much personal interaction with one another. The two of them sitting in the balcony at Wilson's son's choral concert was pretty surreal. And I loved the line near the end where he tells the other Soviet guy, "I wanted to hear you play the violin because I wanted to hear something from you that was true." I think most of us on here can identify with that sentiment.

 

[Ace]

I thought it was interesting that the "enemy" spies all seemed to be more likeable and down-to-earth than the good guys.

 

[Ralph Waldo Henderson]

Another spoiler alert ....



I saw this partly as a message that as truly good and idealistic as the U.S. of A. had been through its history, something happened during or just after World War II that changed us. We became more Machiavellian, hard-driven and less true to our ideals. True or not (it's all a bit more complex) it was an interesting statement, if I was reading it right.

And Ace, I noticed that too. You're seeing more and more sympathetic portrayal of the Soviets as we get further away from the Cold War. The same thing happened after World War II with the Germans.

 

[Buck]

Liked the movie. It was quite good.
I'm not opposed to long movies, just unnecessarily long movies. That's the complaint against this one, and it's an apt complaint.
I thought it was very interesting as a study of the Wilson character, who never acted out of self-interest but continued to devolve into a Machiavellian spy master despite his almost consistently good intentions.

 

[slappy4428]

To me, the movie isn't really about the CIA. It's about a small group of people who think they know what is best for everyone and simply can't be trusted. And can't trust each other.

There's a Bush White House somethin just hanging there and I'm going to pass it up...

 

[User 1019]

Just returned from an evening showing myself. I thought it was a very interesting movie. Some of the time swaps got me near the end b/c they weren't very far apart, but other than that it was pretty easy to follow.

I thought the scene where junior is informed that she's dead was the best in the movie.

It was also not Jolie's best effort. Pretty rough, I thought.