Good Shepherd

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 12 22 (USA)

UPC: 025192867224

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: One man bears witness to the secret history of America during the Cold War in this drama directed by celebrated actor Robert De Niro. In 1939, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) is a young man with a bright future ahead of him -- he's a top student at Yale and the prot?g? of one of the school's leading English professors, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon). But Wilson's life changes dramatically when he's invited to join Yale's powerful secret society, Skull and Bones. Through his Skull and Bones connections, Wilson meets Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), an mysterious FBI agent who asks Wilson to investigate charges that Fredericks is a Nazi sympathizer working with the German government. Later, at a Skull and Bones party, Wilson is introduced to Clover Russell (Angelina Jolie), the sister of one of his classmates and the daughter of a powerful politician; their one-night stand leaves Clover pregnant, and Wilson must leave the woman he loves, Laura (Tammy Blanchard), to wed Clover and give their child a name. Shortly after their wedding, thanks to his work with Murach, Wilson is invited to join the Office of Strategic Services, a military intelligence organization organized by Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro), and Wilson accepts. Through World War II, Wilson serves with the OSS, and learns he can trust no one in the game of international espionage, which helps make him little more than a stranger to his wife, his son, and his few friends. As the OSS evolves into the Central Intelligence Agency after the war, Wilson becomes party to America's darkest and most dangerous secrets, and in the wake of the futile Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Wilson is forced to make a terrible choice between the security of his nation and the safety of his family. Inspired by the true-life story of CIA founder James J. Angleton, The Good Shepherd boasts an impressive supporting cast, including William Hurt, John Turturro, Billy Crudup, Joe Pesci, and Timothy Hutton. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Spy Film

Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Runner-up) – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Screenplay – National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography – American Society of Cinematographers Best Art Direction in a Period Film – Art Directors Guild Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences In Competition – Berlin International Film Festival

Features: 16 minutes of deleted scenes

Good Shepherd

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/03/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 168 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Good Shepherd
1. Good News (Main Titles) [5:22]
2. Stranger In Our House [7:16]
3. An Oath of Secracy [9:30]
4. Meeting Laura [10:21]
5. Strictly Confidential [6:22]
6. Kan and Wife [5:57]
7. Uses of Information [8:08]
8. Tie Your Shoe [9:31]
9. Formidable Adversary [12:31]
10. On the Side of Democracy [9:33]
11. Grown-Up Talk [9:54]
12. Ulysses [1:41]
13. Mysterious Encounter [5:14]
14. Tell Me Your Name [8:25]
15. Agency First, God Second [11:29]
16. Nothing Else to Know [8:25]
17. Playing the Violin [9:16]
18. Wedding Bells [5:06]
19. Safekeeping [10:08]
20. End Titles [4:57]

Derek Armstrong

The problem with making a film about a dry character is that those qualities can rub off on the film itself. Matt Damon's Edward Wilson is that kind of dry character, and The Good Shepherd is that kind of dry film. There's much to admire in Robert De Niro's ambitious first trip back to the director's chair after 1993's A Bronx Tale. The years from the 1930s through the 1960s are recreated with impeccable period detail, and the plot isn't too hard to follow, a potential stumbling block with spy films that feature numerous characters and numerous shifting allegiances. No, the biggest problem about The Good Shepherd is that Damon fails to generate interest in his character, a man known for being meticulous and humorless -- characteristics that have been attributed to the Central Intelligence Agency, so it's no surprise Wilson (modeled on James J. Angleton) was one of its founders. The details of Wilson's life are downright sensationalistic. His father committed suicide, and he has a wildcard son whose incautiousness could compromise national security. But the character is so rigid, so closed off from his emotions, and so frequently passive in the events of his life, it's hard to feel for him the way De Niro intends. This shouldn't be blamed on Damon; the supporting cast is filled with Hollywood heavyweights who are similarly incapable of making an impression. The most curiously misused performer is Angelina Jolie, whose aggressive seduction techniques introduce her into the proceedings as a much-needed firecracker. But she quickly blends into the scenery as a long-suffering wife, yearning in ways that just don't resonate. Ultimately, De Niro's removed approach may keep the film from being more interesting. At 2 hours and 47 minutes, The Good Shepherd becomes a tough slog that's easier to respect than like. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Robert De Niro  Director 
Robert De Niro  Producer 
Francis Ford Coppola  Executive Producer 
James G. Robinson  Producer 
Jane Rosenthal  Producer 
Eric Roth  Screenwriter 
Chris Brigham  Executive Producer 
Bruce Fowler  Composer (Music Score) 
Rick Schwartz  Executive Producer 
Guy McElwaine  Executive Producer 
David C. Robinson  Executive Producer 
Marcelo Zarvos  Composer (Music Score) 
Howard Kaplan  Executive Producer 
Matt Damon  Actor 
Angelina Jolie  Actor 
Alec Baldwin  Actor 
Tammy Blanchard  Actor 
Billy Crudup  Actor 
Robert De Niro  Actor 
Keir Dullea  Actor 
Michael Gambon  Actor 
Martina Gedeck  Actor 
William Hurt  Actor 
Timothy Hutton  Actor 
Mark Ivanir  Actor 
Gabriel Macht  Actor 
Lee Pace  Actor 
Joe Pesci  Actor 
Eddie Redmayne  Actor 
John Sessions  Actor 
Oleg Stefan  Actor 
John Turturro  Actor 

Country: USA