The Good Shepherd

***1/2 – My understanding is that this movie got some mixed reviews from critics due to its length, lack of action and somewhat slow pace. I can see the point of many of these critics who felt this way, but quite frankly, I found myself surprisingly entertained by this film. Matt Damon stars as a somewhat fictionalized version of one of the founders of the CIA while Robert DeNiro directs and also has a small role. The acting was all quite good, and the plot that heavily involves the Cold War, espionage, intelligence and counter-intelligence is interesting enough to keep my interest through it’s over two and a half hour length. And I think that is pretty high praise from a guy who gave Oscar Winner “There Will Be Blood” a **1/2 rating due to its length and boringness. “The Good Shepherd” is certainly not without its faults, though. The main issue I had with it was the lame Angelina Jolie subplot as the wife of Damon’s character. She had a relatively small role at the beginning, which I was fine with, but became far too prominent near the end and became nearly the dominant figure at the film’s conclusion. Part of that shift also moved the plot away from espionage and toward family drama, which annoyed me a bit. But overall, this was a pretty good movie.