The Good Shepherd

Directed by the legend Robert De Niro, this long movie (2 hrs, 40 min) depicts the life of Edward Wilson (played by Matt Damon) as he works for the CIA from its conception. Full of stars like Damon, De Niro, William Hurt, John Turturro, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, and Timothy Hutton; this film is larger than life not just for its length but for its topic. It is similar to Syriana in its heavy political feel but more of a story. The Good Shepherd jumps around quite a bit so the viewer must pay attention at all times. Knowing a little bit of history wouldn't hurt either like the "Bay of Pigs" scenario. The movie was had good acting and told an interesting story. John Turturro was my favorite actor for his humor yet maintining the realism to his character's portrayal. Angelina Jolie is not my favorite actress as she seems to sometimes do things simply for shock appeal but she continues to surprise in her wonderful protrayal of Edward's wife. I think the make-up was a weak link to the movie because Angelina's character showed her age progression but Matt's did not and toward the latter scenes with his son, it looked more like they were friends or brothers than father and son. I give this a tiring thumbs up but do NOT drink anything or you'll end up experiencing a bladder's filled-up!