The Good Shepherd is a film that doesn’t have any clear destination, yet succeeds at partially redeeming Robert De Niro’s career, which is undoubtedly what it was supposed to do. (Godsend…Hide and Seek…anyone?) At almost three hours, the life of Edward Wilson unfolds like a badly joined collection of character sketches—albeit engrossingly diverse ones, with John Turturro and Michael Gambon stealing the show. The storyline alternates between the past and the present, but only the former is interesting enough to hold our attention, as Wilson joins Skull & Bones, endures a marriage he wants no part of, and works as an intelligence officer overseas. Add to that a few visual critiques of present-day politics—one in particular that’s too obvious to ignore—and you have a disappointing depiction of shadowy figures and dislikable characters who never seem to age.
In all honesty, I saw this film for one reason alone: Joe Pesci. The actor, who’s been absent from film for eight years, was billed as a main player. Needless to say, I sat through two hours of De Niro’s film for two minutes of Pesci screen time. A seeming waste of talent all around, though the sly literary references make the film a bit fun.
by Adam Balz | Source: Uiversal 35MM Theatrical Print
23 Dec 2006 11:05 AM | Comments (1)
I wanted to like the film, but it’s one of those rare cases where I actually lament the time spent watching it. Most of it struck me as tediously shallow, no matter how seriously formal or finely directed it was. It was no great performance, but Mrs. Jolie was by far the best thing in it for me, although the two minutes of Joe Pesci were a treat as well. He’s still got it.
rob
23 December 2006
1:44 PM
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