Not Coming to a Theater Near You
What do you think she meant when she said “a huge black monster with giant claws”?
What do you think she meant when she said “a huge black monster with giant claws”?
At the risk of having what little critical respect I have accumulated to date immediately revoked, I have to say I wasn’t actually bored by De Niro’s CIA epic. Of course, it’s really the subject matter that held my interest more than the execution of the filmmakers. Actually, the subject matter somehow held my interest in spite of the execution by the filmmakers.
In a similar manner as any De Niro performance and probably as a reflection of the type of men De Niro seeks to profile, The Good Shepherd is fully committed to its grave tone and somber mood and there is a strange consistency to almost every aspect of the film from start to finish. The most notable instance of this unvarying, unwavering dedication is Matt Damon’s uniform performance, which rarely breaks down from conveying anything other than clinical, logical, tedious percision. Most people would be utterly bored by Damon’s acting in this instance, but I marveled at his steadfast approach to his character, considering he doesn’t break form once within the film’s monotonous pace. Damon’s performance is so bland and cold that I doubt I could recommend anyone else attempt such acting (in fact, I wouldn’t recommend anyone try this ever again), but I’m impressed with his ability nonetheless.
Having said all that, this film might be one of the worst displays of casting in the history of film. Someone really has to explain to me why Angelina Jolie was cast in this film. Jolie’s persona is pretty much the embodiment of the modern woman within our present-day cinematic landscape (whether that’s a good thing or not is an entirely different discussion), so I fail to see why we are asking her to act as an archaic housewife, other than to provide Damon with some adequate level of temptation. Add to this ridiculous decision the equally puzzling choice of Billy Crudup (one of my favorite actors) as a British intelligence officer and I’m wondering if they just cast this project based on blindly grabbing at some head-shots. It also doesn’t help that Eddie Redmayne creeps me out. As well, the cast certainly isn’t helped by the make-up department, considering Damon and Jolie look like they could be their son’s siblings.
by Chiranjit Goswami | Source: Universal Pictures 35mm Print
27 Dec 2006 1:33 PM | Submit Comment
