Synopsis

Edward Wilson is a patriot whose values of secrecy, discretion and a commitment to honor have been embedded in him since his tragic and privileged childhood. In 1939 while at Yale, he is recruited to join the secret Skull and Bones society, a tightly knit brotherhood that serves to develop future world leaders. Wilson’s acute mind, spotless reputation and sincere belief in American values render him the prime candidate for an intelligence career by those who monitor the newest recruits. The idealistic young man is recruited to work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, during WWII. It is a decision that will alter the course of his life and change the geopolitical shape of our times as Wilson and his fellow secret group members come to create the most powerful covert agency in the world. As one of the founders of the CIA, working in the heart of an organization where duplicity is required and nothing is taken at face value, Wilson’s idealism is steadily eroded by his growing suspicious nature, reflective of a world settling into the long paranoia of the Cold War. But his dedication comes at an ever-escalating price.

What The Critics Say

"An intricately-plotted political potboiler which makes the idea of working for the CIA seem anything but romantic." Kam Williams BLACKFILM "The movie is carried by Wilson's professional relationships, propelled by an able supporting cast." Gary Thompson PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS "No previous American film has ventured into this still largely unknown territory with such authority and emotional detachment. For this reason alone, The Good Shepherd is must-see viewing." Andrew Sarris NEW YORK OBSERVER "Much like screenwriter Roth's Munich, takes a complex set of issues and provides an angled illumination that doesn’t easily let the viewer off the hook." Brent Simon FILMSTEW "The tempo takes some getting used to, but it's only a matter of time before the sinister urge of the C.I.A. takes hold, and De Niro's aesthetic choices start to find their groove." Brian Orndorf OHMYNEWS.COM

"The Good Shepherd is serious adult moviemaking, a truly surprising effort from De Niro, a man deeply interested in the art, craft and psychology of espionage." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST "The Good Shepherd is equally fascinating as a character drama and as a cold war thriller." James Berardinelli REELVIEWS "Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd" is a remarkable study of the corrosive effects of fear and power on an establishment." Walter V Addiego SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "Handsomely crafted and impeccably acted by an all-star cast, this quietly riveting and meticulously detailed film presents a fascinating portrait of Cold War-era espionage." Timothy Knight REEL.COM "The Good Shepherd is a quietly sweeping, intensely intelligent and nail-biting history of the Central Intelligence Agency. Terry Lawson DETROIT FREE PRESS

The Inside Story

"The Good Shepherd is a fictionalized version of history which is accurate in almost every incident. But because the filmmakers are liberated from trying to be faithful to the tiny details, they’ve come a lot closer in many ways to capturing some essential truths about this extraordinary period of intelligence, counterintelligence, betrayal and espionage during the Cold War. There’s no way to understand the present without understanding how we got there. And The Good Shepherd tells us." Richard C A Holbrooke ... United States Ambassador to the United Nations 1999-2001

For 'star' gazers, "The Good Shepherd" will provide a real treat. How's this for a who's who of the 'A' listers. Academy Award ® winner Matt Damon; Academy Award ® and three-time Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie; Golden Globe, Two Time Academy Award ®, Four Time New York Film Critics Circle winner Robert De Niro; Academy Award ® winner Timothy hutton: Academy Award ® winner William Hurt; Award ® winner Joe Pesci; Golden Globe winner Keir Dullea; Clarence Derwent Award winner Billy Crudup; Emmy Award winner Tammy Blanchard; Obie Award Alec Baldwin Obie Award winner Lee Pace and, 2004 London Evening Standard Award and 2005 London Critics Circle Theatre Outstanding Newcomer Award winner Eddie Redmayne. "Whether it is the story, director, cast or whether it is the people who are instrumental in making a movie come true, we’ve got the best in the world," commends producer James G Robinson ("Young Guns"). All were brought together thanks to Robert De Niro's keen interest in directing a 'non-standard' spy film. "Bob has always had an interest in foreign policy and the way that we gather intelligence," relates Tribeca Films and "The Good Shepherd" producer Jane Rosenthal. What Bob wanted to make was "a film that would showcase the actual underpinnings of intelligence services and uncover how these largely anonymous men have controlled our world, at both personal and professional costs." Aware of De Niro’s interest in the CIA, a friend introduced him to Milt Bearden, a retired 30-year veteran of the CIA and former agent, who ran the CIA’s operations in Afghanistan in the mid ninteen eighties. He agreed to take De Niro across Europe and Asia on an educational journey to explore the hidden realms of intelligence gathering. From the corners of Afghanistan to the northwest frontier of Pakistan and off into Moscow, De Niro and Bearden traveled extensively to inform the veracity of what De Niro wanted to explore on film. During this time De Niro became privy to information with which few laypersons are entrusted. "Bob now probably has a better feel for people in the CIA, my generation or the one before, than anybody I’ve seen that was never in the world itself," notes Bearden. When it comes to his former profession Brearden has one rule. "Don’t do anything that hurts anybody or puts anybody in danger, and don’t do anything that makes the job harder for anybody who’s still trying to do it." Several years later De Niro received a script by screenwriter Eric Roth. It was called "The Good Shepherd" and it dealt with the same issues that were intriguing the director. De Niro was offered an acting role. Rosenthal remembers De Niro's reaction. He wanted more than an acting role. "Not only do I want to do this, but I want to direct it." Roth's script went back a lot earlier than the era De Niro had been researching. It went back to the grass roots. "I researched people who went into the early years of the CIA and where they came from," Roth says. "It was traditionally Yale and Skull and Bones." In those days it was almost exclusively, white male Ivy Leaguers of a patrician class—considered the best and the brightest that the U.S. had to offer, ran the government arm. In fact, this ultra-secret society counts several prominent Americans as members, including President George W. Bush; his father, former President George Bush (who headed the CIA before becoming president himself); his father’s father, Prescott Bush; as well as President Bush’s opponent in the 2004 election, John Kerry. "Some were very brave, idealistic people who decided to use it as a public service," adds Roth. The central character in "The Good Shepherd" is Edward Wilson, a sensitive young man who is handpicked to join the OSS in 1939. "He has this good natured, good hearted quality of justice. I wanted a character who could help write the rules for how they acted at that point, as he is the heart and soul of the agency. I was intrigued with what morals people have and what they’re willing to sacrifice," Roth continues. "As I delved into it, I wanted to know more about what kind of lives these guys lived. What was his family life like, and what was life like with his children? What were his dreams for them?" Morgan Creek CEO James G Robinson describes Wilson as a man who must pay a high price for devoting his entire life to safeguarding democracy. "He didn’t have a fun life. He was always doing the right thing," Robinson feels. According to the producer, the actor who would portray the central character needed to project a "quiet, smart, still waters run deep type of person. That's who Matt Damon is." The good news is that Damon was intensely enthusiastic about the role. "Matt doesn’t make any compromises as far as his character," commends De Niro. "“He’s not, all of a sudden, more sympathetic." "He's one of the finest actors working today," adds Rosenthal. "He's willing to take on the challenge and is not afraid to push himself." Damon revealed he was impressed by the sript and the chance to work with Bob De Niro. "It’s a masterful piece of writing, and as an actor, Bob’s the guy everyone worships," he says. "To have him be there, you feel like you’re in good hands." Academy Award ® winning actress Angelina Jolie plays Margaret Ann Russell who becomes Wilson's long suffering wife . Wilson does the honourable thing and marries 'Clover' after he gets her pregnant while on holidays at Desert Island, a Skull and Bones retreat. His secrecy and long absences make married life unworkable. "It’s hard for relationships to last; it’s a really high-pressure job," relates Damon. "Edward lives in a world where the stakes are high, and he can’t afford to trust even the people closest to him." Jolie is certainly well cast in this role. "Her instincts were great," lauds De Niro. "She conveyed the things I thought were essential for Clover in the way she wanted to do it, in the way she was able to do it." "Angelina has made more out of this than I could ever have imagined," reflects screenwriter Roth. "I think she’s spectacular." Playing their son Edward Jnr, is Eddie Redmayne who was recently seen starring with Toni Collette in "Like Minds". Jolie says Eddie had the right look to play Edward and Clover's son. "He’s got something very classic about him that suits that period very well." Eddie was lucky to get the role because, as he says, "Bob originally wanted to cast indigenously." A stickler for authenticity, De Niro originally considered meeting only American actors for the role of Edward Jr. "Bob’s rigorous, and he worked me hard at it," says Redmayne. De Niro's decision to cast him worked out well. Redmayne proved he was perfect for the role. There are many influences in Edward Wilson Snr's life. One of these is English professor Dr Fredericks, played by Sir Michael Gambon. For Gambon, the chance to work with De Niro was enough to convince him to take on the role of Fredericks. "To all us boys who are actors, he's our god," he laughs. "They should get him to direct every film, then they could get any actor they wanted." While in the OSS, Wilson learns the fundamentals of intelligence from British spy Arch Cummings, played by Billy Crudup. "British intelligence was already pretty well established, so my character serves as a mentor," says Crudup. Wilson’s loyal right hand man in the film was cast personally by De Niro. Ray Brocco is played by acclaimed actor and graduate of the Yale School of Drama, John Turturro. He too notes how the job might affect their home life "You can’t really talk about your work with your family,” he says. "So you run the risk of disappearing from the lives of those you care about." The look of the film is exceptional, thanks to the work of Two Time Academy Award ® winning D.O.P Robert Richardson. Rosenthal notes, "In terms of DP's, there is Bob Richardson, and there’s everybody else." The Verdict "Don't go in expecting this to be a film which projects a warm fuzzy feeling of contentment. We've learnt over the years the world of spy agencies is not a friendly one, as "The Good Shepherd" shows. Matt Damon is very good as Edward Wilson, projecting the right amount of secrecy, distrust and cold calculation needed for the role. The cast features a star-studded line of who's who's from the 'A' list and all gel well in their respective roles. There's not much warmth here and that's good because as Damon's character Edward Wilson shows, it's a friendless world away from the Agency. The attention to detail, the portrayal of the OSS's methods, the recruitment methods and the espionage all make "The Good Shepherd" worth having a look at. The ending is a 'killer'. A must for 'star' gazers. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE GOOD SHEPHERD" stars .......
Academy Award ® and Golden Globe Winner Matt Damon [Ocean's Eleven", "Stuck On You", "The Brothers Grimm", "Syriana" and "The Departed"]; Academy Award® and three time Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie ["Girl, Interrupted", "Lara Croft Tomb Raider I & II", "The Bone Collector" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"]; National Board of Review Breakthrough Performance of the Year Award winner Billy Crudup ["Almost Famous", "Big Fish", "Mission: Impossible III" and "Trust the Man"]; Academy ® and BAFTA Award winner William Hurt ["Artificial Intelligence: A.I.", "Tuck Everlasting", "The Village" and "Syriana"]; Academy Award ® winner Robert De Niro ["Raging Bull", "The Fan", "The Score", "City by the Sea", "Meet The Fockers" and "Hide and Seek"]; John Turturro ["Raging Bull", "The Color of Money", "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Mr Deeds" and "Secret Window"]; Sir Michael Gambon ["Ali G Indahouse", "The Actors", "Layer Cake" and "The Omen"] and Eddie Redmayne ["Like Minds"] as Edward Bell Wilson Jr.
"THE GOOD SHEPHERD" was .......
directed by Robert De Niro ["A Bronx Tale" and "The Score"]; screenplay by Academy Award ® winner Eric Roth ["Suspect", "The Horse Whisperer", "Ali" and "Munich"]; production design by Jeannine Oppewall ["The Sum of All Fears", "L.A. Confidential", "Catch Me If You Can" and "Seabiscuit"]; director of photography by Two time Academy Award ® winner Robert Richardson ["Platoon", "Kill Bill Vol: 1 & 2", "JFK" and "The Aviator"]; costume design by Academy Award ® BAFTA winner Ann Roth ["The Birdcage", "The English Patient", "The Talented Mr Ripley" and "The Hours"] produced by Robert De Niro ["Cape Fear", "Wag the Dog", "Meet The Parents" and "Stage Beauty"], James G Robinson ["Two For the Money", "True Romance" and "Man Of The Year"] and Jane Rosenthal ["Meet The Parents", "About A Boy", "Stage Beauty" and "Meet the Fockers"]. Run Time 167 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Universal - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2007 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved