What happens when someone gives their ALL — and we do mean ALL — to a job or cause? What happens when the job or cause becomes absolutely paramount in their lives? Can they win..yet, in the end, actually lose? Can you not sell out but, in reality, but not selling out…completely sell out?
Robert De Niro’s critically acclaimed directorial debut “The Good Shepherd” is now available on DVD and it’s MUST VIEWING for viewers — on several levels.
But first, a bit of housekeeping. Some advance advertising heralds “The Good Shepherd” as “The Godfather” of spy films — and that’s somewhat misleading. “The Godfather” was an epic, too, but one reason why “The Godfather” holds up after umpteen viewings is the brisk pacing, the dramatic (at times melodramatic) peaks and valleys of a mix of cerebral drama and physical/mayhem drama. Except for “The Godfather” I’s and “The Godfather II’s” opening scenes, these are fast-paced “high concept” films.
“The Good Shepherd” is a more thoughtful film. And its pacing does require keen attention to all that unfolds. But it’s worth it, since its ending haunts you long after you’ve viewed it, its characters are so keenly etched and lifelike and its message is so applicable on so many fronts (and able to be pointed to by people on different ends of the political spectrum).
The story centers around Edward Wilson (Matt Damon in one of his most controlled performances yet) as an idealistic young man who embarks on a path in which he will shed his original idealism, stick to his charted path and chosen job no matter what, and sacrifice virtually every aspect of his private life — even his closest friends and family — in the end. THE JOB is what matters.
Those who’ve worked in corporations of any kind will say “AHA! I’ve seen this type who claws his way to the top, climbing over a ladder of bodies showing marks of back surgery.” But Wilson hasn’t indulged in office politics. Rather, the job came to him and once he made the commitment, it became stronger than any other tie in his life.
In a nutshell, Wilson is a young, rosy-cheeked student at Yale University when he’s recuited to join the secret Skull and Bones Society. He’s soon recruited for the OSS (the intelligence agency in place before the CIA’s creation). When the CIA emerges as a new agency, he’s a pioneer working for them. Bit by bit he sheds his idealism to internalize the distrust, duplicity and paranoia required for a job in big-time intelligence. He battles his KGB counterpart.
And, in the end, he sacrifices everything and every relationship to his job: betraying his ill-fated Yale prof mentor and disappointing and ultimately decimating his wife (Angelina Jolie) and his only son (Eddie Redmayne). People and relationships may come and go (mere trifles) but the marriage to The Job and to The Ideals (which he could maintain only by sheddding long ago actual idealism) remain.
De Niro’s style is to methodically lay out scenes. There are key moments of action — and shocking ones — but anyone who expects to see “Godfather” or James Bond-like pacing and violence will be disappointed. Rather, the emphasis here is on realism in terms of action, dialogue, and pacing….and you’re haunted by Wilson’s life’s path and his fateful choices once the film comes to an end.
For this DVD edition, 15 minutes of additional scenes have been added to enhance the film’s suspense. This perhaps makes parts of the DVD seem to slightly drag but the depth of character, sweep of the story, and panorama of the tragedy is enhanced by the additional footage.
De Niro’s tight directing style is coupled with an excellent script by Academy Award winning writer Eric Roth, who also wrote the script for Forrest Gump. Betrayal. Outright murder. Deception. Discarded relationships. All are at play in The Good Shepherd.
But when you think about it, the movie also has a theme that could be applied to many areas of modern life:
–How many people have sacrificed relationships and honesty to advance themselves in jobs in corporations?
–How many people in politics have done whatever it took and sacrificed whatever previous values, stances, or ways of treating people to do whatever it took to (1) win a political campaign, (2) go after others who criticized their side, (3) defend their side (even saying what would have once been indefensible to them but they HAVE to say it to win).
–How many parents have sacrificed relationships with their children by not balancing the need to work and create financial stability with the need to nurture and have meaningful relationships with their children (a sub-theme)?
Can you win in your commitment to be loyal to your job and its aims and, in the process, jettison all the values you held dear as a youth and even your family members? And what’s really more important? The larger job and larger cause or the individuals who pop in and out of your lives….which includes family members and people who are early, formative influences on your life?
“The Good Shepherd” provides some great performances — and good food for thought on these issues.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.