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The Good Shepherd

Play trailer Poster for The Good Shepherd R 2006 2h 48m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 172 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Discreet, idealistic and intensely loyal, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) finds that service in the OSS and later as a founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency is the perfect career for a man of his talents. His methods become standard operating procedure for the CIA while he combats his counterparts in the KGB. But, as the country slips deeper into the Cold War, Edward finds that dedication to duty above family has a price.
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The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

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Critics Consensus

Though ambitious and confidently directed by Robert De Niro, The Good Shepherd is ultimately a tedious drama that holds few surprises and succumbs to self-seriousness.

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Critics Reviews

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Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness 06/27/2007
C+
Seems thoroughly conflicted about whether it actually buys what it's selling. Go to Full Review Brian Tallerico UGO 03/24/2007
In a mystery worthy of the CIA, The Good Shepherd ends up being both too long and too short. Go to Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard 02/23/2007
3/5
Not a film everyone will like. But those who do will appreciate De Niro's insistence on accurate detail. Go to Full Review Mitchell Beaupre Paste Magazine 09/22/2022
9/10
The more that Edward loses any semblance of humanity—which Damon expertly captures in the stillest, most internalized performance of his career—the more he becomes a representation of America itself. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 06/13/2021
3/4
Methodical in its style and intelligent in its execution. Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 11/21/2020
8/10
Like the very best slow-burn spy games of John le Carre. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kieran K Nov 18 I thought it was well done, if you have any knowledge of the CIA its not a hard story to believe. Acting was great, wish they would have done a final are with his blind love interest from the beginning but other than that I honeslty cannot fathom why this has such a low score. Hard movie to find but a phenomenal watch, maybe a bit long in the tooth at 3 hours but I thought the pacing was good. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Aug 23 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more T T @tvenjoy Aug 13 Slow movie, has some soapy scenes, not as tight as it could be. But, but...it is still a fascinating omage to the early days of the CIA. Damon plays his role with such restraint it looks boring but look deeper. See more Stare' Stodola Jan 23 A well constructed intrigue, spanning the psuedo intellectuals from Harvard's secret society pretending to be elite patriots, to the founding of the CIA, their role in the Bay of Pigs and the interactions between the Russians and USA during the cold war. I agree that it goes slow, but that was the nature of the cold war. See more D G 01/01/2025 The timeline jumps around but every one still looks the same and they dont explain whats going on and we were just scratching our heads the whole movie and then gave up. See more Mark H 12/17/2024 I take great offense at pretentious, totally made-up, fully fictional films that nonetheless advertise themselves as being part of history. This is one of those films. And it's nothing but used toilet paper. See more Read all reviews
The Good Shepherd

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Cast & Crew

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Robert De Niro

Director

Matt Damon

Edward Wilson

Angelina Jolie

Clover

Alec Baldwin

Sam Murach

Tammy Blanchard

Laura

Billy Crudup

Arch Cummings

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The Good Shepherd

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Movie Info

Synopsis Discreet, idealistic and intensely loyal, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) finds that service in the OSS and later as a founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency is the perfect career for a man of his talents. His methods become standard operating procedure for the CIA while he combats his counterparts in the KGB. But, as the country slips deeper into the Cold War, Edward finds that dedication to duty above family has a price.
Director
Robert De Niro
Producer
Robert De Niro, James G. Robinson, Jane Rosenthal
Screenwriter
Eric Roth
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Morgan Creek Productions, American Zoetrope, Tribeca Productions, Universal Pictures
Rating
R (Sexuality|Language|Some Violence)
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 22, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$59.9M
Runtime
2h 48m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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