Tagline: Edward Wilson believed in America, and he would sacrifice everything he loved to protect it.
The tumultuous early history of one of the most covert and powerful government agencies in the world is viewed through the prism of one man’s life in the espionage thriller “The Good Shepherd,” starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, directed by Robert De Niro.
James Wilson (Matt Damon) understands the value of secrecy, discretion and commitment to honor, which have been embedded in his soul since childhood, when he was the sole witness to his father’s suicide. As an eager, optimistic student at Yale, he is recruited to join the sacrosanct Skull and Bones fraternity, a brotherhood and breeding ground for future world leaders. Wilson’s acute mind, spotless reputation and sincere belief in the American way of life render him a prime candidate for a career in intelligence, and he is soon recruited to work for the CIA during its WWII infancy.
While working within the very heart of an organization where duplicity is required and nothing is taken at face value, James’ idealism is soon replaced by a growing suspicious nature, reflective of a world settling into the long paranoia of the Cold War. As his methods are adopted as standard operating procedure, Wilson develops into one of the Agency’s veteran operatives, all the while becoming more firmly entrenched in his mistrust of everyone. His myopic dedication to his work comes at an ever-increasing price and eventually forces him to sacrifice everything in pursuit of his job, costing him his innocence and, finally, his family as well.
The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film produced and directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and De Niro, with an extensive supporting cast. De Niro also produced it with James G. Robinson and Jane Rosenthal.
Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The film’s main character, Edward Wilson (portrayed by Damon), is loosely based on James Jesus Angleton and Richard M. Bissell. The film’s director, Robert De Niro plays General Bill Sullivan, who is loosely based on William J. Donovan, while William Hurt portrays Philip Allen, loosely based on Allen Dulles.
Eric Roth, the film’s screenwriter, began to work on the project after he abandoned his attempt to bring Norman Mailer’s Harlot’s Ghost to the screen. Like De Niro’s film, Mailer’s novel is a fictionalized chronicle of the CIA.
The Good Shepherd was released on December 22, 2006 in 2,215 theaters, grossing $9.9 million on its opening weekend. It went on to make $59.9 million in North America and $39.5 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $99.4 million.
All About The Good Shepherd
“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. The untold story of the birth of the Central Intelligence Agency—viewed through the life of one man who believed in America and would sacrifice everything he loved to protect his country—is told in The Good Shepherd, an epic drama that features an allstar cast under the direction of Academy Award winner Robert De Niro.
Damon plays Edward Wilson, a patriot who understands the value of secrecy—discretion and a commitment to honor have been embedded in him since his tragic and childhood. As an eager, sensitive student at Yale in 1939, 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. As his methods are adopted as standard operating procedure, Wilson develops into one of the Agency’s veteran operatives, all the while combatting his KGB counterpart in a global chess match. But Wilson’s steely dedication to his country comes at an ever-escalating price. Not even the growing concern of his wife, Margaret “Clover” (Jolie), and his beloved son (Redmayne) can divert Wilson from a path that will force him to sacrifice everything in dedication to his job.
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The Good Shepherd (2006)
Directed by: Robert De Niro
Starring: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Martina Gedeck, John Turturro, William Hurt, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton
Screenplay by: Eric Roth
Production Design by: Jeannine Oppewall
Costume Design by: Ann Roth
Set Decoration by: Gretchen Rau, Leslie E. Rollins, Alyssa Winter
Art Direction by: Robert Guerra
Music by: Bruce Fowler, Marcelo Zarvos
MPAA Rating: R for some violence, sexuality and language.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: December 22, 2006
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