Robert DeNiro had a long gestating dream project about the origins of the C.I.A. Sitting on it for ten years he was finally able to bring it to fruition in 2006. Taking on a pacing and tone of its title character Edward Wilson, a collected, cold, calculated, subtle, and methodical man that helps give birth to secret the intelligence game as an agency in the United States, the Good Shepherd moves along deliberately but is full of intrigue and an epic story.
Edward Wilson isn’t the most socially outgoing individual, but smart as a whip and thorough in everything he does he was a logical recruit for the intelligence game, after graduating from Yale, in WWII. A Skull and Bones secret society member, he gets one of his society brother’s sister pregnant in a one night stand and ends up in a family he didn’t ask for while betraying the woman he loved right before heading off to Europe. After his work there, the General that recruited him pins him to an upper position at the newly formed CIA and in the fight against communism in the Cold War. Along his path, Edward becomes entwined with a Russian operative, Ulysses, and their paths cross through the years over important intelligence issues between the two rival countries. Intrigue also arises among British intelligence agents, apparent Nazi sympathizers, and among his own colleagues and the F.B.I. as the mantra, “don’t trust anyone,” never leaves any of our characters minds. [Read more...]
The Decade's Best – The Good Shepherd (2006)
Review: The Spirit
Frank Miller steps behind the camera solo and creates a visually beautiful, but wholly absurd and over the top film, that if you know what it is going for heading into the picture, is an entertaining piece.
The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) loves his city and he has sworn to protect it from the evil of the world. Along the way, running along rooftops, he makes women swoon when they see him, and he is always chatting them up when ever the opportunity presents itself. His arch-nemesis is The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) and when the film opens, The Spirit, is checking in on a hot tip about a deal going down with The Octopus involved. Mixed up with the deal is a beautiful thief, Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) who is attempting to steal what The Octopus is going after as well. By the time The Spirit shows up on the scene, Sand is gone but The Octopus is ready for a showdown. While the two brawl, we discover both of them can take incredible punishment and are able to recover almost any wound with ease; The Octopus even leads the Spirit on that they are two of a kind, and all the same. The film from here turns into a stylized and super clichéd film noir into the investigation of The Octopus and the mysterious Sand Saref who The Spirit has a history with. [Read more...]
