Matt Damon masterfully plays Edward Wilson, an idealistic Yale student recruited in the midst of World War II, whose loyalty is tested by decades of secrets and betrayals.
De Niro immerses us fully in each of the meticulously charted eras, from the diplomacy of the 1940s to the tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis, capturing the changing socio-political climates with the eye of a historian.
But it is, above all, a deeply melancholic character study, in which Damon's Wilson sacrifices his family and his morals for the sake of ‘national security’. We feel his torment in every aged and tormented frame.
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=911702)
Supporting giants like Angelina Jolie and Billy Crudup add electrifying layers, but it is Damon's soul that gives The Good Shepherd its deep heart of darkness.
Director Robert De Niro's solemn epic is a riveting chronicle of the early days of the Central Intelligence Agency and its shady alliances.
A landmark of political cinema, it shows why De Niro is a master at peeling back the facades of powerful institutions and troubled men. One of the best films of the new millennium.
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=911702)
Box office takings were over US$129 million worldwide on an estimated budget of US$65 million.
