Movie Review: The Good Shepherd

Last night we decided to rent "The Good Shepherd." The movie, made in 2006, is a loose interpretation of the founding and early operations of the CIA.

It can neatly be summed up in one word: Depressing.

If you want to laugh, or even just smile, don't bother watching. Matt Damon's character, Edward Wilson, fails in every way.

The movie's website advertises the film as follows:

Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro star in this powerful thriller about the birth of the CIA. Edward Wilson (Damon) believes in America, and will sacrifice everything he loves to protect it. But as one of the covert founders of the CIA, Edward's youthful idealism is slowly eroded by his growing suspicion of the people around him. Everybody has secrets...but will Edward's destroy him? With an all-star cast including Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton and John Turturro, it's the gripping story David Ansen of Newsweek hails as "spellbinding."

It sounds gripping, but I didn't find the movie nearly as compelling as the synopsis.

Wilson, the main character, did not appear idealist, enthusiastic, or willing to sacrifice anything. Rather, he seemed to be a robotic yes-man, constantly seeking approval (just as his son later does in the movie) - not so much a dreamer as a droid.

The movie goes like this:
[SPOILER WARNING!]

"Hey, we want to you be in Skull and Bones"
"Uh. Sure"
"Hey tell us your darkest secret"
"Uh. Sure"
Girlfriend 1: "Sleep with me!"
"Uh. Sure"
Random Girl at Party: "Make a baby with me: NOW!"
"Uh. Sure"
Girl's Brother: "She's pregnant, marry her."
"Uh. Sure"
CIA Founder: "Be a CIA Agent"
"Uh. Sure"
CIA Founder: "Go to Europe now"
"Uh. Sure"
Random European Woman: "Sleep with me!"
"Uh. Sure"
"Do this!"
"Uh. Sure"
"Do that!"
"Uh. Sure"

I will note that Damon's character supposed to be known for his cold, stone-faced, emotionless nature. Damon did a good job playing the role. But none of Wilson's actions ever were his own. He always moved, spoke, acted in response to someone else. I think the only free action he ever does is ask his wife to name their son after him. (And how uncreative is that?)

The movie is an interesting one to watch if you're into psychology and want to analyze father-son relationships. There's certainly a lot of good material there.

It's also a great movie to watch if you need a guide to: 1) Why you should not randomly hook up at parties, 2) How to be a bad husband, and 3) How to be a really bad father.

The movie reminded me of one of those depressing "classic" novels you read in high school just to pull apart literary themes, devices, allusions and the like. If you would like an exercise that, then watch the movie. From that standpoint it's well done and certainly has far more substance than your average flick; but be warned: this ranks as one of the most depressing, soul-killing movies I have ever seen.

Into Great Silence

I missed yesterday's post because after Mass and Stations of the Cross at the Basilica the Notre Dame chapter of the Knights of Columbus hosted their first soup dinner of the year. (Many thanks to Daniel for coordinating and cooking! He is quite the chef.)

For the past couple years the Knight have tried to encourage prayer and fasting on campus by offering a simple dinner of meatless soup, bread, and water after the Stations are prayed in the Basilica. All are invited to attend. This sets an excellent example to all.

Last night was the first time they added the viewing of a spiritual movie following the dinner. The chosen movie was "Into Great Silence" - an award-winning film released in 2005.

For those of you unfamiliar with this work, Wikipedia's description says it all:

"Into Great Silence (Die Große Stille) is a documentary film directed by Philip Gröning that was first released in 2005. It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in a remote corner of the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The film was made 16 years after the director first requested permission to make it. He lived at the monastery for six months, and filmed all alone; behind the walls no "outsider" had ever before been allowed to enter."

The movie is very quiet. There is no dialogue - only a few places where the monks chant or speak.

I'm sorry to say that I (and many others in the room) fell asleep! In our defense, the movie is nearly 3 hours long. So, it's very challenging to stay awake for the entire film if you start it a little before 10:00pm at the end of a very long week.

Nevertheless, what I saw was a wonderfully reflective look into the lives of these holy monks. I was a little disappointed by the cinematography. The film quality in many places was very poor and grainy. I'm not sure if this was an artist choice by the director, or simply a lack of resources. If it was the first, I wish he hadn't, and if it was the latter, I'm sorry he didn't have more money.

It was definitely very European. Every European film I've ever seen has strange, odd, sometimes awkward shots and scenes that make me think very much of existentialists and modern art. I suppose that is no surprise, and I imagine that's probably what they're getting at.

If you ever do have 3 hours and the energy to stay awake, the movie is worth watching. It is very contemplative. I think that it is something I would like to watch again - especially now that I know what to expect.



For those of you interested in joining us for our weekly dinners and movies, soup is served around 8:00pm in the basement of the Knight's Building on South Quad. The movie will be shown when everyone has finished eating.