Watch The Good Shepherd. Lecture 2 of 4. The Catacombs.

The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy thriller directed by Robert De Niro, starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, and Alec Baldwin. The movie tells the story of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), a Yale graduate who joins the secretive Skull and Bones society and is recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, during World War II. Wilson rises through the ranks of the organization and becomes a key player in the Cold War, but his dedication to his job comes at the cost of his personal life.

The movie is presented through a series of flashbacks as Wilson is being honored for his service by the incoming CIA director, Ray Brocco (Robert De Niro). We see a young Wilson recruited by General Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro) for the OSS and sent on a mission to London, where he meets his future wife, Margaret (Angelina Jolie). The two fall in love, but their relationship is strained by Wilson's frequent absences and secrets.

Wilson rises in the CIA's ranks and is put in charge of counterintelligence operations, tasked with uncovering Soviet spies within the CIA. Wilson becomes increasingly paranoid as he imagines that everyone around him is a potential traitor, leading to a breakdown in his relationships with his wife and son. Meanwhile, he becomes embroiled in the Bay of Pigs invasion and the assassination of JFK.

The movie is a slow-burning character study of Wilson's life and the sacrifices he makes for his job. The acting is understated but effective, with Damon giving a nuanced performance as the closed-off Wilson, and Jolie bringing depth to what could have been a stock "wife at home" character. The production design is excellent, capturing the mood of the time period and the secretive atmosphere of the CIA.

Overall, The Good Shepherd is a thoughtful and complex exploration of the cost of patriotism, and how one man's unwavering dedication to his country can lead to personal tragedy. Through its use of flashbacks and subtle characterizations, the movie asks difficult questions about the morality of intelligence work, and whether the ends can ever truly justify the means. It's a gripping drama that will leave viewers thinking long after the credits have rolled.