Blu-ray Review: THE GOOD SHEPHERD

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Mar 22 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

“I remember a senator once asked me when we talk about C.I.A. why we never use the word ‘the’ in front of it. And I asked him, ‘Do you put the word ‘the’ in front of God?’”

In 1961, the U.S. makes a failed attempt to invade Cuba, known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and there is reason to believe that a spy had alerted the Russians to their plans. Senior CIA officer Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) finds an envelope containing some photographs and an audio reel on his doorstep that may help to reveal who leaked the information to the communists. So he and his team start to meticulously dissect both the photos and the audio, to determine who is in the photos and where they were taken.

We flash back to 1939 as a younger Edward attends Yale and is being tapped for the Skull and Bones society. The film then follows Wilson’s tumultuous life and career over the next two decades as Edward spies on his teacher (Michael Gambon) per a request from FBI agent Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), marries his classmate John’s (Gabriel Macht) younger sister, and is recruited by General William Sullivan (Robert De Niro) to head up the war effort at the American Trade Bureau in London, working with his new assistant Sergeant Ray Brocco (John Turturro), British officer Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup), and fellow Bonesmen Richard Hayes (Lee Pace). Edward is also eventually tapped to head up the Counter-Terrorism unit of a new government agency called the C.I.A., where his metal and loyalty to his country will be even further tested. All the while, Edward struggles to maintain his personal life, which usually takes a backseat to his career, often leaving his wife Margaret (Angelina Jolie) alone and unhappy for long periods of time, barely seeing a son (Eddie Redmayne) who is eager to follow in his father’s C.I.A. footsteps, thinking about his own father’s tragic death, and wondering about a lost love (Tammy Blanchard) from his past.

I don’t think The Good Shepherd is for everyone, clocking in at nearly 3 hours—this is more for folks who had no issues sitting through The Irishman or several Godfather films. It is more of a long exploration of a character’s life choices and how they play out, with the backdrop being the birth of the C.I.A. While the film has an amazing cast—which also includes William Hurt, Timothy Hutton, and Joe Pesci—and some great performances, I found it a little difficult and exhausting to follow at times. The film is constantly jumping around in time without really alerting the viewer as to when scenes take place. Not only does it jump back and forth between Edward’s younger days and his present with the Bay of Pigs investigation, it also jumps around even within his past, and it is those scenes that are sometimes difficult to place. The film also assumes the viewer has a somewhat detailed knowledge of this period of American history, often short-handing events that it seems like the viewer is supposed to recognize. The movie does eventually build to a nice pay-off in the end, but it takes far too long to get there. This is also not the most pleasant and uplifting film, so to watch Edward’s life fall apart over three hours also gets a bit depressing. The movie could have been cut in half and still achieved the same effect. While The Good Shepherd is beautifully shot and acted, it is just far too long, it is in dire need of some editing.

The Good Shepherd was previously released on Blu-ray in 2015 by Universal, and was also re-released 4 years ago as part of a bonus feature-less Matt Damon Double Feature Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment that we previously reviewed. The original Universal disc had included 16 minutes of deleted scenes, and fortunately those have been restored in Alliance Home Entertainment new re-release (not that the film really needed to be any longer, but I had been curious to see what didn’t make the edit). The film’s technical presentation on this new release is quite good. The picture remains clean and clear throughout, even during the film’s much darker sequences. The video really captures the colors and look of the period, and provides an excellent level of detail, especially on close-ups of faces. The audio track—which restores the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio of Universal’s original release versus the 2.0 track from Mill Creek’s Double Feature release—provides clear dialogue while also giving the viewer some more-immersive scenes, such as when Edward is in London and the sounds of bombs dropping and air sirens can be heard overhead. The back of the case lists a French DTS audio track in addition to the English DTS-HDMA track, but this could not be found on the disc.

The single Blu-ray disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase. There is no slipcover or digital copy included.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:47:24)

1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

Teaser Trailer (2:26)
Deleted Scenes (15:35)
Collection of 7 deleted scenes. The scenes primarily focus on a removed subplot following Margaret’s brother John (Gabriel Macht). Play All, or select from:
- John Comes Home (4:03)
  John arrives home and introduces his wife to his sister and brother-in-law. He tells Edward about his experiences as a POV.
- Edward & Sam at Train Station (1:18)
  Edward and Sam observe John passing information in the train station.
- Edward Confronts John (1:42)
  Edward confronts John about what he saw at the station.
- Edward Asks Valentin to Play Violin (2:24)
  As a test, Edward and Ray insist that Valentin play the violin while sitting in the backseat of a vehicle.
- John Enters Embassy, Edward & Clover Fight (2:03)
  John says goodbye to his wife and children and heads into the embassy. At home, Margaret argues with Edward over not protecting her brother.
- Ulysses Is Trying to Tell Us Something (2:12)
  As Valentin translates a recording of a phone conversation, he’s convinced Ulysses is trying to tell them something.
- Edward & Ray Pack Office (1:50)
  As Edward packs up the office, Ray talks about the secret nature of their work.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Worth a Look

The Good Shepherd has a stellar cast and some great performances, but I found it to be way too long and a bit confusing at times. However, fans of these longer character dramas may quite enjoy it. The technical merits of the disc are great, and the bonus material from Universal’s previous release of the film has been carried over to Alliance’s release.