The Good Shepherd

While the initial premise of "The Good Shepherd" may not sound all that exciting -- the founding of the CIA -- the movie manages to keep you intrigued over the course of nearly three hours. Plus, Matt Damon delivers one of his most focused performances of his career.

Damon stars as Edward Wilson, a young man initially recruited to gather intelligence for the United States during WWII. We first meet Edward, though, in the days immediately following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. It has been determined that someone inside the CIA leaked information to the Cubans, and Edward is put on the task of figuring out who the "stranger in his house" is.

The story bounces over three decades, showing Edward's entry into the secret Skull and Bones fraternity at Yale, how he gets sent overseas a week after his wedding to his pregnant wife (Angelina Jolie), his struggle after the War to balance a home life with the his growing spy career, and the events that lead up to the Bay of Pigs. All of these pieces provide a solid payoff in the end.

It is a long movie, and feels that way at the midpoint. Jolie and Damon are more reserved in their roles here than we've seen before. Plus, watch for appearances from Robert DeNiro (the movie's director) and Joe Pesci. A solid and intelligent movie that weaves together an interesting web of intrigue, I give it an A.

"The Good Shepherd" is rated R with a running time of 160 minutes.