Yesterday, again Clent and I went to the movies (along with some other stuff). We went and saw The Good Shepherd.
But first, some other stuff. We went to Conway, and ate at this wonderful new Italian place on Dave Ward Drive called “Due Amicches” (I have no idea if I butchered that, or not, but it’s at least phonetically right), and it’s definitely a really good restaurant. And (at least for now), the prices are very reasonable. I got Chicken Parmigiana (chicken with spaghetti topped with a marinara sauce and cheese), and not only was it extremely good, but it was only about $7 (usually, at other Italian places, it’s about $10-12).
Then we went to the Home Depot to pick up some supplies for a “secret” project we’ve been planning for… I dunno… probably at least two or three years. Hopefully there will be an entry on that (maybe with some pictures) in the future.
Then, we went to Hastings, where Clent bought a single CD from The Shins, and a Shaun of the Dead action figure (don’t ask, I don’t know, either… it’s just like his favorite movie of all time, or something like that). We also ran into CmdrTaco at Hastings (no, not that CmdrTaco, it’s a nickname for one of the teachers that was at our High School). It led to an interesting conversation.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The movie review!
So, yes, our movie of choice for this excursion was The Good Shepherd. It is the tale of a CIA agent (played by Matt Damon, and loosely based on two real people), who must find out who the “mole” is inside the CIA after the Bay of Pigs Invasion fails. This is not, however your regular “spy games” movie. Though the main plot line is to figure out who is the mole in the CIA, most of the movie is about flashbacks that slowly show more and more about his life, and all happen to relate to the “main” plot in the end.
The story was very well written, having many small, seeming unrelated thread, that in the end tie together in the end of the film. The actors were very good, and I think Damon did an extremely good job with his character. The music was well-composed, and fit the movie well, too.
However, there were a few drawbacks, mainly the length of the movie. It’s a 2 hour and 30 minute movie, but it seemed much longer than that to me. Another was the “strangeness” of the movie. Though it was well-written, sometimes the plot would suddenly change, or otherwise make you go, “Wait… what just happened?” Which, I suppose it’s supposed to do, as it’s a “spy movie”, but it just threw me off.
Overall, it was a good movie, and if you haven’t seen it, then you should definitely check it out.
Rating: A-