Review of The Good Shepherd (2006) by Ilsa L — 10 Dec 2013

It requires the viewer to have some understanding of amongst other things, 'wasp' classicism, the onset of the Cold War, Kim Philby, CIA involvement in the 'third world' and the general history of the 20th century (not that any of these are portrayed particularly faithfully, when are they in Hollywood?), but provided you have all those and a vague interest in the works of Le Carre, this is a good, complex film.

Yes it's long, yes it is murky and yes there is an awful lot of talking, but it's a spy film, about spies! Spies are noted for being very clever, very methodical, very private people, what else can one expect from a film about one? It's let down by Jolie's dramatics and a general cocking about with history, and 'Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy' is a far superior film, but it is nevertheless decent and has been unfairly pilloried by people who thought they were going to see 'Bourne in the 50s'.