"The Good Shepherd," Robert DeNiro's second film as a director, is sweeping epic chronicling the beginnings of the CIA through the dawn of the cold war, as experienced by a man who was part of its genesis. As a character study, the movie is a near-masterpiece, buoyed by a stunning performance from Matt Damon in the lead. As for the actual story, there are a lot of great moments, but the film is a bit too long for its own good.

Edward Wilson (Damon) is a patriotic & brilliant young student at Yale, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. He's then invited to join a secret organization of like-minded students & powerful public figures, called Skull & Bones. One member of this group works for the FBI, who asks Wilson to spy of one of his professors, which eventually leads to Wilson working for the OSS in Europe as World War II. Of course, the OSS eventually evolves into the CIA, of which Wilson is an vital component from the get-go. But over the years, Wilson's patriotism dedication to his work renders him cold, calculating and emotionally aloof; he alienates his wife (Angelina Jolie), whom he never loved, but married out of a sense of obligation (he got her pregnant shortly before he first traveled to Europe). As the years pass and the Cold War intensifies, so does Wilson's estrangement from his own family (including his son, who reluctantly gets pulled into Wilson's world after overhearing a conversation he shouldn't have). By the time of the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, Wilson has learned he can't really trust anyone, including those working closely with him for years. "The Good Shepherd" doesn't have a 'plot' per se, and is more similar in structure to "The Godfather" than a standard spy film. Taking place over two decades, the overall story arc focuses how the OSS slowly evolves into the CIA, seen through the eyes of Wilson. Again, there are some terrific pieces of espionage, but viewer interest occasionally wanes as this very long film (nearly three hours) sometimes spends too much time focusing on some minor details which probably could have been left out, especially later, when the film has already made the point that his family resents him, yet still offers scene after scene hammering the point home. Wilson's estrangement from his family might have been more effectively rendered if his wife just quietly disappeared from the story. However, when the movie centers its attention on the effect everything has on Wilson, "The Good Shepherd" really works. Films like this depend hugely on the performance of its star, and Damon is outstanding. This is arguably his most well-rounded role to date, and he shows he can successfully carry the dramatic weight of an epic movie on his shoulders. Damon is supported by an outstanding cast (most of whom don't share nearly as much screen time), including DeNiro, Jolie, Alec Baldwin, William Hurt & John Turturro (who's also terrific as one of the few people Wilson can trust, even though they don't like each other much).

The movie is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen, and it's a great looking picture. There's great attention paid to color and period detail, and it's nicely preserved for DVD. The audio is rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital, and for the most part, the overall sound is clean & clear, with great balance.

I was pretty surprised at the lack of bonus features. No commentaries or making-of documentaries. Just 16 minutes of deleted scenes.

"The Good Shepherd" could have been trimmed by at least 20 minutes without suffering much, but as it stands, it's still a compelling & epic character study of a man who played a vital part in one of the more intriguing eras of American history. Damon shows he can do more than play Jason Bourne, and the rest of the all-star cast is just as effective. Recommended.