As an agency whose usefulness has long provided fire to its critics, the CIA is a more or less a mystery—an entity answerable only to people who have no interest publicizing its successes of failures. True, they have a web site, but that does not illuminate even the basic function of this covert organization. Maybe we’re all better off not knowing how the trains run on schedule, only that they do.

The Good Shepherd, a film loosely based on the career of James Angleton a counterintelligence operative, does not examine the efficacy of the CIA either. Nor does it glamorize the mission or work. This film is not about cloak dagger or spy games. Good Shepherd does paint a harrowing picture caused by a lifetime spent serving the agency. If the experiences of the character Edward Wilson are rooted even part in fact, his story is a tortured one, indeed.

It’s a long film, close to the three hour mark. It’s littered with moments of quality drama. There’s a rich narrative, though perhaps a bit dense given the non linear plot structure.

What works about Good Shepherd:

1. A very complicated set of characters and back story in an entertaining package.

2. Cast is top shelf all the way across. Every key actor performs well.

3. Direction. More films by Robert De Niro!

Areas of improvement:

1. Very Godfather II esque vibe. Perhaps a result of Francis Ford Coppola’s involvement, several scenes draft too far into that well for my taste.

2. Story arc. Two minor conflicts could have been expanded to major plot points, and buoyed the pace.

Verdict: Matinee, or DVD rental.

Like the Oasis song ponders, you know that feeling you get? That you’ve seen it all before…well, deja vu is about the recognition of having experienced a situation in the past, while lacking a memory–real or imagined–to support that feeling. Most people know the sensation, and no one has satisfactorily explained its cause. At least not yet.
Deja Vu does not explain the mystery either, but the movie does entertain; it is very watchable. An ATF agent, played by Denzel Washington, uncovers a link between a homicide and a terrorist attack. With help from some cutting edge technology, he visualizes events leading up to the murder, and butts against an interesting paradox: If they can prevent disaster by changing the past, even at the expense of creating a different future other should they try? Audience says yes.

What works about this movie:

1) Cast. The right mix of known and unknowns. The right blend of faces and personalities.

2) Eye candy. And lots of it. Convincing explosions and disaster footage.

3) Execution of concept. Appropriates an old theme and makes it seem new.

4) Engaging. The audience wants to follow the characters along to the end.

Possible enhancements:

1) Less metaphysics. In a movie like this, one grounded in entertainment rather than science, the fact that someone can move through time and space, even at great personal risk, is far more interesting than the mechanics and theory behind the leaps they take. Not to say the movie dwells on technical matters, but a few of the imagine-if-time-was-like-a-line-on-a-paper dialog tracts jarred me loose of the story briefly.

2) Tighter editing. A few scenes could have been cut.

Verdict: A decent flick, it’s worth a DVD rental, or afternoon matinee–for the very motivated.

Gritty. Real. Masterful. Violent. The Departed is a great classic to be, with a fine script, a skilled director and a dead on cast. Literally a trifecta for the audience, this film delivers what the ads and reviews promise–a great story.

The Departed burrows into the Boston underworld where criminals and cops intersect–and sometimes collaborate–and it does so convincingly. Matt Damon plays the understudy to crime boss Jack Nicholson, and as an adult becomes a state trooper who serves both the state and the mob with equal zeal. Leo DiCaprio is a fresh cadet from a connected family who accepts the challenge of a deep cover assignment with one purpose: infiltrate the lair of the very criminal Matt Damon protects.

Chock full of memorable lines and visual imagery, the story ramps up early and and flies through the gates fast. Each scene does what it needs to and plays well. And Jack Nicholson still has the chops, and alone justifies the ticket price.

What works about The Departed:

1) Direction. Can’t say this enough. A director can take a good story and make it great, which is what Scorsese has done here.

2) Script. Tight and well planned.

3) Actors. Expertly cast and all believable.

4) Soundtrack. Usually I don’t notice the soundtracks, but this one is unusual. The Rolling Stone’s Gimme Shelter appears twice, piecemeal style. That’s rare in movies today, where studios cram as many titles as possible to keep the royalty gravy flowing.

What needs improvement:

Not out on DVD yet.

Verdict: Theater full price and DVD purchase.

I haven’t written a movie review in quite some time, which is the consequent of viewing a lot less movies. Not sure if this decision reflects my disinterest in the fare Hollywood belched up lately, or I just fell out of the movie habit. Maybe decision is too strong a word. I don’t remember consciously avoiding the cinema. Then again, I don’t remember thinking oh, there’s a flick I have to see that often either.

Anyway, I’m hitting two flicks these week. Borat and The Departed. Borat promises to offend and entertain. The Departed promises deception and lots of action. Ah, the American dream.

Oh, and this guy nearly blew up the crematorium as his flesh cooked away in the oven. There’s a horror story in that somewhere…