The Good Shepherd

Seems thoroughly conflicted about whether it actually buys what it's selling.

In a mystery worthy of the CIA, The Good Shepherd ends up being both too long and too short.

Not a film everyone will like. But those who do will appreciate De Niro's insistence on accurate detail.

De Niro deserves credit for the broad, ambitious canvas he's worked on, but his movie is just as mechanical and humourless as his protagonist.

A wan, muted film that is never less than interesting, but rarely more than that either.

It's well built but the Matt Damon character remains blank and too young to be convincing. It's solid, but like Damon himself it's a bit dull.

The more that Edward loses any semblance of humanity—which Damon expertly captures in the stillest, most internalized performance of his career—the more he becomes a representation of America itself.

Methodical in its style and intelligent in its execution.

Like the very best slow-burn spy games of John le Carre.

This is one of those rare films that makes emotional as well as intellectual demands on its audience.