The Good Shepherd (film)

The Good Shepherd is a 2006 American spy film produced and directed by Robert De Niro, and starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and De Niro, with an extensive supporting cast. It is a work of fiction whose narrative is loosely based on events in the life of James Jesus Angleton. Its advertising suggests that it captures the tone of the birth of modern American counterintelligence and of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Edward Wilson (played by Damon), a senior CIA officer, discovers a mole in his department, following the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. The film delves into Wilson's complex life, starting from his college years at Yale in 1939, his initiation into the Skull and Bones fraternity, and his recruitment into intelligence work (during World War II). His personal life is marked by a strained marriage to Margaret "Clover" Russell (played by Jolie), and by a series of affairs, that underscore the sacrifices, and moral compromises, invited by espionage work. The narrative unfolds through a mix of sequential events and flashbacks, exploring the origins of the CIA, the Wilson character's involvement in key historical events, and the personal tolls typical in careers dedicated to secret intelligence.

The film features an ensemble cast including Alec Baldwin, William Hurt, Joe Pesci and John Turturro. The Good Shepherd is a fictionalized account of the early days of the CIA, blending historical facts with dramatic elements, to suggest the complexity of intelligence work and its impact on agents and their intimates.

The film was released on December 22, 2006, to mixed reviews. It grossed $100 million against an estimated $80 million production budget.