“The Good Shepard [1]” is about Edward Wilson (played by Matt Damon [2]) and the founding of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) [3]. The movie starts with The Bay of Pigs [4] and Wilson's involvement in it. Then through a series of flashbacks we follow the life of Wilson as he attends Yale, is picked for OSS (Office of Strategic Services) [5] during World War II and later as it evolves into the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).
It's a good film, and rather understated for a major Hollywood production, and it didn't feel like the three hour film that it was (a good sign). There are good performances from everybody in the film, but a problem I had was with Matt Damon. While he's good as Edward Wilson, I found it very hard to accept him as middle aged with a son in college (during the Bay of Pigs incident, around which the movie plot revolves). I just found him too young looking to be the middle age secret service beaurocrat—even Angelina Jolie [6] as his wife manged to “age” more believably than Matt Damon.
But that's really my only gripe with this otherwise good film.
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343737/
[2] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000354/
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services