The Good Shepherd

The name’s wrong. The Biblical meaning is one who takes care of his flock. But Edward Wilson didn’t take particularly good care.

I actually think he did. He took care of his son so much that the son followed his father’s footsteps. He did his job so that in his own way, he was taking care of his country.

Well many of the reviews came down hard on it. Tedious, overlong, lack of feeling.

I know. 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. But the reviewers who liked it, they really, really liked it.

You’re just saying that because you’ve watched it, how many times?

Five times. This is my fifth. I get a lot out of it each time.

Like?

Like spies are colorless guys. Spymasters are even colder fish. And yet they are still human beings. Spying is a dull business. And the spyosphere is a treacherous pool. And yet somebody’s got to do it.

That’s a lot of times to watch a movie just to learn something everybody already knows.

But there are the stark lines. Like when James Allen says ‘Bad habit.’ And Edward Wilson asks, “What, seeking approval or eating chocolate?’ And Wilson answers, ‘Both.’

Great lines? Those?

It’s in the delivery. And their roles. Allen is a chief. He may be a mole. And Wilson is suspicious Allen could be a mole. Ordinary exchanges become stark and charged.