--- title: "The Good Shepherd: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-good-shepherd/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-good-shepherd" critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Good Shepherd (2006): what the critics said Critics' score 59 from 15 reviews: 3 positive, 11 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find the film ambitious, intelligent and carefully made, and most are also left a little cold by it. The praise clusters around the craft: Eric Roth’s well-researched script, Robert Richardson’s atmospheric photography, the period detail, and the attention to files, paperwork and the slow business of analysing evidence. Matt Damon’s restrained performance is the most frequently singled out, with William Hurt, Michael Gambon and Angelina Jolie also noted. The reservations are about length, pace and feeling. Eleven of the fifteen reviews land in the middle, calling the film overlong, confusing or emotionally distant, and several say the central character stays underdeveloped. The spread is wide. The New Yorker treats it as an impressive, melancholy espionage story and faults only its reluctance to pursue its Cold War questions, while Variety finds it tedious and without rhythm, and Slant dismisses it as featherweight. Even the warmer notices concede the deliberate pace asks for patience. ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2006. Denby regards the film as an impressive, melancholy espionage story, though he faults it for not pursuing its ultimate questions about the Cold War. He praises De Niro’s direction, especially its swift, terse handling of the intricate, paranoid narrative. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/12/25/best-and-brightest) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2006. Turan finds the film a thoughtful, psychologically complex drama whose deliberate pace suits its world of betrayal and mistrust. He particularly praises Matt Damon’s emotionally restrained performance and the detailed sequences showing the agency analyzing evidence. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-dec-22-et-good22-story.html) ## Screen Daily — Patrick Z McGavin Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2006. The critic finds the film frequently absorbing and fascinating, with power rooted in its deliberate contradictions. They praise how it refracts Cold War tensions through the emotionally harsh life of a single spymaster. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-good-shepherd/4029924.article) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-good-shepherd-2006) ## Time Out — Geoff Andrew Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2007. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no specific praise or complaint about the film. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-good-shepherd-1) ## Radio Times — Jamie Russell Rating 3/5. The review describes an ambitious, restrained spy drama focused on the CIA’s bureaucracy rather than action. It singles out Eric Roth’s well-researched script and the film’s attention to paperwork and files. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-27il0k/the-good-shepherd/) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2006. The review finds the film intelligent and ambitious, though ponderous and overlong. It praises the seriousness of its portrait of the CIA while faulting its earnestness. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/movies/22shep.html) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 23 February 2007. The critic finds the film admirable, smart and relevant, but ultimately overlong, confusing and soulless. They praise its meticulous craft and especially its compelling first half, while noting that the dense story feels overstuffed. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-good-shepherd-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating C. 22 December 2006. Phipps finds the film ambitious but increasingly sluggish, and says De Niro never makes its cold atmosphere compelling. He praises the assured opening and Damon's solid performance, while faulting the tangled story and underdeveloped central character. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-good-shepherd-1798202290) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2/4. 9 December 2006. Gonzalez dismisses the film as mundane, featherweight entertainment. He singles out Angelina Jolie’s fierce struggle against her character’s reduction to a grieving-housewife cliché. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-good-shepherd/) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2007. Newman finds the film well-crafted and well-acted, but ultimately shallow and strangely unaffecting. He praises its fascinating historical scope while faulting its lengthy, mostly room-bound storytelling and underdeveloped characters. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/good-shepherd-review/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 2007. Mackie finds the film hugely ambitious but too opaque and emotionally distant to fully engage. He praises the tension and the performances of William Hurt and Michael Gambon. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jun/15/dvdreviews.robertdeniro) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2006. McCarthy finds the film tedious and lacking in excitement, despite its fascinating subject. He praises the period detail and darkly burnished look, but says the direction never establishes a satisfying rhythm or momentum. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2006/film/awards/the-good-shepherd-2-1200511599/) ## /Film — Debopriyaa Dutta Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2026. The critic finds the slow, sometimes glum film intriguing and worth watching. They single out Matt Damon’s emotionally subtle performance as a strength, while noting the film’s meandering pace and lack of spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2161341/robert-de-niro-matt-damon-60s-spy-thriller-the-good-shepherd/) ## Eye for Film — Chris Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2007. The critic finds the film overlong and overambitious, but still worth seeing with lowered expectations. They praise Robert Richardson’s atmospheric cinematography and the film’s carefully reconstructed settings. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-good-shepherd-film-review-by-chris) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-good-shepherd.md