‘The Good Shepherd’
Robert De Niro directs a stellar cast, in the first of what he hopes to be a cold war trilogy. ‘The Good Shepherd’ tells the story of the origin and early history of the CIA, from the viewpoint of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon).

Starting from his early days as a member of the ‘Skull and Bones’ secret society at Yale University, the movie charts Wilson’s espionage experiences through World War 2, and into the Cold War era, and the devastating effect it has on his personal life.

Damon is a revelation here. His portrayal of Edward Wilson (a fictional mix of several actual people), is so masterfully underplayed, conveying everything through subtle glances, and restrained expression, covering a thirty year period as an intensely secretive man, utterly devoted to serving his country.

The film feels timeless. The story by Eric Roth, is an intricate one, and at times veers off course, and while these tangents don’t seem to be serving the plot as such, they do contribute to our understanding of the character of Edward Wilson.

Weighing in at two hours and forty minutes, the film manages to never be less than interesting, and never outstays its welcome.

De Niro’s direction of actors is second to none, as he proved with his little-seen and underrated debut ‘A Bronx Tale’ in 1993. Why it has taken fifteen years to step behind the camera again, is anybody’s guess.

His level of ability has somehow seemed to have multiplied, as ‘The Good Shepherd’ feels like something Coppola or Scorsese himself could have made. It doesn’t hurt, though, that the top talent will always flock to be involved with a De Niro project, considering how much of an influence he has so clearly been, on many of today’s stars. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5

‘Hot Fuzz’
Director Edgar Wright, and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been working together for ten years. So far, their collaboration has produced two series’ of cult classic comedy ‘Spaced’, their feature debut, the zombie romantic comedy, ‘Shaun of the Dead’, and now comes their second feature-length effort, in the form of an action comedy parody, ‘Hot Fuzz’.

Pegg plays Nicholas Angel, the best of the best of London’s Metroplitan police service, complete with an arrest record four hundred percent higher than any other officer on the force.

Accused of making his colleagues look bad, Angel is relocated to the sleepy countryside village of Sandford. Convinced that this model village is not entirely what it seems after a series of inexplicable ‘accidental’ deaths, Angel sets about uncovering its dark secrets, aided by his new partner, the child-like Danny Butterman (Frost).

Co-writers for the best part of a decade, Wright and Pegg have developed a unique brand of storytelling, loaded with nods to popular culture.

For ‘Shaun of the Dead’, they utilised all the conventions of both romantic comedies and zombie movies to superb effect, by placing the action in a very English setting, subsequently turning those conventions on their heads.

They pull the same trick here, shooting a ‘Lethal Weapon’-style, buddy-cop movie, complete with references to Michael Bay’s ‘Bad Boys’ movies and ‘Point Break’, among others.

The on-screen comedic chemistry between straight-faced Angel, and the endearingly immature Butterman, is undeniably entertaining stuff. After an expectedly dense, exposition-heavy opening twenty minutes, the film hits its stride, and delivers on the stellar premise, scene after scene.

The plot is obviously ludicrous, but that’s the whole point. The film gives Wright, Pegg and Frost the stage they deserve to get their comedy seen by as many people as possible, as they have crafted an infinitely more accessible piece of entertainment than they did with their previous effort.
4 out of 5