History Film / TheGoodShepherd

* ObfuscatingDisability: A woman is pretending to be deaf since she needed some way to use a recording device without being obvious, so she masks it as a hearing aid. She gets found out when the main character calls to her from behind, and she reacts.

** As noted below under NoCelebritiesWereHarmed, Creator/JoePesci plays a mobster based partly on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Giancana Sam Giancana]], who allegedly was involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion, and whom some conspiracy theorists believe was involved in the plot to kill UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. In ''Film/{{JFK}}'', Pesci played David Ferrie, who was involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion, and who was supposedly involved in the plot to assassinate Kennedy.

* NeverTrustATrailer: They pinned the movie as a deep look into the history of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, better known as the UsefulNotes/{{CIA}}, including scenes of supposed espionage underway. Really much of the movie is about the personal life of Edward Wilson’s various affairs with women and his struggling marriage. And he just happened to find a secretive agency that spends most of its time trying to decipher a mysterious video. [[EndingFatigue The movie is well over two hours long!]]

''The Good Shepherd'' is a 2006 espionage thriller/drama directed by Creator/RobertDeNiro, starring Creator/MattDamon, Creator/AngelinaJolie, and De Niro. The supporting cast includes Creator/AlecBaldwin, Creator/BillyCrudup, Creator/MichaelGambon, Creator/WilliamHurt, and Creator/JohnTurturro.

''The Good Shepherd'' is a 2006 espionage thriller/drama directed by Creator/RobertDeNiro and starring Creator/MattDamon and Creator/AngelinaJolie.

* FakeDefector: A long-term example, where a [[spoiler:Soviet defector named Valentin Mironov spends years working with Edward Wilson in Wilson's counterintelligence unit. Another Soviet defector later shows up to claim that he's the real Mironov, while the first one is actually Yuri Modin, a KGB agent. They don't believe the second "Mironov" and torture him until he jumps out a window to his death (it doesn't help that he's dosed with LSD at that point). The first "Mironov" offers to take a polygraph test to prove that he is who he says he is, but Wilson refuses. Later, though, Wilson shows up on Mironov's doorstep in the middle of the night and demands that Mironov play his accordion. When Mironov agrees and asks why, Wilson replies that he wanted to finally hear something from "Mironov" that was true. Obviously, he figured out that the second "Mironov" was the real deal.]]

* DefectorFromCommieLand: Valentin Mironov is a former KGB agent who defects to the United States to assist Edward Wilson's counterintelligence unit in the new CIA against the Soviets.

** Edward Wilson is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Jesus_Angleton James Jesus Angleton]] & [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_M._Bissell_Jr. Richard Bissell]].

* ChekhovsGun: The copy of ''Ulysses''. [[spoiler: Yuri Modin's passport in hidden within the cover.]]

** Joseph Palmi is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Giancana Sam Giancana]] & [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Trafficante_Jr. Santo Trafficante Jr.]]

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Edward is basically a fictional re-imagining of James Jesus Angleton. Similarly, Archie Cumming is based on Kim Philby.

* SarcasticTitle: Edward Wilson, an emotionless robot who built up the CIA, can hardly be called a good shepherd. Even in his private life he ultimately does more harm than good.

The film chronicles the foundation of the {{CIA}} through the life of Edward Wilson (Damon), a fictional spy who participated in its predecessor's activities. Over the course of the film Wilson's dedication to his work is contrasted with his detachment from daily life as he fails at being both a husband and a father.

* {{CIA}}: The film chronicles the transition from the OSS to the CIA.

* NeverTrustATrailer: They pinned the movie as a deep look into the history of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, better known as the {{CIA}}, including scenes of supposed espionage underway. Really much of the movie is about the personal life of Edward Wilson’s various affairs with women and his struggling marriage. And he just happened to find a secretive agency that spends most of its time trying to decipher a mysterious video. [[EndingFatigue The movie is well over two hours long!]]

* TheStoic: Edward Wilson is almost emotionally dead. This was possibly the result of witnessing his father's suicide, but as an adult he's closed off to his wife (whom he doesn't love anyway) and his son, barely has a reaction when his mentor is killed, and even sends his son's lover to her death with no remorse.

* FakeDefector: A long-term example, where a [[spoiler:Soviet defector named Valentin Mironov spends years working with Edward Wilson in Wilson's counterintelligence unit. Another Soviet defector later shows up to claim that he's the real Mironov, while the first one is actually Yuri Modin, a KGB agent. They don't believe the second "Mironov" and torture him until he jumps out a window to his death (it doesn't help that he's dosed with LSD at that point). The first "Mironov" offers to take a polygraph test to prove that he is who he says he is, but Wilson refuses. Later, though, Wilson shows up on Mironov's doorstep in the middle of the night and demands that Mironov play his accordion. When Mironov agrees and asks why, Wilson replies that he wanted to finally hear something from "Mironov" that was true.
Obviously, he figured out that the second "Mironov" was the real deal.]]

* FakeDefector: A long-term example, where a [[spoiler:Soviet defector named Valentin Mironov spends years working with Edward Wilson in Wilson's counterintelligence unit. Another Soviet defector later shows up to claim that he's the real Mironov, while the first one is actually Yuri Modin, a KGB agent. They don't believe the second "Mironov" and torture him until he jumps out a window to his death (it doesn't help that he's dosed with LSD at that point). The first "Mironov" offers to take a polygraph test to prove that he is who he says he is, but Wilson refuses. Later, though, Wilson shows up on Mironov's doorstep in the middle of the night and demands that Mironov play his accordion. When Mironov agrees and asks why, Wilson replies that he wanted to finally hear something from "Mironov" that was true. Obviously, he figured out that the second "Mironov" was the real deal.]]

* {{OSS}}: Edward Wilson starts out as an agent of the OSS in World War II when he performs counterintelligence against the Nazis, and later when the agency transitions into the new CIA becomes one of its founding members.

* ShotgunWedding: Edward gets Clover pregnant the first time they have seks, which is also the night of the day they meet. Her brother tells him "I know you will do as expected". He does, despite being in love with another woman. He then leaves a week after the wedding for six years to fight in World War II and after returning, becomes a workaholic in the newly established CIA, rarely seeing her. The marriage ends in divorce.