Here’s my take in less than 3 hours (which is what the film clocked in at);
It’s has good actors (Matt Damon=brilliant…other players included William Hurte, Alec Baldwin, John Turturro, Billy Crudup, Lee Pace (I didn’t know he acted before Pushing Daisies…)Timothy Hutton, Joe Peschi, etc. etc.)
It has excellent directing…it was DeNiro, after all.
It’s a confusing storyline. I’m sure it was based on a lot of fact, so of course, it wasn’t, as my mom put it, a movie you can finish a crossword puzzle in.
It’s about the birth of the CIA. It’s about an honest man in government (I know, far-fetched, but it is Hollywood). It’s about truth, honesty, and how it has no place in the US Government. It’s about a man who believed in America, but didn’t know what he’d have to sacrifice in order to protect it.
It’s a good movie, but it isn’t an escapist one. You must follow it all the way, or you will find yourself lost somewhere between a secret Russian identity, the Soviet Union, and The Blitz. The performances are outstanding, but is it worth the three hours of film where you must give your undivided attention? You be the judge…you’ve been warned.
