Although it is fictional, loosely based on events in the life of James Jesus Angleton, it is advertised as telling the history of the birth of counterintelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Edward Wilson (played by Damon), a senior CIA officer, discovers a mole in his department following the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

The film delves into Wilson's complex life, starting from his college years at Yale University in 1939, his initiation into the Skull and Bones fraternity, and his recruitment into intelligence work during World War II.

His personal life is marked by a strained marriage to Margaret "Clover" Russell, played by Jolie, and a series of affairs that underscore the sacrifices and moral compromises inherent in espionage work.

"The Good Shepherd" is a fictionalized account of the early days of the CIA, blending historical facts with dramatic elements to explore the complexity of intelligence work, and its impact on individual lives.

Special Operations Executive officer Arch Cummings informs Edward that Fredericks' indiscreet homosexual liaisons pose a security risk, as they make him susceptible to blackmail.

Edward is again approached by General Sullivan, this time to help create the CIA with colleague Richard Hayes, with Phillip Allen as director.

While Edward feels genuine affection for his son, Margaret grows increasingly disenchanted as he continually prioritizes work over family.

Valentin Mironov, a high-ranking KGB defector, presents information about "Ulysses" and warns Edward that he expects other men claiming to be him to seek asylum.

En route to her wedding aboard a private plane, Miriam is assassinated by being thrown to her death by the crew, who are in fact CIA agents operating on Edward's orders.

[6] Coppola ultimately departed from the project, citing his inability to relate to the main characters due to their lack of emotion, but is credited as co-executive producer.

[5] Following Coppola's departure, Wayne Wang was tapped to direct, and was in the midst of Pre-Production location scouting when personnel changes in Columbia's production department ended his involvement.

Kaufman and Roth worked together on the project for a year, overhauling the story's narrative structure, and changing it from linear to its final non-linear approach, in which the film moved backward and forward in time.

De Niro had been developing his own spy story about the CIA from the time after the Bay of Pigs Invasion to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and agreed to appear in the film.

[5] De Niro took the project to Universal Pictures, where producer Graham King agreed to help finance the $110 million budget.

[2] De Niro planned to begin production in early 2005, but DiCaprio had to back out due to his scheduling conflict filming The Departed for Martin Scorsese.

[9] Bearden agreed to take De Niro through Afghanistan to the north-west frontier of Pakistan and into Moscow for a guided tour of intelligence gathering.

[9] Principal photography began on August 18, 2005, with shooting taking place in New York City, Washington, D.C., London, and the Dominican Republic.

Her team tracked down furnishings for sets, and found authentic Teletype machines, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and radios used in the CIA during that time.

The site's critics consensus states: "Though ambitious and confidently directed by Robert De Niro, The Good Shepherd is ultimately a tedious drama that holds few surprises and succumbs to self-seriousness.

She praised De Niro's direction: "Among the film's most striking visual tropes is the image of Wilson simply going to work in the capital alongside other similarly dressed men, a spectral army clutching briefcases and silently marching to uncertain victory".

Indeed, so is everyone else in this intricate, understated but ultimately devastating account of how secrets, when they are left to fester, can become an illness, dangerous to those who keep them, more so to nations that base their policies on them".

[18] In his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris wrote, "Still, no previous American film has ventured into this still largely unknown territory with such authority and emotional detachment.

[20] Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" rating and Lisa Schwarzbaum praised De Niro's direction and Damon's performance, noting the latter's maturation as an actor.

[21] Newsweek magazine's David Ansen wrote, "For the film's mesmerizing first 50 minutes I thought De Niro might pull off the Godfather of spy movies ...

It fails because it inserts themes we know from our studies of the period were not there: the overarching economic interest, the WASP mafia dominance, the cynicism, the dark perspective.

[26] One of the panel of CIA historians who discussed the movie in a round table strongly disagreed that the leak was crucial, saying:Even if the operation had initially succeeded, the idea that this paramilitary battalion would have melted into the jungles and mountains to spawn a general uprising against Castro is fatuous.

[3]In 2007, the cast of The Good Shepherd won the Silver Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival for outstanding artistic contribution.

[28] De Niro said he would like to make two sequels to The Good Shepherd, one bringing the action forward from 1961 to 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the other following its protagonist, Edward Wilson, to the present day.

[30] In September 2012, it was announced that Showtime was developing the sequel as a television series, with Roth as executive producer and writer and De Niro directing the pilot.