Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) is privileged and destined for a luminous future. A Yale student, he is inducted into the secret society of the Skull and Bones brotherhood. His has allies in important places. Edward's stoic idealism is soon noticed and he is recruited by Army General Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro) to join the Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) during WWII. As the Cold War looms, Edward's ice-cold approach to his job helps engineer and structure the future agency's covert activities.

Quickie sex in the bushes with just-met sister of a fellow Bonesman gives Edward an unwanted wife and son. Clover (Angelina Jolie) goes from feisty wild girl to unhappy, neglected wife as Edward leaves for a six year stint overseas. In London, Edward learns the art of counterintelligence.

When Edward returns, he reunites with his true love, a deaf girl (Tammy Blanchard) clearly outside his social orbit. He has trouble adjusting to life with Clover and his just-met six-year old son Edward Jr. since letter writing and international phone calls were unknown back then.

Yes, "The Good Shepherd" is about espionage but this is the weary trudge through the paperwork of the CIA's involvement in the Bay of Pigs and The Cold War. There's just no excitement here.

Director Robert De Niro chose screenwriter Eric Roth who wrote the under-performing, boring "Munich." Roth knows how to slough through the drudgery of political history. He does not know how to translate those facts into an exciting cinematic story.

Edward's responsibility for the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and those Russian double-agents, causes strains in his frail marriage. Clover didn't have a clue what she was marrying into!

Edward has something more important to worry about than a neglected wife. There is a mole in the now re-formed CIA. Everyone is suspect among Edward's colleagues, including CIA director Philip Allen (William Hurt), his valet-assistant Ray Brocco (John Turturro), and smug British spy Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup).

The only snowflake is Edward's son, Edward Jr. (Eddie Redmayne), who suddenly grows up and wants to become a CIA operative. Finally, the story begins to fire up.

Damon, who hunches over and carries himself like a junior accountant, is dull. His Edward has no spark. De Niro knows how to create and deliver a strong performance, he can not direct one.

You'd think being America's Machiavelli would merit some joy. There is just no fun in toppling rogue governments and catching double agents in your espionage snares. "The Good Shepherd" chronicles 25 years of Edward's career, but he doesn't age. Edward stays 25 years old. At least Ang Lee gave Jake Gyllenhaal a mature man's gut and a bad mustache.

Jolie comports herself well. With a project as "stellar" as this, she wisely dropped the sexy pout. Jolie is beautiful without trying, but let's admit it, she is better when she's playing an angry woman. Jolie gives a slight nod to Clover aging, but still keeps her stunning figure. The only one who ages is Edward Jr.

De Niro might have liked the idea of "The Good Shepherd," but he must have lost interest in it along the way. With his kind of career, he should have figured out how to instill a point-of-view. "The Good Shepherd" lacks thrill, it lacks sexiness, it lacks danger. It lacks.