This
week's answer:
The
Cold Script
Arnold, assuming that you were not in some pastoral setting or on a hill in Ireland and
you haven't recently seen somebody tending sheep, I'm
going to presume that you neglected to utilize quotation
marks or italics or even capital letters to delineate
that you are indicating the recent film, "The Good
Shepherd."
I must say that I found the
screenplay unsatisfying. We do have a chance to
experience an author's version of what goes on behind
closed doors in the C.I.A. in the 1960's and follow the
laconic and conflicted agent. But, considering the
length of the story, there are not enough main events in
it to captivate an audience. The central mystery is
solved, but, when we find out who is the
"leak," we really don't care all that
much. Surprises don't surprise enough; shocks
don't shock. (I'd rather watch a "Mission
Impossible, frankly.) The world of the story seems to
revolve around the protagonist/agent without the agent
doing all that much. There's no palpable change in
him after he's gone through his trying
experiences. In a sense, the Cold War that takes
up much of the story infiltrates the fabric and
temperature of the story itself, leaving us... well...
rather cold.
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