It is the story of how the CIA came into being the subsequent corruption that shaped it's formative years. Robert De Niro is both director and bankroller, so committed was he to getting the story into the public domain.
But despite the heavy weight cast, De Niro himself makes an appearance, Matt Damon, in an unstretching role as the central character and Angelina Jolie as his suffering wife, it fails to make any real mark.
It is too long for a start. My endurance wore thin a couple of times and I was sorely tempted to walk out as my interest in the outcome waned. It did improve but understanding what was going on was sometime hampered by the characters need to talk discreetly and often unintelligibly.
I think the problem lies in the subject matter as much as the indulgent editing. Secret agents by their nature have to be anonymous and lack any real connection with their fellow humans, which makes them very difficult to relate to and indeed empathise with or admire.
The only real insight into Damon's character comes from the relationship, or lack of it, he had with this own father, something he makes only a vain attempt not to repeat with his own son. But this isn't enough to sustain a near-on three hour film. His wife, played by Jolie, is in a world of her own making, so there is little sense of sympathy there.
Overall there is little to get your teeth into, little suspense and utlimately little to entertain.
But despite the heavy weight cast, De Niro himself makes an appearance, Matt Damon, in an unstretching role as the central character and Angelina Jolie as his suffering wife, it fails to make any real mark.
It is too long for a start. My endurance wore thin a couple of times and I was sorely tempted to walk out as my interest in the outcome waned. It did improve but understanding what was going on was sometime hampered by the characters need to talk discreetly and often unintelligibly.
I think the problem lies in the subject matter as much as the indulgent editing. Secret agents by their nature have to be anonymous and lack any real connection with their fellow humans, which makes them very difficult to relate to and indeed empathise with or admire.
The only real insight into Damon's character comes from the relationship, or lack of it, he had with this own father, something he makes only a vain attempt not to repeat with his own son. But this isn't enough to sustain a near-on three hour film. His wife, played by Jolie, is in a world of her own making, so there is little sense of sympathy there.
Overall there is little to get your teeth into, little suspense and utlimately little to entertain.