Nge-The Good Shepherd, uRobert De Niro ubuyela ngemuva kwamakhamera ngemuva kokuqondisa ngokubambisana (nakuba kungazange kubonakale kumakhredithi) kanye noFrank Oz ifilimu ethi The Score, eyaziwa kangcono ngokuba ukungenelela kokugcina emhlabeni we-celluloid kaMarlon. UBrando ngaphambi kokufa. Umphumela omuhle kakhulu ube nezingxoxo zakhe zokuqala nge-A History of the Bronx lapho alandela khona isigqi nokulandisa kwe-Scorsese ukuze axoxele indaba yendodana yomshayeli webhasi (yena ngokwakhe owayedlala endleleni) endaweni ebaluleke njengeBronx.
Awu, ku i-premiere Sikhuluma ngokuthi, uDe Niro ushintsha okwesithathu ukuze asitshele ngemvelaphi ye-CIA kanye nentuthuko yayo phakathi neminyaka yokuqala, ehlala ezama ukusibonisa njengenhlangano enohlamvu olucishe lube ngamahlelo, umuntu angasho, ngemihlangano eyimfihlo lapho eminye imicikilisho ibonakala ilandelwa kancane njengemfundiso. Ukubonakaliswa kwalo mbono kusibekela ngokungabukeli okushiwoyo, nezigigaba ezazenzeka ngaleso sikhathi.
Ngokuhambisanayo, ihloselwe ukwenza isihloko esingaphakathi emshinini sibe ngumuntu, ukuzidela komuntu siqu okumelwe kwenziwe ukuze kwenziwe kahle umsebenzi ohlale uthengiswa njengenkonzo e-United States nezakhamuzi zayo. Indima yenhloli yokuzidela iphethe uMat Damon endimeni kaJames Wilson (umlingiswa ngokusobala owagqugquzelwa nguJames Jesús Angleton, isikhulu sezobunhloli iminyaka eminingi) nomsebenzi wakhe e-CIA yintambo evamile uRobert De Niro. ithatha ithuba lokusitshela ukungena nokuphuma kwenkampani njengoba yaziwa kakhulu.
Umphumela uba ifilimu eqondiswe kahle, evezwe kahle ezindimeni zayo eziholayo nguMat Damon (engithanda ngobuqotho ukumbona ku-saga yaseBourne), noma u-Angelina Jolie njengomkakhe ongenalwazi, kodwa ongenalo nhlobo izinga leBourne. Ifilimu yokuqala yengcweti ye-Greenwich Village.