Chuck Beatty

"Legacy of Ashes" by Tim Weiner, it is necessary to read some history of the CIA to see how unentertaining this movie is, compared to CIA history. As a layman, late in life, reading more and more books, that's why Hollywood will fail always. I urge citizens to go with what the ex CIA long term career officers write in their books, read that first, skip Hollywood, even artsy movies like this one. It's just better to read non fiction CIA books by ex's, there are good guys in CIA history, and it's best to hear them in their own words. Even when Hollywood makes amalgam characters to carry their plots, it's not in the end of one's life, worthy of taking up a citizen's time with movies, when the real ex US Govt good guys and women's lives go unread in their books. Read ex US Govt good guys/women's books, skip the damned movies. I started and stopped, and started and stopped this movie, it is so unsatisfactory to history telling in decent non fiction books. Cheap material, no matter who the actors are. The sllences, the gapping moments of expectant conversation which never was spoken by Matt Damon, are the most memorable parts, but to appreciate these at the expense of the time to watch the surrounding parts of the movie, in the end, just isn't worth one's time. Read ex CIA peoples' books, listen to them speak and hear their character from their voices, appreciate the content straight from the horses' mouths.