Edward Wilson, the only witness to his father's suicide and member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally upright young man who values honor and discretion, qualities that help him to be recruited for a career in the newly founded Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency). While working there, his ideals gradually turn to suspicion influenced by the Cold War paranoia present within the office. Eventually, he becomes an influential veteran operative, while his distrust of everyone around him increases to no end. His dedication to his work does not come without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually his family.

Leonardo DiCaprio was originally cast as the younger Edward Wilson but dropped out.

[from trailer]


Bill Sullivan:
You understand that whatever we discuss here doesn't leave this room?


Edward Wilson:
Of course.


Bill Sullivan:
The president has asked me to look into creating a foreign intelligence agency.

Anachronisms: In the torture scene (1960), one of the songs the Russian spy sings, is "May There Always Be Sunshine". The song was performed for the first time in 1962.

Performed by Matt Damon and Cast