Movie Review: The Recruit

The Recruit

The Recruit has a terrific premise: How are CIA agents recruited, how are they trained, and most importantly, what happens then? Unfortunately, its execution is lacking and the story falls well short of its potential.

Colin Farrell is The Recruit, a brilliant young computer programmer named James Clayton who is graduating at the top of his MIT class. Al Pacino plays Walter Burke, a CIA recruiter and teacher. Although Clayton is reluctant to go along with Burke's propositions, he's also too curious to resist and he subsequently finds himself at the CIA's training facilities along with a group of other recruits. One among them is Layla (Bridget Moyahan), a beautiful recruit with computer talents of her own.

Throughout their training, Burke tells his recruits that "nothing is what it seems". Between exercises and surprises, the recruits begin to believe Burke and they develop the paranoia necessary in an intelligence career. Despite the fact that Layla and James are more than a little interested in each other romantically, they're both also paranoid of the other's motives. Burke, meanwhile, appears to play them both toward his own ends, honing their skills to the utmost. But then suspicions arise that someone else could be pulling the strings of one of the young agents, and the two risk more than their relationship as they try to figure it all out.

Colin Farrell is Hollywood's man of the moment. He's good looking and, even in real life, something of a bad boy. He's also a reasonable recruit, portraying well the fear and confusion that he consistently manages to overlay with his cockiness. Bridget Moynahan is okay. The story is also just okay. But Al Pacino, who is never less than a delight, has the mischief in his eyes here that he had when he was in Devil's Advocate. It is his performanace that single-handedly raises what would have been a two-star movie to a two-and-a-half rating. The Recruit is worth a look, especially if you're a Pacino fan. And aren't we all?

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The Recruit is rated PG-13. There is violence as well as some rough language and sexual activity. The storyline is somewhat complicated, also making the movie unsuitable for young children. I'd suggest 14 and up for this one.