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48 out of 66 people found the following review useful: Good enough, 10 November 2003 Author: rbverhoef (rbverhoef@hotmail.com) from The Hague, Netherlands
'The Recruit' is good enough for a nice evening but that doesn't mean the movie is very good. It is about James Clayton (Colin Farrell) who is recruited by CIA spy Walter Burke (Al Pacino). On a place called The Farm he and others including the beautiful Layla (Bridget Moynahan) are trained to become CIA agents. They learn to kill and all the stuff you see James Bond and such do in other movies.It is all very entertaining but not very believable. Entertaining because of Al Pacino who almost always is fun to watch and because of Colin Farrell. I liked him in 'Tigerland' and since then he has only done good. The real star in 'Minority Report', the best thing in 'Daredevil' and a great performance in 'Phone Booth', and now a good reason to watch 'The Recruit'.'The Recruit' is entertaining, but one plot twist after another, most of them predictable; it is just a little too much.
38 out of 55 people found the following review useful: Cat and Mole, 28 May 2003 Author: George Parker from Orange County, CA USA
In "The Recruit" a computer whiz (Farrell) is recruited to be trained as a CIA operative and ends up playing cat and mole inside the agency while keeping the audience wondering who's "cat" and who's "mole". The film is a slick shoot with a convoluted plot which tries to work the notion that in the spy game no one can trust anyone. Unfortunately the film is dumbed down, full of plot holes and obvious contrivances, doesn't work well in the human drama, and relies too much on techno-junk and gobbledygook computer hacking spy stuff. Though "The Recruit" isn't much of a movie given the talent behind it, it is busy and keeps you guessing all the way to the conclusion. An okay watch for Pacino fans and anyone in the mood for a lukewarm spy flick. (B-)
28 out of 38 people found the following review useful: Not the most original thriller, but it does exactly what you can expect from it., 20 April 2005 Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium
For some reason or another, this movie wasn't really accepted by the majority of the audience and I wonder why that is. I'm not saying it is a masterpiece, but this is still a movie with Al Pacino and Colin Farrell. Both actors and especially Al Pacino are normally good for some decent fun and some good acting and it wasn't any different in this movie.This movie tells us the story of James Clayton (Colin Farrell), a young computer graduate who is recruited by Walter Burke (Al Pacino) to work for the CIA. Despite Clayton's unconventional attitude, Burke sees in him one of the best agents the CIA can wish for. That's why he'll guide Clayton through the difficult training courses and helps him to quickly rise through the ranks. Once the training period is over Clayton gets a special assignment, he'll have to detect a mole that has infiltrated in the CIA. But will his training be enough and was Burke right about the fact that this may well be the best agent ever?This movie is perhaps not the most original thriller ever, but it delivers everything that it is asked for. It's a good movie, full of suspense and decent acting. And for those who are interested: it also gives an insight on how the trainees are recruited, how they are prepared to be a spy and what they learn to survive. I don't know anything about it, but I guess it all looked pretty accurate. Anyway, I enjoyed watching this movie and I give it a 7.5/10.
19 out of 26 people found the following review useful: Good spy action thriller with passable performances..., 29 June 2003 Author: dwpollar from Bothell, Washington
1st watched 6/28/2003 - 6 out of 10(Dir-Roger Donaldson): Good spy action thriller with passable performances by the leads Farrell, Pacino and Moynahan. This isn't quite on-the-edge-of-your-seat material but there is a lot of good information given to you about the CIA to almost make it a how-to type of film at least in the first half. The 2nd half wonders more into the action-thriller genre but always keeps you guessing. Farrell is recruited by a CIA agent to be trained as one and we get to see how they are trained in a place called the `Farm', which is a special school for the CIA. Pacino's character constantly is stressing to Farrell and the audience that not everything is as it seems. This becomes kind of the theme throughout the movie as the viewer tries to figure out what's real and what's not. This is quite a challenge in this film considering that being deceptive is part of the job of the CIA agent. Another statement made by Pacino's character is that `everything is a test' also helps in the confusion of the reality issue. After Farrell goes thru the `Farm', he is assigned a special case to investigate someone that he seems to care(Moynahan) about, as a possible double-agent. The truth is twisted a couple of times near the end of the film but we're able to figure it out when it's all over. The 1st half and the 2nd half of this movie could actually each stand alone and that's what weakens the picture is the attempt to put both the CIA drama and the action-thriller together. All in all this is good viewing but could have been much better but it's apparent that the makers were ok with just ok, and that's ok.
11 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Ambiguous?, 21 October 2006 Author: Rick Blaine from London
Ironic this movie's made by Spyglass? Or is it? Isn't there ambiguity there as well?Nothing is what it seems.Yes the writers could have gone over their screenplay and given it another one-two and that may have raised the caliber another notch, but this is still good entertainment. It won't change your life, but it will be a well spent couple of hours.And it's true the movie could in theory have had a more sophisticated (ambiguous) ending, but there comes a time, after wading through all the trollop on the market, that one just sinks back and decides to enjoy a better movie for all it's worth.And this is such a movie: directed by the capable Roger Donaldson who directed the taut thriller No Way Out and co-authored by a writer on The Natural, this one keeps going at a brisk pace with excellent editing and super soundtrack from Klaus Badelt of POTC1 fame. Farrell - who actually comes off smaller than life what with all the tripe written about him, and that's not a bad thing - and former fashion model Moynahan make the sparks fly. You feel for the protagonists and that's an essential ingredient of any good movie.But Pacino: he's great at whatever he does but is he fated to have secondary roles now? Bah.There's a bit of a 'Spy Game' feel to things but there's no shameless copying going on. There just aren't many movies in this genre. And Spy Game doesn't have the thrill and suspense this one has. Yes, you might eventually figure everything out before the denouement, but you won't be upset. And odds are you won't figure everything out anyway - some yes; all of it - no.As for that ending: some people would perhaps prefer more ambiguity. On several planes. Others would say the ending is ambiguous enough. At least on one plane, perhaps several.Nothing is what it seems.
12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Everything is a Test!!! That's a Good and Bad Thing., 14 May 2007 Author: he_who_leads from Australia
'The Recruit,' is an MIT whiz kid James Clayton (Colin Farrel). His recruiter is CIA guy Walter Burke (Al Pacino). He is the head guy at the CIA training centre, 'the farm,' which Clayton and fellow trainee/love interest Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan) go through.The movie is good enough to watch but is not entirely riveting. You see, we are told 'everything is a test!!!' and this lurks behind every plot turn that Clayton goes through. Are his problems for real? Or is it just another training test by Burke? If this sounds like tense stuff, it is and it isn't. Sometimes it will hook you in but other times it is just annoying - the feeling that he's not in any real danger but its all just a drill. Interest goes up and down until after the 'farm' training stuff. At this point, the story's focus gets much sharper and things become more consistently interesting, with a few cool twists. This is quite a fair way into the movie, though.I love Pacino, and was quite interested in whether Farrell could match him after the promise he showed in 'Minority Report.' Well he does. In fact, everyone holds their own and the combined chemistry boosts the film. Pacino is steady throughout and doesn't do his unrestrained thing until the end (its still worth the wait!). Also, Moynahan is thankfully given more to do than just be the obligatory chick/eye-candy.Overall, decent enough to give a whirl. It's better than most of the other spy / thriller stuff out there.
11 out of 15 people found the following review useful: When Nothing Is What It Seems, 10 April 2004 Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is a brilliant hacker and was the first in his class in MIT. Walter Burke (Al Pacino) is a CIA recruiter and trainer and invites James to join CIA in Langton farm, using as motivation the disappearance of his father in 1990 in Peru. While being trained, James has a crush on his colleague Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan) and he becomes closer to her. In a torture training session, James is invited to leave Langton farm. Later, Walter looks for James telling him that he was indeed very well succeeded and he was hired to follow Layla, who is under the suspicion of being a traitor. In the end, nothing is what it seems. A movie having Al Pacino in the cast is a synonym of a good or excellent movie. This one follows the rules. Specially having also the great actor Colin Farrell and the beautiful Bridget Moynahan. Although having many clichés, this film is a great thriller, full of plot points, and in the end, a good entertainment. Fans of this genre will not be disappointed. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): `O Novato' (`The Rooker')
21 out of 35 people found the following review useful: I was recruited until the end, 28 March 2005 Author: fivejewels2dogs from United States
The Recruit has too many sub-plots and twists and turns. Pacino takes on the role as a CIA recruiter with a vengeance. Colin Farrell is spectacular as the recruit. His CIA girl friend (Moynahan) is extremely sexy, but Farrell manages to steal the scenes from her, one by one. It's directed with plenty of drama, mystery and intrigue. But there's something wrong with the movie? Could it be the studio? Or the writing? Don't know, I wasn't there. What I do know is that it's a great idea, but someone along the way messed it up big-time. If I was Pacino, I would have final say on the script and final cut. He must have been fuming. To make him do a Scarface sort of thing was absolutely pathetic. When the movie was over I felt cheated. Out of my DVD money and out of a good ending.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Deja view, 3 October 2003 Author: Elliott Noble from London, England
Another in a long line of thrillers that aren't as smart as they think they are, populated with supposedly ultra-smart characters doing really stupid things. "Everything is a test." "Nothing is what it seems." Doesn't anyone ever listen? And what sort of feeble recruit cracks under interrogation after a few personal questions about sex? If these are the types of people the CIA enlists, we're all doomed.I'd hoped for more from the Pacino/Farrell interplay which is cute but uninspired, given their talents. The disappointment continues as Farrell and Moynahan generate about as much spark as a match under a cold shower.Add that to a boring plotline about a dead father and a pointless car chase and it all adds up to a little more than a DTV potboiler with bigger names.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Good but Overacted by Pacino, 11 July 2008 Author: (normangelman@verizon.net) from Washington, D.C.
There appear to be two Al Pacinos. One is an excellent actor. The other goes through all the motions but indulges in serious overacting. "The Recruit" stars the other Al Pacino. Which is unfortunate since "The Recruit" has an interesting premise, is well acted especially by Colin Farrell and Bridget Moynahan, and maintains suspense throughout. The conclusion is an implausible twist but it's only a movie folks. I watched in the worst possible circumstances -- as a TV movie interrupted by an excess of commercials. But, though I grew increasingly irritated with Pacino, the film held my interest to the end. At least the guy and the gal -- Farrell and Moynahan -- appeared destined to live happily ever after in Spookville, looking perpetually over their shoulders for enemy agents ready to smash their pretty faces.
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