Der Einsatz

'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.

The training scenes and all in the beginning gave the impression that the rest would make a decent thriller. The synopsis too adds to the viewers curiosity. However, it's just another predictable thriller with flawed writing, average performances and not-so-flattering direction. I thought Farrell's James Clayton was supposed to be highly intelligent but his actions and reactions say otherwise. Likewise for Pacino's Walter Burke. It even seems outdated (I mean the CIA's headquarters have no hard drive? come on!) and on top of that technology is a significant part of the film but it just looks poor and obsolete. All three of the main performers, that is, Al Pacino, Bridget Moynahan and Colin Farrell are merely passable (yes, Pacino does his trademark shouting in the end but this time it's funny, unintentionally). The screenplay doesn't have enough grit to keep one engaged and the premise is too familiar and unbelievable. Anyway, 'The Recruit' has nothing new to offer.

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.

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.

When computer hacker and barman James Clayton is approached by CIA recruiter Walter Burke he is enticed by offers of information about his father who died in a plane crash, supposedly in the employment of Shell Oil. On the farm (the CIA training facility) Clayton learns that everything is all part of training. However in a world where every act is a deception and everyone holds secrets not everything is as it seems as friends and lovers conceal deception and treachery.

With two real good names at the head of the cast this was an easy draw for me – I wanted to see it before I even knew what it was about and was able to get preview tickets. The main thing to know is that this is a very mainstream thriller. I thought it may have some subversive comments to make about the role of the CIA in this post 9-11 world but it is very straight. As such it is very self contained and never really wanders outside it's parameters and even the computer programme that makes up the second half is never given a global view.

Although this may take away from the impact it can have as a bit of political commentary it does mean that it moves a little more freely and is very entertaining at it's best. The main weakness it has is that it is too twisty. Films that have shock twists usually are shocking because they only have one big twist as opposed to several. The Recruit has so many twists that, after the first 15 minutes, you expect everything you see to be a twist and thus you take away from it's impact. It still has clever bits but I found myself more surprised when things turned out to be what they seemed as opposed the twist I was waiting for.

Pacino is really good in the lead as he gets to play a mysterious sort of teacher type. It is nothing that really stretches his range but he is very watchable. Proving that he does have potential, Farrell is really magnetic when he is onscreen. I have seen him in Phone Booth only a few weeks ago and really like him now. He is sexy but also keeps an air of realism that makes me buy into him (even when his character is a bit Bondish). The support cast are OK but the male duo in the lead basically hold the attention by themselves.

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable thriller that maybe overdoes the twists to the point that you expect them. The leads are good and the film plays well with lots of spy coolness. One thing to watch for is the sign at one point that reads `The George Bush Centre for Intelligence', the audience I was in gave a murmur of laughter when they spotted it!