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THE RECRUIT Roger Donaldson 2003 *** A spy thriller which should be my perfect kind of film. Yet all the way through the film I kept getting flashes of “I’ve seen his before” – if I had, the film failed to last in my memory at all. Basically Al Pacino recruits Colin Farrell for the CIA but as a Non Official Cover, an NOC. Farrell joins CIA because he believes that his father was an NOC and believes Pacino has knowledge of his Dad. Farrell starts intensive training at THE FARM but then gets dropped, only to immediately be picked up by Pacino who wants him to stalk Leyla (Bridget Moynahan) who was on also the training, and is now working in Langley and believed to be a mole. So Clayton (Farrell) under the guise of having an affair with her, investigates her and finds proof of her stealing a programme from Langley. But then it gets complicated. She claims to be CIA and thinks Clayton is a mole. The real crooked one proves to be Pacino who eventually gets shot . Strangely unsatisfying. Farrell looks stunning in a Farrell way. But there were moments when I kindof felt both he and Pacino were “acting”, just saying the words, not actually being the characters.Read full review
ew In an era when the country's first line of defense, human intelligence, is more important than ever, comes a thriller that gives an insider's view into the CIA's secret training ground: The Farm. James Clayton (Colin Farrell) might not have the attitude of a typical recruit, but he is one of the smartest graduating seniors in the country - and he's just the person that Walter Burke (Al Pacino) wants in the Agency. James regards the CIA's mission as an intriguing alternative to an ordinary life, but before he becomes an Ops Officer, James has to survive the Farm, where the veteran Burke teaches him the ropes and the rules of the game. James quickly rises through the ranks and falls for Layla (Bridget Moynahan), one of his fellow recruits. But just when James starts to question his role and decides to "wash out," Burke taps him for a special assignment to root out a mole. As the suspense builds toward a gripping climax, it soon becomes clear that at The Farm, the CIA's old maxims are true: 'trust no one' and 'nothing is as it seems'...Read full review
“Nothing is what it seems”, says Al Pacino, giving another gruff, seen-it-all performance — this time as veteran CIA agent Walter Burke who recruits cocksure computer whizzkid James Clayton (Colin Farrell). The same could be said about the plot of this thriller, an escapist diversion from No Way Out director Roger Donaldson. Most of the action takes place in “The Farm”, a CIA training facility where would-be agents are taught hi-tech espionage and survival skills, and where Clayton meets and falls for enigmatic rival Layla (Bridget Moynahan). Clayton's relationship with his grizzled mentor is then put to the test when Burke tells him that Layla is a mole and orders him — by any means necessary — to find out who she's working for. What follows is completely predictable.
i really enjoyed this film i had recorded it on sky plus but it only part recorded so got straight on ebay to buy the dvd just so i could watch the last 20 mins it kept me watching from the start
nice movie, fast paced, a good popcorn movie. Pacino is very good as usual, but Colin Farrell outweighs him as he has a more complex multifaceted role. Definitely a film to watch for a cozy night in, but don't expect a colossal.
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