The Recruit Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)February 3rd, 2003
'3BlackChicks Review...'
THE RECRUIT (2003)
Rated PG-13; running time 105 minutes
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Genre: Thriller
Seen at: Star Southfield (Southfield, Michigan)
Official site: http://touchstonepictures.go.com/recruit/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0292506
Written by: Kurt Wimmer, Mitch Glazer, Roger Towne
Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Cast: Colin Farrell, Al Pacino, Bridget Moynahan, Gabriel Macht
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/2003reviews/bamstherecruit.html
The question I ask myself when seeing any movie with Al Pacino in it these days is, which Al will show up: Tired Al (ANY GIVEN SUNDAY), Beat-Down Al (INSOMNIA), or Feisty Al (GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, THE GODFATHER, et al)?
Though this movie isn't quite in the same lofty company as those last few, Feisty Al reported to the set of THE RECRUIT.
THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
Haunted by memories of his mysteriously-killed father, James Clayton (Colin Farrell), a brilliant MIT grad, is not quite being all that he can be. As a tech geek with l33t hax0r ski11z, Clayton comes to the attention of CIA trainer Walter Burke (Al Pacino), who sets out to recruit young Mr. Clayton and save him from a potentially Dilbertian life. Sensing that Clayton is in search of a father figure, Burke hints that he may know something about the death of James' dad. Clayton takes the bait, and is soon sent off to The Farm: the rigorous training grounds for new CIA agents. The recruits are put through the paces of what it takes to become a super spook, with one mantra chanted over and over: "nothing is what it seems".
Among the other recruits on The Farm is the beautiful Layla (Bridget Moynahan), who of course Clayton is naturally attracted to...and all under the ever-watchful eye of Burke. But Layla's no mere Warm Place To Put It; indeed, *she* may not be what she seems. As Clayton - who Burke taps for a even more secret super spook mission than normal - quickly learns firsthand.
THE UPSHOT
Feisty Al was fun to watch in this flick, especially with his throwaway bits of humor. It's as if he knew the movie, and his part, didn't require a lot of thespianic flexing, so he just played it light and fast. Such hasn't always worked out for him exactly (see SIMONE for a recent example), but with Colin Farrell taking much of the "gotta carry this movie completely on my shoulders" load from him, Pacino has room to breathe, and get in a comic jab or three along the way. Not that this was a laff riot, by any stretch of the imagination; but though I'm sure there's a CIA Trainer out there like Big Al, I found him much more convincing when he was being facetious, than as a straight-ahead tough guy.
The load balance worked out almost as well for Colin "I'm a ho, and proud of it!" Farrell. With Pacino there as his support (in the true sense of the term), Farrell was able to pull his fair share of the weight, without taking on more than his current range could bear. Not needing to be the Super Spy just yet, Farrell's puppy dog-like vulnerability could be played up a bit. Both Pacino and Farrell benefitted greatly from their shared load; this benefit was passed along to the audience (for which this member was grateful. I tire of Rolled-Eyes Syndrome).
Even the normal weak link - the Obligatory Object Of Affection - was somewhat muted here. I fail to see why movies like this are required to throw in The Girl (or, more rarely, The Boy); but if one had to be thrown in, you could do worse than Bridget Moynahan. She was a good match for Farrell; and at least initially, she made for a credible CIA operative. I have Issues with the way her character was written toward the end (she was still CIA-trained, right? Or did all that training suddenly fly out of the window after she and Clayton did the deed?), but overall, I have few complaints.
Ok, so the payoff is a stretch (though it explains why this movie's CIA Ops use Mac systems. Hey, I'm a Mac enthusiast, but...come on now...) Ok, they beat that "nothing is what it seems" tagline into the ground. And ok, if Layla was such a super sleuth CIA trainee, why does she have to suffer the fate most Hollywood Damsels In Distress suffer? All things being equal, though, THE RECRUIT acquitted itself quite well. Considering the muck that is usually put out in theaters at this time of year, it could've been much, much worse.
BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE
If you go in to this movie expecting to see something completely new and fresh, you'll come away disappointed (what, didn't you know Hollywood has told all its stories already? Shame on ya). But if you're looking for a solid, interesting spy thriller with good performances by equally good actors, then THE RECRUIT is your man.
THE RECRUIT rating: greenlight
Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003
EMAIL: [email protected]
http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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