The Recruit Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)February 3rd, 2003
THE RECRUIT
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James Clayton's (Colin Farrell, "Minority Report") Spartacus software wows visitors to a computer show while a mysterious figure lurks in the background. Walter Burke (Al Pacino) is a CIA recruiter who snares Clayton's interest by hinting that he knew Clayton's father and that he may have been CIA. "Nothing is what it seems" and "Everything's a test" are Burke's watchwords to "The Recruit."
Director Roger Donaldson goes on a "Cocktail" downswing after his "Thirteen Days" success with "The Recruit." The film is built on a script (Roger Towne, "The Natural," Kurt Wimmer, "Equilibrium" and Mitch Glazer "Three of Hearts") that's both obvious and muddled and features a shopworn performance from Al Pacino as yet another duplicitous mentor.
"I am a scary judge of talent," Burke is fond of declaring, but we question that judgement immediately when presented with Colin Farrell as the top of his class at MIT. While Farrell seems to have an aptitude for action, he fails to put over the spark of above average intelligence. Seeing how his character of Clayton is doomed to think below his belt once fellow recruit Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan, "The Sum of All Fears") enters the picture, this may be a good thing. This film may be the first to feature flirtation by way of CIA ops exercises. The screenwriters then relegate this near genius to accepting a CIA data entry job after flunking out of the Farm to keep the story going. Father and son symbolism, which extends to Pacino and Farrell's facial hair, is lamely handled.
As student is pitted against student and the validity of kidnappings come into question, it becomes increasingly obvious, as it were ever in any doubt, who is pulling the strings. The mastermind's ultimate explanation, however, is a jumble of words that disconnects dots previously linked.
While Al Pacino's weary presence is still welcome, the presumed heat of Farrell continues to elude. He's a good looking kid who expends about two different facial expressions as the student turned spy. Faring far better is Bridget Moynahan, who brings more depth to Layla than she's exhibited in any previous outings. Farrell's "American Outlaws" costar Gabriel Macht, who was actually good in that bad movie, is given nothing to do.
"The Farm," the film's original title, was a better one but filmmakers thought audiences might expect content dealing with crops and tractors. We're in serious trouble if "The Recruit" even approaches accuracy about CIA operations.
C
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