The Recruit (2003)

A brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers:

Roger Towne, Kurt Wimmer,

Stars:

Al Pacino, Colin Farrell, Bridget Moynahan

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Walter Burke
Colin Farrell	...	James Douglas Clayton
Bridget Moynahan	...	Layla Moore
Gabriel Macht	...	Zack
Kenneth Mitchell	...	Alan (as Ken Mitchell)
Mike Realba	...	Ronnie Gibson
Ron Lea	...	Bill Rudolph, Dell Rep
Karl Pruner	...	Dennis Slayne
Jeanie Calleja	...	Co-Ed #1
Jenny Cooper	...	Blonde with Cell Phone (as Jennifer Levine)
Angelo Tsarouchas	...	Cab Driver
Veronica Hurnick	...	Polygraph Interrogator (as Veronika Hurnik)
Eugene Lipinski	...	Husky Man
Mark Ellis	...	Test Instructor
Richard Fitzpatrick	...	Rob Stevens

Storyline

In an era when the country's first line of defense, intelligence, is more important than ever, this story opens the CIA's infamous closed doors and gives an insider's view into the Agency: how trainees are recruited, how they are prepared for the spy game, and what they learn to survive. James Clayton 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 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 Agency's secret training ground, where green recruits are molded into seasoned veterans. As Burke teaches him the ropes and the rules of the game, James quickly rises through the ranks and falls for Layla, one of his fellow recruits. But just when James starts to question his role and his cat-and-mouse relationship with his mentor, Burke taps him for a special ...

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Plot Keywords:

cia | recruit | mole | mentor | trust | 

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Taglines:

Trust. Betrayal. Deception. In the C.I.A. nothing is what it seems.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Persian Russian

Release Date:

31 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Farm

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$254,721 (Japan) (16 January 2004)

Gross:

$676,129 (Japan) (23 January 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pictures that are shown during the opening credits, of James and his father, are actual childhood photos of Colin Farrell and his father.

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Goofs

After the recruits arrive at the farm and are assembled together for the first time, the Walter Burke character is introduced to the group as senior instructor, Walter Birch.

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Quotes

James Clayton: Everything is a test!

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Crazy Credits

Girl in the window - Lorrie Barth

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Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: My New Old Friend (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Sad Reflections"
Written and Performed by Lee Chu Kiong
Courtesy of Associated Production Music LLC

User Reviews

Everything is a Test!!! That's a Good and Bad Thing.

'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.