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:

recruit | training | jefferson memorial | smithsonian institute | capitol building | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger Donaldson's mother Dorothy appears as a bystander in the scene where James is chasing Layla to the train station.

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Goofs

When James is entering Layla's secure work area, it sounds as if he enters 5 keys (each strike emits a beep), but only 4 coded (asterisks) marks appear. Many keypads require that either the pound or enter key be pressed after the code is entered. This also makes a beep, but does not cause an asterisk on the screen.

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Quotes

Walter Burke: Very dramatic, James.
James Clayton: I want to talk, can we talk?
Walter Burke: Yeah.
James Clayton: Where are you?
Walter Burke: Well, you know the phone booth you're calling from?
James Clayton: Yeah.
Walter Burke: Turn around.

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Crazy Credits

On the DVD audio commentary, Colin Farrell thanks the caterers for "Montezuma's Revenge in the fourth week" as their particular credit goes by.

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Alternate Versions

The film's DVD release presented the film open-matte, at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, meaning there was more picture information visible in the top and bottom of the frame than in normal theaters and on Blu-ray.

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Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: My New Old Friend (2003)

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Soundtracks

We Will Rock You
Written by Brian May

User Reviews

Cat and Mole

In "The Recruit" a computer whiz (Farrell) is recruited to be trained as a CIA operative and ends up playing cat and mole inside the agency while keeping the audience wondering who's "cat" and who's "mole". The film is a slick shoot with a convoluted plot which tries to work the notion that in the spy game no one can trust anyone. Unfortunately the film is dumbed down, full of plot holes and obvious contrivances, doesn't work well in the human drama, and relies too much on techno-junk and gobbledygook computer hacking spy stuff. Though "The Recruit" isn't much of a movie given the talent behind it, it is busy and keeps you guessing all the way to the conclusion. An okay watch for Pacino fans and anyone in the mood for a lukewarm spy flick. (B-)

Details

Country:

USA Switzerland

Language:

English Persian Russian

Release Date:

31 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Farm

Filming Locations:

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$46,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,302,063, 2 February 2003

Gross USA:

$52,802,140

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$101,191,884

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:

2.39 : 1