Rating: 
Summary: AN ENTERTAINING MESS
Review: Maybe you're like me, periodically finding yourself being entertained by movies that you know darn well are not that good. As a die-hard Pacino fan I watched this - hoping for the best - but knew almost immediately that this movie was going to be corny at best. A pet-peeve of mine is the use of technology that does not exist and doesn't even make sense. The first scene sees our young hero, Colin Ferrell, show off his new program Spartacus at a (I'm guessing) trade show. This program did the impossible, and that's hijacked the other computers and monitors in the building. It doesn't take a computer whiz to figure out the ridiculousness of it - but I'm patient and was willing to overlook it - a potentially good thriller immediately reduced to corny.
I love Pacino, but the other reviews were right about his weary performance - none of his classic bravado and an incredibly stupid ending featuring, of course, the vapor-ware Spartacus.
This movie is not deserving of one-star, but it's not a classic either...just a rental.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Spy Movie!
Review: The motto of this movie is "nothing is what it seems" therefore from the beginning you know to expect the unexpected. This movie is all about psychological manipulation, and is very thought provoking. I really enjoyed it!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable "Who's playing Who" thriller
Review: I have to say I really enjoyed this movie and actually endorse the "Edge of the Seat" message on the rear of the box.
Al Pacino is well cast as the craggy featured senior recruitment officer for the CIA, who woos a young Computer genius (played by Farrell) into the world of espionage, and governmental agency training. The young Farell rapidly becomes embroiled in a "mole" hunt and is constantly questioning whether he is still "in training", or really in danger. What develops is a series of "who's watching who" encounters as he, and his trainee counterpart take part in a cat and mouse scenario, that leaves the viewing audience also playing along. Puritans will probably complain that there is a lack of accuracy in the movie, and that the final revelations seem predictable, but most people will just sit and enjoy the ride. Solid acting performances and a believable script bolster the storyline, and Farrell is excellent as the naive, almost paranoid young agent. Great suspense, and very well made.
Rating:
Summary: Deceit, Deception and Destruction
Review: Al Pacino in one of his best roles as world weary, cynical, sardonic and burnt out Central Intelligence Agency recruiter. His craggy, wrinkled face show it ALL. A veteran of many covert and clandestine missions internationally, he recruits the hero by mainly playing on his unconfirmed belief that his father was a CIA Intelligence Officer who was KIA in Peru. Filmed on location in Canada where the woods are used to represent The Farm, which is the CIA's training facility in Virginia. Its correct name is Camp P____. Here, the recruit of the movie title learns tradecraft which in spy talk is how you do what spies do. He learns ELINT or electronic intelligence like bugging and so on. The recruit learns too the black arts of killing with bare hands or machine guns. He meets the love interest in the movie who is a fellow recruit. Later, he even bugs her while pretending to be deeply in love with her. The classic scene in the car park is where she says, "..we have 18 seconds before the CCTV surveillenace cameras pick us up." This leads to a super passionate rip your lips off kissing scene which is really well done. The Polygraph scenes are good too. The Polygraph is a a lie detector which Company employees have to undergo periodically. It is not foolproof as traitors uncovered can testify to. The resistance to hostile interrogation scenes are a bit overdone but what the hell, that's Hollywood. A dark, film noir type location is the Washington Navy Yard where everything comes to a head. The climatic scene is a ritual suicide where the bad guy who obviously chooses death before the State Penitentiary (I won't tell you who as it will spoil the suprise) gets cut to pieces with 9mm rounds from Heckler & Koch MP5A2 SMGs fitted with laser sights. In real life, you simply have to shoot to kill because a wounded target is even more dangerous. Moreover, people riddled with bullets have been known to shoot back and kill their opponent, so the 1 shot kill in real life is pretty much a myth (except for pro snipers). Some scenes were really filmed in the old building of The Company headquarters. A fascinating movie, with many thrills, spills, kills, suspense, a beautiful heroine in danger, and much else, what more could you ask for? A nice insight into the world of espionage where people lie routinely, and where nothing is quite what it seems. A world where the love of money often out-motivates the love of country. This is perhaps the reason why Spying is the world's second oldest profession. Enjoy the movie, then go back to your mundane 9 to 5 life, and be happy you are not a spy!
Rating: 
Summary: I Loved this film.
Review: I loved the pace of this film. The series of tests that a young CIA hopefull must undergo are amazing. The constant wondering of what was a test and what wasn't kept me entertained throughout. Colin Farrell is an amazing actor who is just now starting to get more staring roles he deserves. He has stolen the scenes in virtually every movie he has been in (that I've seen anyway).Al Pacino turns in another great performance as the mentor leading Farrell and his colleages deeper down the rabbit hole into a world of confusion and deceit. Bridgette Monyahan does a solid job in support as well. The ending was a little trivial, and somewhat far-fetched, but overall it was still entertaining throughout.
Rating:
Summary: 3.5 stars, actually...
Review: There is a term I use in cinema. It is called "Vizzini's Law." The sharpest of movie buffs will pick up on the obvious reference to Wallace Shawn's character in "The Princess Bride" (1987). I use Vizzini's Law when a film manipulates the audience into thinking things will either a) happen, or b) not happen. In "The Princess Bride," Shawn's character gives a speech to Cary Elwes' Westley, where he explains that Westley wants him to think poison is in a certain goblet of wine. "Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me!" His speech goes on. The point of it is that Vizzini must deduce what Westley wants him to think from the mess. And I use this reference when a film does the same as Westley. It pulls the audience's leg so many times, the audience loses count of which one is being pulled. They have to wonder what the filmmakers WANT us to think, then realize that the conclusion of the mess is the OPPOSITE of what they want us to think. Or is it? Some films that use Vizzini's Law are ignorant and become irritable. But Roger Donaldson's "The Recruit" is far from boring, irritable, or ignorant. Sometimes the twists and turns are obvious, but most of the time they are more fun. It's not an especially wonderful thriller, but it's enjoyable, and will welcome a second-viewing to pick up on missed tidbits. The film is about a mentor and his student. Al Pacino the mentor, Colin Farrell the student. Farrell is James Clayton, a computer whiz-kid who turns down an offer from Dell Computers to become a CIA agent with help from instructor Al Pacino. These set-up scenes move a bit too quickly at times to catch, but I suppose you just need to be able to pick up on certain things. Clayton goes to "The Farm," a CIA training/recruiting facility that teaches the government's up-and-coming finest what to do. Like go into a bar and come back with women. Right. I doubt the CIA wastes taxpayers' money on such games. But it's fun to watch. As Pacino's character Walter Burke tells Clayton, "Trust no one. Nothing is what it seems." This applies to the scene I mention. The film takes a lot of twists and turns, so many that it probably makes "Memento" look pale. But "Memento" had clever twists, and "The Recruit" has somewhat expected ones. It's not a particularly special film, there's no doubt about it. But it's a heckuva lot of fun to watch, even if its running time is a bit too long. (Only two hours? Felt like two and a half.) I noticed that the film takes too long in scenes that don't matter, and speeds things up in scenes that do. Take the beginning and the end, for instance. The middle, though entertaining, is very slow-paced, and you can't expect to doze off during it. You might miss a twist. Al Pacino is a real scene-stealer here, containing a lot of charisma. He uses a lot of recycled actions and cliched dialogue, but it's fun to watch Pacino take a light-hearted character. People criticized Pacino's (performance in) "S1m0ne." I embraced it. I embraced "The Recruit" even more. No one actor can be expected to come up with Oscar-winners every year, and Pacino knows it, plays to it, and has fun. His character is ruff, tough and gruff, and looks shaggy and unhygienic. He's looking a lot like Serpico with the beard. Collin Farrell is a talented young actor, and I expect him to go pretty far. He's a lot better than some of the up-and-coming-now-they're-here-and-there's-nothing-you-can-do-about-it (cough-BEN AFFLECK-cough) actors. I enjoy him on screen, much more so than Affleck. Instead of playing the baddie Bullseye in Daredevil, perhaps he should have played the main character himself. If you're looking for some sly espionage thrills, pick up "The Recruit." It plays like "Spy Games," "The Bourne Identity," and a Jack Ryan movie. Well, not really. But it's fun. And according to Vizzini's Law, it's a winner.
Rating: 
Summary: Tepid Thriller
Review: THE RECRUIT starts off with promise and has some intriguing elements, which makes it all the more disappointing that it ends up being just another Hollywood thriller. Colin Farrell stars as a young computer guy who is recruited by Al Pacino to join the CIA. He reluctantly agrees, and undergoes their extensive training. During training, he meets Layla Moore, an attractive young woman for whom he develops feelings. From there things take numerous twists and turns, most of which are simply not that believable. The movie is one of the few that actually examines CIA training, and many of those scenes are inherently interesting. However, the main case/plot is too convuluted and uninteresting to carry the rest of the movie. The standard chases and double crosses are all here, and are pretty tired. It's hard to get excited about a spy thriller that is so static (it's based entirely in the DC area). Pacino plays his typical role, and Colin Farrell is good, but their performances get lost in the murk. The best part of the DVD is a bonus featurette that examines CIA training. The featurette is more interesting than the movie itself, which really shows that the writer and director of THE RECRUIT blew it.
Rating:
Summary: Fell asleep most of the movie
Review: It was actually kinda boring. Farrell can suprisingly act. I fell asleep most of the movie but the ending still made sense!
Rating:
Summary: CIA recruits learning all about lies, setups and deceptions
Review: Starring Al Pacino as a hard-boiled instructor in the CIA, this action film moves fast. The best part is the training of these future CIA agents. Over and over again their instructor manipulates them until nothing is what it seems and the audience soon realizes that everything is a big setup and a lie. This is the lesson of the film, but the actors seem unaware of this. Colin Farrell and Bridget Moynahan are cast as two future CIA agents. Both are good to look and inevitably they couple up. Of course there are complications. And lots of lies. The plot skips along with accelerating speed, and it's all rather fun to watch. There's a love scene and a chase scene and attempts to confuse the audience as to just who the bad guy is. The actors all give good performances and the action never ceases. But the plot is so convoluted that I never made sense of it. Nor did I care.
Rating:
Summary: Marginally entertaining at best. Don't waste your money
Review: Although somewhat interesting at the beginning (the only reason that I gave the movie more than one star), this movie has some obvious flaws in the plot which prevent the story from being believable enough to be enjoyable. For instance, Langley is supposed to be secured to the extent that people cannot remove files by means of a floppy disk (a storage meduim which is very limited in capacity). However, they can remove files more via a thumb drive (a vastly more capacious medium). There are numberous other examples of technical flaws. From a technical standpoint, movies like Short Circuit and War Games are more believable. There are other problems as well. In one of the twists in the plot, the female agent hands a note off to field agent saying that Colin Farrell's character "...showed too much interest in her". This event was not one that necessitated her meeting a field agent, she could've spoke to the agent at work. Yet, she acted like it was urgent for her to pass that note (by the way, this was one of the most important moments in the movie). There are much many more instances worth mentioning. However, I don't feel like writing more at the moment (perhaps i'll write more about this film at a later date). Also, it's derivative of A Beautiful Mind...but not enough to be worth watching. Don't buy, rent. On second thought, rent A Beautiful Mind instead of this piece of garbage.
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