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Movies / On DVD / The Recruit
The Recruit

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The Recruit (2003)

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Reviews Counted:163

Fresh:70

Rotten:93

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: This polished thriller is engaging until it takes one twist too many into the predictable.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: James Clayton is fired up. A bartender by night and computer hacker in the few hours of daylight for which he manages to leave his water bed, the kid is flying high, on a roll with a laid-back... James Clayton is fired up. A bartender by night and computer hacker in the few hours of daylight for which he manages to leave his water bed, the kid is flying high, on a roll with a laid-back lifestyle that suits him just fine. Played by an agile Colin Farrell, Clayton is also a heartthrob with his five o'clock shadow and chiseled pecks. A cushy job offer from Dell computers peaks his interest in securing a professional career, and at the same moment he meets Walter Burke (Al Pacino), a recruiter from the CIA. Though Clayton's better judgement tells him to stay away from the shady Burke, he is curious to learn whatever he can about his father, who was also a CIA agent, killed in the line of duty. Clayton is sent to an intensive CIA training camp called "The Farm," where he quickly learns the gravity of his decision as he undergoes gruelling tests of physical, mental, and psychological strength. His romantic interest in the gorgeous, tough-as-nails Layla (Bridget Moynahan), a fellow trainee, becomes a weakness as the pressure of the tests steadily increases. Finally, without warning, Clayton is thrown into action as he and Burke go head-to-head in a mission that is more dangerous than either of them realize. With top-notch performances from a sly Pacino and a pumped-up Farrell, THE RECRUIT's best moments come from the intensity resonating between its characters. In addition, the settings and training activities at "The Farm" give intriguing insights into CIA recruitment and initiation. [More]

Starring: Al Pacino, Colin Farrell, Bridget Moynahan, Gabriel Macht

Starring: Al Pacino, Colin Farrell, Bridget Moynahan, Gabriel Macht

Director: Roger Donaldson

Director: Roger Donaldson
Screenwriter: Kurt Wimmer, Mitch Glazer, Roger Towne
Producer: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jeff Apple
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

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Reviews for The Recruit

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A standard-issue spy game with all the layered complexity of Ludo.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/19/03
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The plot announces that it's going to gyp us around, not because it has other things to offer, but out of the hope that we will let it off the hook.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
04/20/03
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
03/25/03
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
03/23/03
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
03/22/03
This is London
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's hackwork -- competently crafted and sufficiently fast-paced to keep your attention, but rendered forgettable by the absence of depth and ambition in the writing.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
03/22/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/22/03
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/02/03
Alan Morrison
Alan Morrison
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Farrell ... holds everything together with sheer star magnetism.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/25/03
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
01/20/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

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Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Watchable only for its star power and scarce caffeine kicks...awfully predictable. [Blu-Ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
06/01/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Many would believe Pacino could do no wrong but he has. The Recruit serves only to ignite a pilot light in the imagination of espionage lovers everywhere.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
08/08/06
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film still makes a diverting entertainment in spite of its obviousness.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
02/08/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Pacino's puppet-stringing of his recruit is reminiscent of Peter O'Toole's manipulative character in 1980's 'The Stunt Man.'

Full Review Source: Kansas City Kansan | comment Comment
10/15/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

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Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/19/04
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for The Recruit

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