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Movies / On DVD / The Recruit
The Recruit

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The Recruit (2003)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:2

Rotten:6

Average Rating:4.4/10

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 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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
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N/R

Click to read the article

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

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/02/03
Alan Morrison
Alan Morrison
Empire Magazine
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Farrell ... holds everything together with sheer star magnetism.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/25/03
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
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It's the kind of movie you can sit back and enjoy, as long as you don't make the mistake of thinking too much.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/31/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Everything else in The Recruit may be tiresomely predictable, but [Pacino], at least, is not.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/30/03
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Recruit is little more than a fairy tale, one in which the prince gets to shoot the ball to smithereens.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
01/30/03
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Los Angeles Times
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The Recruit is not a bad film, it's just not a very good one.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/30/03
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

For more than an hour, The Recruit is slickly entertaining escapism that deftly plays into common fantasies about what training to be a CIA op might be like.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/23/03
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The top-billed Al Pacino and Colin Farrell bring plenty of emotional oomph to their shallow and routine characters, but audiences may find these spy games somewhat disappointing.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/21/03
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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Latest News for The Recruit

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