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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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101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The Recruit is a big-time, star-driven Hollywood thriller that turns out to be a bit of a sham.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/31/03
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

This is Donaldson's third thriller set amid Washington's powerful. They've all been winners -- smart, taut and more satisfying than anyone has a right to expect.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/31/03
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle

The Recruit is serviceable spy fodder made a great guilty pleasure by Pacino's 'OK, no Oscar here, let's have some fun' performance.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/31/03
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

There's a decent little thriller trying to break out of the messy tangled plotting and shallow, scenery-chewing character development that makes up much of The Recruit.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/31/03
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The foreshadowing is a bit heavy-handed, but the writers and director largely manage the tension and mystery tactfully.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
01/31/03
Ricardo Baca
Ricardo Baca
Denver Post

Plot-wise, there isn't great depth to The Recruit.

Full Review Source: Contra Costa Times | comment Comment
01/31/03
Mary F. Pols
Mary F. Pols
Contra Costa Times

This mystery doesn't amount to much.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
01/31/03
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

A serviceable spy thriller that stumbles over one too many plot twists, one too many shots of its hero typing desperately at his computer, and a romantic subplot that's nice to look at but awfully silly.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/31/03
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

...can be as seductive as the lies its spooks tell.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
01/31/03
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

What you think you know and what is actually true is what makes this one watchable.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
01/31/03
John Venable
John Venable
Supercala.com

It could have been a much better movie. But, unfortunately, Al Pacino can only play one character at a time.

Full Review Source: Countingdown.com | comment Comment
01/31/03
Larry Carroll
Larry Carroll
Countingdown.com

You want originality, you're in the wrong movie -- 'The Recruit' only has leftovers.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
01/31/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Even Al Pacino cannot save ["The Recruit"] from its mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
01/31/03
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Too often, Farrell cedes the dramatic high ground to Pacino, who grabs it with both hands and yanks the movie off its axis.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
01/31/03
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
01/31/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

May be a little too clever for its own good.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
01/31/03
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Dallas Observer

All in all not a bad film, it just left me wanting more.

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
01/31/03
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

The movie's so busy creating twists and turns that it never finds a rhythm.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/31/03
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In this tepid spy thriller, everything is pretty much what you would expect.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
01/31/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

If CIA agents are really so hung up on father issues and rocky romances as they always seem to be in the movies, the so-called free world is in dire straits indeed.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
01/31/03
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Recruit

April 22, 2008: Pacino, De Niro Take Lumps for Recent Choices Opens in new window
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January 19, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Spear," "New World" Are OK, Not Great
This week at the movies brings us three culture clashes: Native Americans and Europeans ("The New World"), the Waodani people of Ecuador and a group of missionaries... More...

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