The Recruit (2003)

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers (WGA):

Roger Towne (written by) and
Kurt Wimmer (written by) ...

Release Date:

31 January 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.

Plot Keywords:

CIA | Mole | Mentor | Spy | Bathtub

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

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 Levine	...	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

Also Known As:

The Farm (USA) (working title)
La recrue (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Рекрут (Russia) [ru]
Çaylak (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Beavatás (Hungary) [hu]
Der Auftrag (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Der Einsatz (Germany) [de]
El discípulo (Argentina) [es]
Farma (Slovakia) [sk]
Ha-Shatool (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
I dokimasia (Greece) [el]
La prueba (The Recruit) (Spain) [es]
La regola del sospetto (Italy) [it]
Le nouvel agent (Canada: French title) [fr]
O Novato (Brazil) [pt]
Recrutul (Romania) [ro]
Regrut (Serbia) [sr]
Rekrut (Poland) [pl]
Spioonitest (Estonia) [et]
Test (Czech Republic) [cs]
The recruit - agenttikokelas (Finland) [fi]
Uppdraget (Sweden) [sv]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Persian | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Malaysia:U | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 | Canada:A

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Virginia, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

On the audio commentary of the film, director Roger Donaldson and Colin Farrell joked that the huge rear projection screen on set (valued at $300,000) was powered by turbine pedaling monkeys to make it as bright as it was.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After the recruits arrive at the farm and are assembled together for the first time, the Walter Burke character is introduced to the group as senior instructor, Walter Birch.

Quotes:

Walter Burke: All right, your objective - reach the parking lot with an asset who intends to have sex with you.
James Clayton: You want us to pick up a girl?
Walter Burke: Well, uh, five, actually - one each.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Reconsider

'Everything's a Test' but this one fails

The training scenes and all in the beginning gave the impression that the rest would make a decent thriller. The synopsis too adds to the viewers curiosity. However, it's just another predictable thriller with flawed writing, average performances and not-so-flattering direction. I thought Farrell's James Clayton was supposed to be highly intelligent but his actions and reactions say otherwise. Likewise for Pacino's Walter Burke. It even seems outdated (I mean the CIA's headquarters have no hard drive? come on!) and on top of that technology is a significant part of the film but it just looks poor and obsolete. All three of the main performers, that is, Al Pacino, Bridget Moynahan and Colin Farrell are merely passable (yes, Pacino does his trademark shouting in the end but this time it's funny, unintentionally). The screenplay doesn't have enough grit to keep one engaged and the premise is too familiar and unbelievable. Anyway, 'The Recruit' has nothing new to offer.