|
The Recruit review
:. Director: Roger Donaldson
:. Starring: Al Pacino, Colin Farrell
:. Running Time: 1:55
:. Year: 2002
:. Country: USA
|
Conceived like a negative of Spygame, The Recruit confronts Pacino, a CIA old-timer and untouchable film icon with Colin Farrell, a young agency recruit and Hollywood It Boy of the moment. With intricate machinations in the background, the film seems to officiate as a passage of the torch where Pacino is used as a straight man, catalyzing the talent of a partner who's ready to replace him.
Opposing the "blonde" naiveté of Spygame, where idealistic convictions ran up against the reality of engagement, a cynical darkness is found in the eyes of the protagonists (and the roots of their hair). The Recruit oscillates ostensibly between a behind-the-scenes film and a thriller. In a quite exciting first part, Burke (Pacino) guides us through the various steps of the training of a CIA agent with Clayton (Farrell) in the role of the guinea pig. The direction is spirited and well paced and the cast seems to enjoy itself, combining a certain intelligence with the required energy.
The end of the training is then accompanied with an abrupt change of tone, the movie suddenly falling into an over-twisted thriller that culminates in the most ridiculous climax. Like a couple of cruise ship magicians, the two screenwriters (including Equilibrium's director Kurt Wimmer) take out of their small bag a handful of tricks that are as phony as they are improbable, in the process forgetting some basic principles from the little spy handbook. Disregarding rudimentary discretion, Clayton confesses a murder on his cell phone while on a crammed escalator and follows his suspect in a brand new big red pick-up truck. The Recruit is also one of these films where the traitor, rather than killing his nemesis, goes into some lengthy monologue explaining his motivations, which inevitably leads to his demise.
After a few moments of brilliance, Pacino seems to get bored, apparently unconvinced by his post-Scarface tirades and Godfather poses. Another revealing sign of the lack of subtlety regarding the exposition of the characters, Pacino sports a goatee, which is a bad sign for his character knowing his preceding incarnations (Scent of a Woman, The Devil's Advocate). As for Farrell, while his natural arrogance is perfectly channeled in his character, he lacks intensity as an action hero, thus failing to claim the much coveted torch. But after watching the film, one will especially regret that the screenwriters were not recruited with requirements as rigorous as those imposed on their characters.
Fred Thom
 Movie Reviews: American Films
Reviews 2012 - present
Reviews 1998 - 2012
|
|
