Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

coloradobloom7 Pretty bad film. Predictable plot line, obvious from the beginning. Sorry I wasted my time even though Colin Farrell was nice to look at. I'm surprised Al Pacino agreed to do this movie. He is much better than he showed in the movie. Maybe it was terrible directing or maybe a poor script. It's hard to say; but now I know why I had never heard of it. Thank god I didn't have to pay to see it. Lol

Uriah43 "James Douglas Clayton" (Colin Farrell) is a computer genius who has just graduated from M.I.T. and is looking for a job. Although he is initially interested in working for Dell Computers he gets an unexpected visit from a C.I.A. agent named "Walker Burke" (Al Pacino) who convinces him to join them instead. Not long afterward he is sent to a training facility known as "the Farm" where he is taught all of the techniques necessary for espionage. Unfortunately, he cracks under pressure and is dismissed. At least, that is what he is led to believe. Then one day Walter Burke stops by to give him an extremely important assignment involving a possible mole within the C.I.A. who is apparently passing on top-secret information to a foreign government. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although it has some decent action and suspense, it is the element of mystery included in this film that makes it so interesting. Likewise, the acting of Al Pacino and Colin Farrell are also added bonuses. In any case, I found this movie to be fairly enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

FilmBuff1994 The Recruit is a decent movie with a well developed storyline and a talented cast. It's a fun ride that is quite thrilling, as we're taken on a journey with Colin Farrell's character, seeing him trying to discover what's really going on with his investigation for the CIA, it will certainly keep your attention from start to finish. It could have been a seven or eight, but I had to give this movie a six because it is jam packed with problems, the biggest one is that there are way too many twists, the characters perspectives of what they're going changes constantly, to a degree that it gets way too predictable, when one shocking twist comes along, it gets more and more obvious that another one is soon to come. My other issue is that Al Pacino's character is very poorly written, I get that he is suppose to be a mysterious man, but we never end up really finding anything out about him, he gives Farrell certain pieces of information about his past, but it is then suggested later on that everything he said could have been a lie, I found this very frustrating and I think that since he was such a blank canvas that Pacino dosen't get to deliver the performance we know he can give, this certainly isn't another Scent of a Woman, that's for sure. It's an enjoyable film despite being heavy on flaws, and I would recommend the Recruit if you ever see it on television and there is nothing else on, but you definitely shouldn't go out of your way to see it. A highly promising CIA trainee catches the eye of an agency veteran who begins to act as his mentor. Best Performance: Colin Farrell Worst Performance: Bridget Moynahan

Jafar Iqbal I can't help but love watching Al Pacino act. It's a joy, really. Like most of us, it started with 'The Godfather'. But you have those other gems, like 'Dog Day Afternoon', and 'Scent Of A Woman', and 'Heat', and 'Serpico'. I could go on. But like that other amazing Italian-American actor, Robert DeNiro, Pacino has developed the bad habit of acting in substandard films.Which brings me onto 'The Recruit'. Al Pacino's in it, but we're actually following Colin Farrell, who plays James Clayton. James is a brilliant young CIA trainee who is asked by his mentor Walter Burke – that's Pacino – to find and stop a mole in the Agency.It's probably a bit harsh of me to say 'The Recruit' is substandard. It's not terrible to watch, and it's actually quite good in parts. There's a real chemistry between Pacino and Farrell. You expect Pacino to be great (he is), but Farrell really holds his own too. You can track his improvement as an actor through his filmography, and this is more towards the better end of his performances. Not quite 'In Bruges', but still strong.While the idea of CIA training and top-secret recruiting is exciting, it doesn't quite translate into a great film. At least, it doesn't translate into this film being great. It makes some for some nice first-half set pieces as the trainees are put through their paces. Once the tone of the film changes, though, it becomes less interesting, and slightly predictable.I also really don't believe the relationship between James and Layla (Bridget Moynahan). They seem to fall in love instantly and it doesn't work. Bridget Moynahan doesn't work at all, really. It could have been much better if it was a better actor. Sorry, Bridget.Overall though, the film is decent. Not really much more than that. Some great acting, yes, but it isn't enough here. First half promise is not lived up to in the second half, and that's a bit of a shame.