"The Recruit" is another one of those movies where the performances are so good and the direction so steadfast that you may be willing to overlook lapses in the plot and the predictability of the outcome. Al Pacino hits the high notes as another grizzled veteran who has spent so much time fighting the forces of evil that his cynicism has clouded his view of the world. He’s Walter Burke, a veteran CIA operative who has paid more than his fair share of dues. It’s made him, in his own words, a scary judge of talent. And talent is what he is looking for when he recruits computer whiz James Clayton (Colin Farrell) for The Farm, a boot camp for spies.

Burke becomes Clayton’s mentor putting him through the ringer, looking for the qualities that would make him a first class ‘spook’ - a ghost warrior who makes his own rules as the situation warrants. The hook is - Clayton’s father, an oil company executive who died in a mysterious plane crash may have been one of the best. Clayton would like to find out and Burke may have the answer. But first there are tests, tests, and more tests, each more dangerous than the next. Trainees are pitted against each other to weed out the weak from the strong. Suspected bad guys might actually be the good guys and nothing is what it seems. Mistrust is the key word of the day even in love. Burke is the one pulling the strings, and Clayton is the one bouncing around at the end of them. He’s the one with the most talent, the one most needed to find out who’s been selling top secrets to the enemy. Is it Layla (Bridget Moynihan), who was washed out of the Farm and is sharing Clayton’s bed? Or Zack (Gabriel Macht) the trainee who speaks three languages? Or is all this Sturm and Drang still part of a test? The director Roger Donaldson plunges headlong into the plot with such conviction, you don’t realize you’ve been bamboozled into enjoying "The Recruit" much more than it deserves.

Copyright 2003

"Marie" (1985) - Sissy Spacek plays the real life divorcee and mother of three who becomes a state employee and uncovers corruption in the government. With Jeff Daniels, Morgan Freeman, and Fred Thompson playing himself.

"No Way Out" (1987) - This was a huge hit with Kevin Costner as a naval officer who becomes the prime suspect in a murder and cover up in Washington’s corridors of power. A spy subplot is thrown in for good measure. With Sean Young as the woman caught between Costner and Gene Hackman. Will Payton plays a marvelous creep!

"Thirteen Days" (2000) - Donaldson and Costner teamed up again to make this nail biter about the Cuban Missile Crisis. They take us behind the scenes in the White House for a day to day study in brinkmanship when the world looked like it might blow up with a single misstep by either the U.S. or the Russians. Bruce Greenwood is an outstanding JFK.