Poo-cino and Fart-rell in the Poo-Cruit (The Recruit (DVD))

Member Name: adambrown400

Product:	The Recruit (DVD)
Date:	20/07/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not too bad CIA detail

Disadvantages: Dull

The Recruit is yet another film that thinks it is better than it actually is, this is a shame because hidden beneath the surface is a film that should have been much better but was let down by its unoriginality. It's a film that I have seen dozens of times before, just with different actors in the main leads. The film also has a very predictable conclusion and is totally devoid of humour, making it quite a chore to sit through.

So what is it about? Well, Farrell plays a computer whiz who is recruited by Al Pacino to the CIA. He is taken, along with various other youngsters to 'the farm' where they are put through their paces as new members of the elite secret police. They are shown ho to kill properly, how to break into houses and how to survive being roughed up a bit by captors. The training at the farm ends, but is Farrell's first mssion all that it seems?

I shied away from watching this one when it came out, mainly down to the drab storyline and Colin Farrell who has never really interested me as an actor. I also thought the film was going to be a little more action packed, but it relied heavily on a few car chases and a lot of shouting. I think this was mainly down to the DVD's case, which just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a DVD by its cover!

Pacino walks through the part amiably, but with no real conviction. We've all seen him in much better stuff than this, so why he bothered with this one god only knows. Farrell too, rarely makes any attempt to act, preferring to run about the place with a gun a lot.

Direction wise, Roger Donaldson has made better films - Dante's Peak for one and the more recent Bank Job. Here, he seems to be on autopilot, as does everyone else in this mediocre film. Bridget Moynahan too who plays Farrell's love interest is boring and wooden.

The Recruit is yet another film that Hollywood churns out that will be instantly forgotten, rather like The International earlier this year - a thriller with no real thrills of any kind or any real sense of its own purpose. The Recruit will probably appeal to fans of both lead actors, but neither really shine in this drab and dull effort. Need I say more?

Summary: Boring CIA 'thriller'