THE RECRUIT is a lame Hollywood thriller about a young CIA recruit whose first task is to find a mole in his own apartment. It's an example of the kind of over-obvious, join-the-dots plotting that these bland and generic Hollywood thrillers rely too much on, and apart from a slumming-it Al Pacino it has very little reason to tune in.

Colin Farrell stars at the outset of his mainstream career and he's a big disappointment, especially considering the talent he brought to PHONE BOOTH. His character veers between being unlikeable and plain dull, usually the latter. Pacino is on autopilot throughout and the supporting cast are forgettable. The film hinges on a big twist which is obvious from reading the plot synopsis and sure enough it finally gets there after a very long-winded and bland series of twists and shoehorned-in action bits. THE RECRUIT is the kind of film you'll forget about just minutes after watching.

CIA trainer Walter Burke (Al Pacino) recruits James Douglas Clayton (Colin Farrell). While training at The Farm, James falls for fellow recruit Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan).

This movie is divided in 2. The first half takes place at The Farm as they work through the program. It's straight forward with all the well-wore Hollywood cliché about CIA training. It had a couple interesting scenes designed to prepare you for the usual twists of a spy genre. Then James gets kicked out of the program, and Walter recruits him once again, this time as an off-the-books agent to root out a double agent's contact. The style is not big enough. They needed more action. Bigger bang. If you're making an action movie, you'd gotta go big. Considering the caliber of the stars here, the action has gotta match.

James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is a brilliant hacker and was the first in his class in MIT. Walter Burke (Al Pacino) is a CIA recruiter and trainer and invites James to join CIA in Langton farm, using as motivation the disappearance of his father in 1990 in Peru. While being trained, James has a crush on his colleague Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan) and he becomes closer to her. In a torture training session, James is invited to leave Langton farm. Later, Walter looks for James telling him that he was indeed very well succeeded and he was hired to follow Layla, who is under the suspicion of being a traitor. In the end, nothing is what it seems. A movie having Al Pacino in the cast is a synonym of a good or excellent movie. This one follows the rules. Specially having also the great actor Colin Farrell and the beautiful Bridget Moynahan. Although having many clichés, this film is a great thriller, full of plot points, and in the end, a good entertainment. Fans of this genre will not be disappointed. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `O Novato' (`The Rooker')