Movie Review

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Colin Farrell is a rising star by the hour these days, as he?s had the opportunity to star somewhat opposite Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg?s Minority Report, play a big menacing role in the potential upcoming hit, Daredevil, and will also be terrorized by Kiefer Sutherland in March?s Phone Booth.

Fame aside, his role in the new spy thriller, The Recruit, alongside Al Pacino, should end up being Farrell?s least praised acting delivery and film by the time all flicks mentioned are released in theaters. In this attempt at a more fun version of Spy Game, the movie fails to ignite starting with the script, which is filled with characters we don?t know and therefore don?t really care about. The only real reason we invest an ounce of our care is due to two recognizable faces at the center of the screen. The three screenwriters attached have handed over one character after another you couldn?t write more than a brief paragraph about in character breakdown, as they?re pretty close to cardboard personas.
By the time Recruit gets beyond its exposition and into the point of the story, we still don?t know whom we?re watching beside one slick and cool guy (Farrell), a tough no-nonsense recruiter (Pacino), and an attractive woman (Bridget Moynahan). Got that? That?s all you?re going to know now and all you?re ever going to know by the end of Recruit?s hour and forty-five minute running time. When I gazed at the writers list in the opening credits and observed three names, it had hit me right there that such could either be a good or a bad thing. Guess which it turned out to be? In fact, having knowing that it took three creative minds to think up this film is sort of scary and sad, as it really is about as formulaic as one can go. It?s clich? and predictable, and for a spy thriller that?s like sucking the blood out of your audience. You only start wondering when your mapped out plot scenarios will finally unfold so you can get on with your nightlife.

Colin Farrell stars as James Clayton, a CIA recruit who catches the eye of instructor Walter Burke (Al Pacino). Burke sees a creative spy in the eyes of Clayton, which influences Burke to train the recruit and teach him the fundamentals of how not to get caught within secret operations. When Burke feels that he has Clayton where he should be in training, Burke assigns him on a special mission where he is to investigate into a case where the agency has been intruded by an anonymous source.

In the very beginning of the story when we?re being introduced to the ways and life of our main character, Clayton, we via an extremely clich? and recycled device meet an attractive woman around his age named Layla (Moynahan). I mean, seriously, the first thing that happens when we get introduced to the story is this woman who easily comes along and we already know where their relationship will be going from every point of the script. They?re going to flirt, but since they?re both in the CIA and due to every film book clich?, nothing can really "happen" until a little later. Can?t you screenwriters toss at least one creative spin into the bunch? Granted, they tricked me once with one small twist near the beginning, but from that point on my brain was in gear and I figured out the entire movie.

Despite what is for the most part a mediocre script, Al Pacino does pretty well at times with the material that he is given. It?s not much, but being Pacino, Al pulls it off. He has a very well done serious tone as the film gets into gear, but being as though the script has not much to offer as the ride climbs higher in altitude, the multi-talented actor can only perform so much.

Colin Farrell, on the other hand, can?t do anything but look slick and cool in this movie. It can be said that it?s not his fault, as his character is shallow in depth and there?s really nothing special about him. But on the other hand, knowing that from simply the script alone, why couldn?t Farrell himself figure that out? He performed Minority Report well, sold the role in Phone Booth, and is yet to be critiqued in Daredevil.

Colin evidently knows what a good script looks like, which sort of places a question mark on why he felt this persona was worth diving into. It?s almost like diving into a pool that has been drained of its water, with only shades of chlorine remaining. There?s something visible, but it ain?t much. Colin does a good job of keeping our attention, but our attention is not filled with the inner knowledge that we know this guy. And in that respect, Farrell needs some credit as he could?ve been painful to watch if the on-screen presence and glare was not in sync.

Bridget Moynahan looks as though she was given the direction of just looking pretty. Her character has no breakdown, as she is almost like a standard Denise Richards actress who is by all means enjoyable to just look at. But when it comes to acting or even script material, there isn?t anything noteworthy on the damn page for her to perform with any integrity or power. It?s an empty person who?s filled in by an actress who we?re just watching because of her physical attributes. We don?t know her, so theoretically we can?t really care about her. And given that we don?t really know Farrell?s persona all that well either, our interest in whether or not their relationship will officially spark happily is minimal. We?re just watching and waiting for the plot to move past that clich?.

There are scenes that are well directed with some slight intensity and a solid soundtrack attached, but for two actors who know good films when they see them way early in the production game, you sort of wonder. The Recruit in some ways is saved a great deal by two recognizable stars as our leads. If these two actors were two average Joe?s who had appeared in nothing art films, this movie would be dead in the water because the audience wouldn?t give a sh*t about them. A lot of our care is simply because we already know them (as actors), which is a cheap and lousy way of going but I?m betting that that?s a highlight reason why these two faces were contacted by the producers.

You?ve all seen The Recruit in other films before it, as it presents nothing new yet saves its own a** mostly by two cast members who we?ve been acquainted with before our sitting time. It runs on an easily predictable spy formula, which for such a film is torturous especially if brainpower by the viewer is craved. Your mind will not be accessed a great deal, as this is purely been-done-before material that?s been slotted in the release schedule due to our leads.

I doubt it?ll win over many critics, as not only is Spy Game so much better but you almost feel like going home and watching a relevant genre film that?s actually done right so you at least get your movie taste buds played with. See The Recruit in theaters if you want a good sound system in your viewing (and not expecting a whole lot of substance), but otherwise the recruiting can really be left up to your DVD player.

Craig's Grade: B

A	10.9%
B	41.8%
C	31.8%
D	15.3%
F	0.3%