Recruit, The MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

In this action thriller, James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is a top MIT graduate and a computer whiz, who is being pursued by veteran CIA recruiter Walter Burke (Al Pacino) to join the Agency. Not only is Burke impressed with Claytons smarts, but he likes his cocky attitude. Before he can become an OPS officer, James must make it through training at the Farm where Burke teaches him how to play the game. James falls in love with Layla (Bridget Moynahan), one of his fellow recruits, who turns out to be the suspected mole. James receives a special assignment; he must find out to whom she is feeding information. He is hurt by this turn of events, but he reluctantly agrees to accept the assignment. Soon, however, it becomes clear to James that what he has learned in training is true: trust no one and nothing is as it seems.

The performances by Al Pacino, Colin Farrell and Bridget Moynahan, along with an edge-of-your-seat plot with a clever twist, make this movie worth seeing. Unfortunately, bad language, sexual content and violence lower the acceptability rating of the movie. As part of his assignment, James takes Layla to bed, and they make love in a nearly nude scene. The dialogue is sexually suggestive in places: the recruits are told to go pick up women and a CIA employee remarks that he enjoys getting laid by Republican girls. The violence is not extremely bloody, but there is a disturbing scene in which a recruit is tortured as part of the training at the Farm. And there is some bad language, but it is mild compared to other Hollywood action thrillers. From an entertainment standpoint, The Recruit is nothing short of engrossing.

Preview Reviewer: Lynn Nusser
Distributor: Spyglass Entertainment