Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Here’s another review that got mixed up in the inbox, then surfaced this evening. I apologize for the delay, but am glad it turned up.
Hey Harry
Long time reader, first time contributer. Manage to get into a test screening in Woodland Hills, California. Land of smog and incredible heatwaves. My friend and I arrived at the theater at 6pm sharp because the phamphlet said we should be there by 6:30. Funny thing at these test screenings is they don't inform the people working at the theater how it is taking place. Several of us walked around in circles before we finally found our line. Why is at test screenings they kind of treat you like cattle? Like it is our privelage or something to be there. Hello, we are helping you guys out remember! Anyway, just venting because it may contribute to why I didn't like the movie so much.
Okay, so the guy does the introduction and the theater goes dark and there is the movie. Now, all I know at this time is that the film is a CIA thriller and stars Colin Farrell, Al Pacino, and that gorgeous women from The Sum of Fears--Bridget Moynahan.This was enough for me to want to go and see it. I always like cat and mouse thrillers, even the recent Spy Game was fun. So is this fun? Well, yes, in that in the moment kind of way. It plays fast and the problem with the film comes after you've had time to register what has happened.
*****SPOILERS****
We get a short title prologue that show's Al Pacino looking over some information about a missing person who turns out to be the father of Colin Farell's character, James Clayton. The film starts off fast, almost too fast, with Colin Farrell's character late to some sort of Tech Fair in which he is supposed to be showing some new tech that will allow him to hack into any television or computer screen belonging to a computer network. Al Pacino, Walter Burke, begins to stalk him and we find out that he is a recruiter for the CIA and wants James in the recruitment program. He is going to rescue him from a life in a computer cubicle. He also taunts him with the idea that James's father was a CIA agent as well and he may know what happened to him. This is very tired for me--that family aspect that keeps popping up. Why does everyone's son always seem to follow in their father's footsteps? It always seems to happe! n. Alias, the tv show, does a good enough job with it and so did the X-Files, but it is just tired.
BAM, we are in the training program, called the FARM, which was the former title of the movie, and just like that, the next 45 minutes show us how brilliant James just happens to be. Boy, he sure is special. He knows how to hack computers, bug buildings and escape through glass windows just in the nick of the time. He is definitely, it seems, a canidate for a NOC, which is a self contained super CIA agent. Funny, all the others can't seem to hack it. However, there is a love interest. Those silly, stupid girls always getting in the way of our manly CIA careers. She is play by Bridget and,better yet, she is in the farm as well.
Everything is well for our lead guy until he and the girl are abducted. James is tortured and pressure into giving up the names of his superiors. He spends days in the chamber until they use the girl to his advantage and he cracks. Whoops, turns out it was just another drill and he gets the boot from the CIA.
Time to wallow in self pity, but wait what is this? Walter Burke has come to offer James to offer the job of the NOC. Turns out he is still better then everyone else--Yeah! His job is to flush out a mole and I'm not going to tell you who it is because maybe you will want to see it. Suffice to say the next section is exciting and suspensely for the most part, but you just can't get out of head that it is all seemly a little too nicely put together. I like Roger Donaldson, especially after 13 Days, which is much more superior film, but something just feels off in "The Recruit." I think they tried to make Colin Farewell's character a little to super human. I'm so sick of the download a file from a computer before someone can see them doing it ploy. Especially since everyone knows a computer doesn't download as fast as they do in the movies, and a person can't program as fast as th! ey do in the movies. Come on guys--humanize him for crying out loud and don't make it seems fake.
To rap up the movie itself it does have tense moments in it, some romantic moments for the ladies, some action and suspense, and a pretty decent twist, but again it just feels improbable and really don't know how they would fix it.
The acting was as follows. Colin Farewel has impressed me with his performances in "Tigerland" (The only Schumacher film in years that I feel is worththy of seeing) and "Minority Report." So, I went into this film with an open mind geared towards liking him. And he is good in this picture. He carries it well. He's got the tortured soul thing down and he always looks like he is about to go completely ballastic.
Al Pacino has become kind of a characture of himself (jeez, if he wears another black suit in a movie...I swear it is fused to his skin). Insomnia was great and Al was great. So is he great in this? So...so. He is playing the Al we've seen in The Insider. The authority figure that guides the supporting cast through the film and it almost feels as if he is bored with it. He does get to do the yelling thing which some people like and other don't, so "Give me what you got! Give me what you got!"
Bridget Moynahan is beautiful and for the most part that is all she gets show off in this movie. She is the love interest after all. She does have a fun scene in a bar during the farm section of the film, and the scene with her and Colin is sexy in the parking garage, but I wish we had a little more with her.
I guess, all in all, I wouldn't fully recommend the film. I think it is fine video movie, but again it just feels a bit contrived and it would have been nice to had Colin's character a bit more humanized. Also, If you want to watch this movie this september then just turn on the tv and watch the far superior ALIAS.
Oh, yeah, you can call me Nicodemus
Hmmm... very lukewarm. A surprise based on the talent involved. I am sure they’ll be able to at least get people to take a look. I mean... it’s Pacino, right? And Farrell, right? I guess it depends on some of his other movies catching fire, though. Gonna be interesting these next few months. Time for him to really prove himself at the box-office with PHONE BOOTH and this and DAREDEVIL.
Thanks, Nicodemus.
"Moriarty" out.
