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(1 - 45) of 45 OFCS Rating: 40% Rotten Page   1   3/5 "While the spy games at the beginning of the film are plenty of fun, once James is on his covert mission, the story gets embarrassingly silly."   Filmcritic.com   Christopher Null "If CIA agents are really so hung up on father issues and rocky romances as they always seem to be in the movies, the so-called free world is in dire straits indeed."   PopMatters   Cynthia Fuchs 1.5/4 "The mind game can be a great asset to any movie that chooses to apply it correctly, but when it's labored beyond measure and plausibility, the result is a product like The Recruit."   Cinemaphile.org   David Keyes 2/4 "...plays like one of those lame straight-to-video flicks that usually star either Eric Roberts or Dean Cain..."   Reel Film Reviews   David Nusair C "To get your money's worth from this film, I suggest you walk out before the last 15 minutes."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz 2.5/4 "Its intense storyline and engaging characters gradually manage to enthrall you up until the clumsily orchestrated climax."   DustinPutman.com   Dustin Putman 1.5/4 "Why ask an audience not to believe what they’re seeing when they’ve already seen it. Give me 24’s CTU any hour of the week."   eFilmCritic.com   Erik Childress C "All sound and fury, signifying, it turns out, not a hell of a lot."   Film Blather   Eugene Novikov 2/4 "'The major twists and turns are relentlessly predictable and register as sharply as being poked by a stick of margarine. The Recruit needs to undergo some more training from the Hollywood creativity department.'"   Movie Eye   Frank Ochieng C "A gaudy, contrived bit of cinematic legerdemain thick with style and atmosphere but distinctly short on logic and sense."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek "Welcome to the CIA where a zeal to battle against evil doers is grounded in role-playing, smooth deceptions and frequent danger."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 2.5/4 "Although The Recruit isn't Len Deighton or Robert Ludlum, it is enjoyable until the screenwriters develop a collective brain cramp."   ReelViews   James Berardinelli 2.5/4 "a little bit of Nixon-era government conspiracy trickery polished up for the new millennium"   Q Network Film Desk   James Kendrick 2.5/4 "The grizzled veteran and gullible trainee routine has been done before, and done better."   Palo Alto Weekly   Jeanne Aufmuth 4/10 "Tries hard to work its audience into a second-guessing frenzy just for the sake of doing it."   Window to the Movies   Jeffrey Chen 5/10 "A film like this also needs a great deal of double, triple and even quadruple crossing and confusion to be effective. Yet, it never really utilizes enough of that type of material to create the sort of experience for which it's obviously aiming."   Screen It!   Jim Judy 6/10 "If you dig on stuff like Spy Game and Enemy of the State, chances are that you'll also have a decent time watching this."   JoBlo's Movie Emporium   JoBlo 5/10 "...so dependent on plot contrivances and so altogether preposterous, it seems an unfortunate waste of Pacino's and Farrell's acting talents."   DVDTown.com   John J. Puccio "Chris Owens: You're onscreen for about half a minute of The Recruit, but that half a minute was the most enjoyable experience I had all evening."   ToxicUniverse.com   Keith Uhlich 3/5 "When it comes to action and suspense, The Recruit delivers."   Film Threat   Kevin Carr 2.5/4 "How shocked can you be by the eventual deceits and betrayals when you’ve been endlessly warned that NOTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS?"   Montreal Film Journal   Kevin N. Laforest B- "It could have been a much better movie. But, unfortunately, Al Pacino can only play one character at a time."   Countingdown.com   Larry Carroll C "We're in serious trouble if The Recruit even approaches accuracy about CIA operations."   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford 3/5 "Spare, sleek and coolly entertaining, even if there's less to this game of true lies than meets the eye."   TV Guide's Movie Guide   Maitland McDonagh 3/4 "Its screenplay keeps us on our toes in terms of plotting and expectations, which makes it easier to forgive all the questions the lackadaisical finale brings up."   Mark Reviews Movies   Mark Dujsik "Unlikely to be the only example of slam-bang popcorn fluff with so despairing a demeanor we’re likely to see in the near future. It’s pre-cynicized for your protection."   Flick Filosopher   MaryAnn Johanson 3/4 "The film still makes a diverting entertainment in spite of its obviousness."   TheMovieReport.com   Michael Dequina 3/4 "Although it's always kind of a bummer when a film lets me down with a lame ending, I have to admit that everything preceding the ending was fun."   Aisle Seat   Mike McGranaghan B "In what used to be the Tom Cruise part (supremely talented but hot-headed kid with father issues), we have the supremely talented and magnetic Irish actor Colin Farrell."   Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies   Nell Minow C "…cinematic comfort food, filling us up until more nourishing fare comes along. It's a pity the filmmakers couldn't do more with it."   Flipside Movie Emporium   Rob Vaux B "A spy thriller with more twists in its plot than a sailor's knot."   Laramie Movie Scope   Robert Roten C- "Even Al Pacino cannot save ["The Recruit"] from its mediocrity."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford 70/100 "It doesn’t know how to finish in a satisfying fashion, thus dragging the rest of the film down with its conclusion."   Apollo Guide   Ryan Cracknell 2.5/5 "A movie sort of paints itself into a corner when characters repeatedly look directly at the camera and yell None of this is real! It's all just a test!"   eFilmCritic.com   Scott Weinberg B "A tense and twisty espionage thriller that tests your wits for the bulk of its run time."   Eclipse Magazine   Sean O'Connell B- "Slick enough to be entertaining to the end, though it's never hard to guess what’s really going on, and despite all the twists there are few surprises."   Decent Films Guide   Steven D. Greydanus 6/10 "Slick, suspenseful ... aimed at those who relish cloak-and -dagger mind games."   www.susangranger.com   Susan Granger 1/4 "Two acts in search of a third."   Film Freak Central   Walter Chaw 3/4 "Many would believe Pacino could do no wrong but he has. The Recruit serves only to ignite a pilot light in the imagination of espionage lovers everywhere."   Oscar Guy   Wesley Lovell "[Donaldson] has done a remarkable job in keeping the suspense constant throughout the whole film."   BlackFilm.com   Wilson Morales "Click here to see review"   Wolf Entertainment Guide   William Wolf 7/10 Read review   Modamag.com   Brian Orndorf C+ Read review   EricDSnider.com   Eric D. Snider Read review   Cinema Crazed   Felix Vasquez Jr. Read review   Shadows on the Wall   Rich Cline  (1 - 45) of 45 OFCS Rating: 40% Rotten Page   1