30 Second Bottom Line: Al Pacino plays CIA recruiter Walter Burke, who is, by his own admission, a "scary judge of talent." He recruits Colin Ferrel for the agency & proceeds to put him through the ringer as no one else could.
Story Line: James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is a young computer prodigy from MIT. Clayton is one of those young cats who is out for himself, has a bit of a "devil may care" attitude, augmented by a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He's cynical, arrogant & opinionated, but he's also brilliant & athletic. It's a combination that catches the eye of the Central Intelligence Agency's top recruiter, Walter Burke (Pacino). A bit of a brilliant sell job on the part of Burke gets Clayton to go to the CIA training ground, affectionately called "The Farm." While there, Clayton is put through physical trials, which he can handle, but enough mental anguish to make a Navy Seal cry! After proving he has what it takes, Clayton is put into the field, with the assignment to follow one of his classmates from "The Farm," who Burke tells him is a double agent. What follows is a mildly entertaining series of twists & turns that while well done are predictable in a way that made me wish for more.
Tell Me More About It: I've come to the conclusion that for all of Al Pacino's talent, I have lost the desire to see him as anything but a bad guy. I saw "Insomnia," where he was easily the good guy, I saw him in "Any Given Sunday" as a good-hearted, old-school football coach, trying to do the right thing in the new school…bottom line NFL. Both good performances, no doubt about it, but to see his talent at its apex, you need to watch "Devil's Advocate;" a movie where he is clearly the movie's antagonist, (antagonist…he's the Devil for goodness sake!). But you just can't help loving him!
Pacino's performance here is not unlike that. Early on in the movie you can tell he's not just there to insure the high talent level of the CIA, but he plays it so cool. He flat out tells the recruits how unglamorous, dangerous, & in some instances lonely the life of a CIA agent is going to be. But he still is able to talk a "gen-X'er" into choosing that life. Unfortunately, this movie, unlike "Advocate," doesn't center on Pacino's character, but it's still well done. It's a bit slow, in my view, so be awake when you see it. But an enjoyable film overall.
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