Recruited into the CIA by an assiduous special agent (Al Pacino), computer whiz James (Colin Farrell) proves himself a natural at the Agency’s secret training camp. There, he rises to the top of his class while falling for Layla (Bridget Moynahan), a fellow trainee. But when he’s tapped for a top secret operation to root out a government mole, James quickly learns the significance of the invaluable spy maxims, “trust no one” and “nothing is what it seems.” Innumerable twists keep things interesting throughout, and, thankfully, Pacino’s characteristic grandstanding takes a back seat to Farrell’s riveting performance as a baffled novice forced to improvise at every turn. Nevertheless, the CIA’s touted cooperation with the making of this insider’s look at the spy business often lends it the unfortunate air of a not-so-subtle enlistment campaign.

Grade: B+

Kinsey Scale: 2 (There oughtta be a law against being as sexy as Farrell, whose breakout role was in gay director Joel Schumacher’s Tigerland. In Dog Day Afternoon, Pacino was a gay bank robber trying to get money for his lover’s sex-change operation. But his Cruising, about an undercover cop posing as a leather daddy to infiltrate the gay S/M subculture, set off loud protests from the queer community.)

(Appeared in Q Syndicate)