"Nothing is as it seems," intones CIA recruiter Walter Burke (Al Pacino), and by the third time he repeats it, everything in this film is happening pretty much as expected. Walter's latest talent discovery, MIT computer whiz James Clayton (Colin Farrell), is eager to please the older man, a convenient substitute for James's father, a possible spook himself who disappeared in Peru in 1990. So as the training "tests" at "The Farm" get increasingly more sado-masochistic, resembling a cross between a reality game show and outtakes from XXX, James goes along, belying Walter's observation that he especially likes James's talent for listening to the quiet voice within in the midst of deceptions. In other words, when it comes to a choice between the heart's inclination -- comely fellow recruit and suspected mole Layla (Bridget Moynahan) -- and perceived duty, you know which way James is going to go.

Although devoid of surprises, originality, or relevance (a remarkable achievement for a film about the CIA in these times), The Recruit gets a jolt from the raw performance of Farrell. Pacino, on the other hand, seems to be rehashing his routines from his last three films: he's scolding, loopy, verbose, and bored. Director Roger Donaldson made the same film with some success in 1987 with No Way Out. Now he and Pacino seem content to embody James's description of company men as "old white guys who fell asleep when we needed them most." (105 minutes) At the Entertainment, Flagship, Holiday, Providence Place Mall 16, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.