With Steven Knight meeting with real intelligence operatives to build the next James Bond film, and 007 First Light proving that a grounded 007 origin story is exactly what audiences want, spy realism is suddenly the most relevant conversation in the genre. Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou has been making the same argument for years — and he has a specific film in mind. Speaking on LADbible Stories’ Honesty Box, Kiriakou, who has worked as a script adviser on True Lies, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Burn Notice, was blunt about Hollywood spy movies: “Most of them have nothing whatsoever to do with the reality of the CIA except a couple.”
Why Most Spy Movies Get the CIA Completely Wrong
It’s safe to say that whenever we see James Bond speeding down the road on the latest Aston Martin or Jason Bourne taking down a small army on his own, “realism” isn’t exactly what filmmakers are aiming for. Still, you need a sliver of authenticity to make spy thrillers even more engaging than the average action flick.
According to Kiriakou two pieces of media get things right. The first is Homeland, the show based on the Israeli hit Prisoners of War. The other is a bit more obscure, but an absolute must-watch for fans of the genre.
2003’s The Recruit isn’t the greatest hit in either Al Pacino’s or Colin Farrell’s filmographies. Still, according to Kiriakou, the first half of the movie perfectly portrays the CIA’s training process for new agents.
In the movie, James Clayton (Farrell), a brilliant MIT graduate, is convinced by veteran CIA agent Walter Burke (Pacino) to join the Agency. From there, The Recruit takes several unexpected twists and turns that genuinely make it an amazing spy thriller – even if it doesn’t have Aston Martins or martinis.
What The Recruit Gets Right About CIA Training
Beyond his CIA career, Kiriakou has worked inside Hollywood as a script adviser — which means he watches these films professionally, not just as a fan. If anyone knows how to make exciting (but realistic) spy thrillers, that’s him. “At the CIA, we watch every single spy movie and spy series. All of us do,” Kiriakou said. “Most of them have nothing whatsoever to do with the reality of the CIA except a couple.”
He singles out Showtime’s Homeland as one of the best: “Homeland, wow, they got it right. The only thing that they got wrong was if you go crazy, they send you to the hospital until you’re not crazy anymore.”
But, according to Kiriakou, the first half of The Recruit is the most realistic. The way in which Burke “persuades” Clayton into joining the CIA is mostly accurate. The tests that follow, however, are an almost perfect recreation of real-life CIA training procedures.
In his own words: “There was a movie that came out in 2004 called The Recruit. The first half of the movie where the lead character is going through training — 100% accurate except for one minor difference. They didn’t beat us in training. Everything else that he went through, we went through it in spades.” (Kiriakou cites the film as 2004; it was released in January 2003.)
Sure, the third act takes some creative liberties with “realism” in favor of typical action movie stuff, but that’s to be expected from a movie that just happens to be extremely faithful to the CIA handbook.
Also, Kiriakou has one “golden rule” for realism in spy movies. “Just as a general rule, if somebody calls the CIA ‘the company,’ turn it off.”
Is The Recruit Actually Worth Watching?
It might be one of the most realistic spy thrillers ever made, but the question still stands: was The Recruit actually good? Surprisingly, yes. It most definitely was. The movie received harsh criticism when it was released – mostly due to its predictable twists – but Farrell and Pacino’s chemistry easily carries the entire film.
The Recruit was also released in a pivotal year for Farrell’s career. Besides, we should keep in mind that this movie came out the same year as Daredevil. Suddenly, even middling reviews don’t sound terrible. The Recruit was also a moderate commercial success, something that always helps budding stars like Farrell launch their careers.
Predictable? Maybe. Realistic? Absolutely. If you can look past the lack of bombastic set pieces and shady international organizations led by guys with exotic accents, The Recruit is as good as authentic spy thrillers can get.
With Knight and Villeneuve now chasing the same thing for Bond 26, it’s worth remembering that The Recruit got there first. A real spy noticed. The rest of Hollywood is still catching up.
