The Recruit

Answer the phone!

No answer.

Keep trying -- I'm sure

he's on his way back from...

Definitely on his way.

Why doesn't anybody

answer the phone?!.

Hello?

James, you are so dead.

Sh*t!

Oh!

Sorry!

Excuse me -- James Clayton.

Sorry I'm late.

I had a water bed emergency.

Bill Rudolph, Dell.

Nice to meet you.

Can I borrow your computer?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

Hi, guys.

-Hey.

Ah...

It's here somewhere.

Here we go. All right.

At 7:
00 this morning,

sound asleep,

I heard this cracking noise --

ripping wood.

I figure it's part of this

logging dream I'm having,

but, no, the bed

is falling through the floor.

Our program uses

existing wireless technology...

Which we modified,

transforming it into

a completely new program.

-And what do you call it?

-"Sp@rtacus."

Why is that?

It was named after

the revolt...

Of the slaves.

-Wireless Webcast.

We have that.

"Sp@rtacus" turns

any specified broadcast terminal

into its slave.

We control the program.

Watch.

Take a look.

Pick a screen.

Hello, Bill Rudolph.

MAN:
Hey, who is this guy?

Somebody's hacking in.

MAN #2:
What is this?

This is wonderful.

JAMES:
Thank you.

Can you, uh, put our logo

on the Sony booths?

Sure...

for the right price.

-JAMES:
We'll talk, yeah?

-Yeah.

Good.

# What if I don't wanna hear

the things you say? #

# Where were you

when I was needy yesterday? #

# You want in with me

now that it's good #

# But it's too little,

too late #

# Time and again,

I've asked you #

# Just for some light #

-Thank you.

- # To show the way #

-Hey.

- # I was in total darkness #

-What would you like?

- # You act like,,, #

I would like

to teach you something.

Okay. I'm pretty busy

right now.

James, the most important

thing you need to know

is that you don't know sh*t.

What you see...

...what you hear...

Nothing...is...

what it seems.

Drink?

Martini.

Sure.

That's how it begins, you know.

Call will come in a day or two.

His name is John Medica.

He's head of R&D for Dell.

He's gonna invite you out

for martinis.

Before long,

you're gonna be working

out of Advanced Encrypting

in Bethesda.

Five years, you'll get

your first annual trip to Texas.

You got a wife by then,

.5 kids, 200K a year,

and that's it --

that's the whole show.

Then you're dead.

And it all started because

of one nasty little martini.

So you're a recruiter.

That I am.

You're kidding.

Applications for the ClA

are up tenfold.

Wow.

Would I have to kill anyone?

Would you like to?

WOMAN:
Beer man -- Heineken?

Yeah, just a sec.

All I know about the ClA is

that they're a bunch of fat,

old white guys who fell asleep

when we needed them most.

Oh, well, like I said,

you don't know sh*t.

I know what I know.

-Nice meeting you, James.

-You too.

Way I figure, you'll probably

go in the oil business...

Iike your daddy.

Hey!

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Did you know my father?

James, I have recruited

and trained and served

with the best

our country has to offer

for over a quarter

of a century.

I am a scary judge of talent.

It's my gift.

I am recruiting you,

Mr. Clayton.

In case you haven't noticed,

I'm not exactly ClA material.

You have any idea

what ClA material is?

It's not me.

No? Well, I don't know.

You graduated

top of your class at M.I.T.,

majored in nonlinear

cryptography,

scored off the charts in your

undergrad psych profile test.

Those are confidential.

Yeah, right.

You're agile,

athletic, and...

And what?

You grew up overseas --

Uzbekistan, Brunei...

Venezuela.

Yeah, my father worked

for Shell awhile.

Your father died in 1990...

in a plane crash in Peru.

What's your point?

What's my point?

What the hell you think

my point is?

My name is Walter Burke.

My number's

on the sports page.

Give me a call.

I'll be here

till noon tomorrow.

BURKE:

Very dramatic, James.

I want to talk.

Can we talk?

Yeah.

Where are you?

Well, you know the phone booth

you're calling from?

Yeah.

Turn around.

As you like it.

You're pretty confident.

Well...

Tell me about my father.

You already know, don't you?

I mean, that's why

you're sitting here.

You want answers,

you're in the wrong car, kid.

I only have secrets.

You can't trust

your best friends,

your five senses,

only the little voice

inside you

most civilians

don't even hear --

Iisten to that.

Trust yourself.

I think that's what

your father would have said.

Trust yourself, James.

Can I help you, sir?

James Clayton --

I'm here for an interview.

Just pull in there,

check in with security.

Thank you.

Hey, my name is James Clayton.

I'm here to see Walter Burke.

He's expecting me.

You can wait for him over there.

I'll page him for you.

James.

Hey.

Rule number one --

don't get caught.

Those were good officers.

Good friends.

So, you ready to get started?

Sure.

Have six pull in tight

on F-4.

All right,

now give me some angles,

both tests...both tests.

Tighter.

It's a carbon copy.

F-4 -- yank him.

You've been caught

cheating, pal.

Please leave.

Still got the eyes, Walter.

What's that story,

you saw some old woman

pushing a baby carriage?

And Walter sees the carriage is

riding a little low, so bam!

No questions, blows grandma

right out of her shoes.

Turned out she was Hamas,

and the whole thing was

stuffed with explosives.

She wasn't Hamas,

she was Abu Nidal.

Abu Nidal, that's right.

These war stories --

you just love them, don't you?

Uh, D-4 --

tell him to forget the chick

and finish the test.

Burke says, "Forget the chick

and finish the test."

PSYCHlATRlST:

How do upsetting problems

generally make you feel?

JAMES:
Upset.

And when you get angry,

do you have trouble

staying in control?

Sure.

How do you typically

deal with failure?

Badly.

Have you ever been deliberately

cruel to an animal?

Yes.

Please, elaborate.

For Christmas, I tied wool

reindeer horns to my dog's head.

PSYCHlATRlST #1 :

Would you consider yourself

subjectively firm

or objectively flexible?

Metaphysically wrinkle-free.

Quickly -- would you rather

ride on a train,

dance in the rain,

or feel no pain?

Feel no pain.

I know I said the rain-dancing

thing, but...feel no pain.

Thank you.

God, I hate this.

Hey.

Hi.

I'm James.

Layla.

Like the song.

Yeah.

That's a big coffee.

I'm a big girl.

Sure.

POLYGRAPH OPERATOR:

Is your name James Clayton?

James Douglas Clayton.

Just a yes-or-no answer.

Is your name James Clayton?

Yes.

You were born

October 21, 1976?

Yes.

Have you ever worked for

any foreign governments?

No.

Have you taken tranquilizers

today?

No.

Miami.

Mind if I sit here?

Sure.

Hey.

Ronnie Gibson from D.C.

James Clayton from all over.

Nice to meet you.

You too.

You got any idea what those two

are speaking over there?

I think it's Farsi.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, Farsi.

MAN:
Clear!

Uh, what are you doing?

Nothing.

What?

Some of these chairs

are wired.

They catch you drifting

during this,

Bullshit.

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