A “fake it til you make it” mindset in the face of protocol and reason, painstaking source-based interactions with spurts of violence and a modernised hip hop soundtrack are what you get in Netflix’s latest series, The Recruit.
Starring Noah Centineo of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) fame, The Recruit centres on Owen Hendricks, a 24-year-old graduate fresh out of law school who relishes the challenge of being a lawyer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
But his eagerness to hit the ground running and prove himself means he gets in far over his head within his first week on the job, relying on his street smarts and charm that appears to be a cross between James McGill and a younger Perry Mason.
Tasked with handling a former asset who knows way too much, Centineo’s rookie lawyer character quickly seeks out these life-or-death situations, oblivious to the safer standard procedures, which serves as the source of thrills and gallows humour.
This premise features a lot of the tropes that have defined espionage television over the years, particularly those of the American flavour. Thankfully, in practice, The Recruit is closer to a Jason Bourne than a Jack Ryan or Jack Bauer, providing a satirical and critical look at the CIA rather than simply deferring to the agency as the automatic “good guys” against faceless foreign terrorists.
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The world of intelligence
The relationships between intelligence officers and politicians is portrayed as a normalised way of the world and aspects like the apathetic hostile work environment, employee “hazing”, secretive staff meetings and the trigger-happy torturing at black sites are blatantly skewered while still threading that fine line between spy thriller and dark comedy.
And who better to usher audiences into this bloated bureaucracy than The Bourne Identity (2002) director Doug Liman in the first two episodes. Having kicked off this new, anti-establishment look into internal scandals within American intelligence two decades ago, Liman flexes his muscle to full effect in the first two episodes, providing the kind of fast-paced shots and visual flair that was last seen in such top form eight years ago in Tom Cruise-starrer Edge of Tomorrow (2014).
Although the tight plotting by Alexi Hawley is often held back by trite dialogue and thin side character arcs within the CIA office and Hendricks’ personal life, Centineo’s commanding yet relatable performance as well as Laura Haddock and Kristian Bruun as Belarusian spy Max Meladze and sleep-deprived fellow lawyer Janus Ferber more than makes up for the fault lines shown in the script early on.
With his starring role here and his recent work as Atom Smasher in Black Adam, Centineo looks to be completely leaving rom coms with a teenage target audience behind and establishing himself as part of the newer generation of action stars.
Hawley’s script and Liman’s direction allow him just enough opportunities to shine on that front here, with the odd shirtless scene for eye candy. But it’s his attempt at a smug demeanour and strong East Coast accent with moments of self-awareness that cement him as a CIA lawyer quickly learning how to work the system and survive.
Overall, The Recruit isn’t quite that perfect indictment of the bureaucratic bloat, privacy violations and wanton human rights abuses that make up the world of intelligence but serves up a funny, exciting and surprisingly insightful ride.