Breach (2007) - At The Movies Review

Breach

Ryan Philippe, is a young recruit to the FBI, eager to become a fully-fledged agent.

Kate Burroughs, (LAURA LINNEY), a senior FBI officer, assigns Eric to work for

Robert Hanssen, (CHRIS COOPER), a veteran agent.

She tells him that the devout Catholic and family man is actually a sexual pervert, and she wants confirmation of this without Hanssen discovering that he's been watched by his own assistant.

Unable to tell even his East German-born wife, Juliana, (CAROLINE DHAVERNAS),

the true nature of his assignment, Eric goes to work.

But he soon discovers that Hanssen is, despite all appearances, a spy for the Russians.

This gripping film is based on real events and actual characters; Robert Hanssen was arrested six years ago.

Director Billy Ray previously made SHATTERED GLASS, another true story, also about bitter conflicts and deception in the offices and board rooms of a hermetic world - in that case that of a New York magazine, in this case a division of the FBI itself.

CHRIS COOPER's Hanssen is a truly fascinating character, seemingly a rigidly honest, deeply devoted, patriotic, conservative man yet secretly something else entirely.

Ray's approach is measured, as he takes time to explore the detailed investigation, and even though anyone with a knowledge of current affairs would be aware of the outcome, BREACH still succeeds in being an intelligent and very tense character study.

DAVID: Margaret?

MARGARET: Yeah, it's pretty good, isn't it?

DAVID: It's good, yes.

MARGARET: And, I mean, this is just such an amazingly complex man, you know.

DAVID: Mm. I know.

MARGARET: Who is, you know, he's almost banal...

DAVID: Yes.

MARGARET: ...as a character. But, you know, I mean there is this implication of Opus Dei.

DAVID: Yes.

MARGARET: On the morning of his arrest he goes to mass and has mass in Latin. It's a Latin mass, so he's this, sort of, arch conservative Catholic and then he goes to drop information for the Russians.

DAVID: And what is fascinating is that he's still spying for the Russians after the Cold War is over.

MARGARET: Yeah, I know.

DAVID: I mean, you can imagine him doing it during the Cold War and he started during the Cold War.

MARGARET: But this is the biggest security breach in the history of U.S. intelligence, you know.

DAVID: That's right, yeah.

MARGARET: And it went on under their nose for over 20 years.

DAVID: Yes.

MARGARET: And, but I mean, as a film, it is fascinating because of this character played by Chris Cooper Hanssen and I think because Ryan Philippe is so good.

DAVID: Yes. Yes.

MARGARET: I think he's really terrific in this.

DAVID: It's a very intelligent film, isn't it?

MARGARET: Yeah, and it's been very interestingly directed so that it is - it's full of tension. Are they going to catch this guy?