Breach
Starring Ryan Phillipe, Laura Linney & Chris Cooper.
If tonight, you seek the vicarious thrills of seeing action stars blowing up stuff with super-secret mind boggling weapons in a smash-crash, boom-bang race against the ticking time-bomb type thriller… then don't see Breach.
On the other hand, if you seek a movie with an understated but gradual build of intensity and tension in a high stakes drama about the greatest security breach in US History, then Breach, starring Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillipe and Laura Linney, is your cup of tea.
Based on the story of Eric O'Neill, an upstart FBI operative working under Robert Hanssen an agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union (and, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia) for 15 years.
Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) has just landed a job which could provide him with the opportunity to achieve his dream job as a full-fledged FBI agent and has been handpicked to work under renowned operative Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) within a new division created to protect all classified FBI intelligence. In actuality, he is working under Special Agent Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) and Special Agent Dan Plesac (Dennis Haysbert), who have been investigating Hanssen as a potential mole for the Soviet Union. Their case is of grave importance given the type of information to which he has access. O'Neill must gain his new mentor's trust in hopes that the traitor will eventually expose himself. Soon, O'Neill is risking his life as well as the life of his family as he and Hanssen become tangled in a dangerous game that pits them against one another.
Chris Cooper is outstanding (as usual) in his role as the traitor, Robert Hanssen. Ryan Phillipe adds another solid performance to his recent work in Flags of our Fathers and Crash. Laura Linney (Kinsey, Mystic River) continues her impressive resume, and newcomer Caroline Dhavernas as the wife of Eric O'Neill, is more than a pretty face with her nuanced performance.
Directed by Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) and written by Adam Mazer, William Rotko and Billy Ray. As is the case in any film "based on a true story", the writer's artistic choices i.e. altering actual events (Eric didn't personally download the palm pilot) or inventing scenes (fake photo shoot) work well to make compelling storytelling.
This is a good strong afternoon or evening cup of tea.
4/5 Stars
Eddie Crismani
