In this true
story, Ryan Phillippe stars as FBI Agent Eric O’Neill
– an ambitious young man
trying to get the attention of his superiors, so he can move up in the
agency
and start working more glamorous assignments.
Now, his time has come, he just doesn’t
know it yet.
O’Neill
has been
assigned to watch and detail the activities of Robert Hanssen (Chris
Cooper) –
a long time agent suspected of illegal, perverted behavior. However, as the
investigation deepens,
O’Neill soon is informed this is not a routine pervert watch
assignment at all.
Hanssen might be the biggest and most dangerous FBI turncoat in history
as he
has provided information to the Soviets and Russians for years
– information
that has led to the death of FBI agents and their sources.
Will
O’Neill and
the FBI be able to shut down Hanssen and arrest him before it is too
late and
he does more damage?
Breach is a very
good movie with great acting, but it needed a bit of pizzazz to make it a movie
you can’t miss. Co-writer/director Billy
Ray and co-writers Adam Mazer and William Rotko make Breach into a battle of
wills and brains as O’Neill and Hanssen try to figure each other out, and the
younger agent attempts to fool an older agent who has matched wits with the
best the Soviet Union could ever offer. This is an interesting battle to watch, but I
felt like Ray needed to add some bells and whistles to make Breach as engaging
as crime procedurals audiences are used to watching in theaters and on television
every night. Call me a philistine. Call me simple minded, but CSI, Law and
Order, House and more have changed the way we watch crime stories, mysteries
and medical shows because we get details and visually interesting material.
More details,
cooler editing and a more thrilling musical score would have added a level of
drama that would put Breach into the upper echelon of movies. Scenes of Hanssen in action as other
characters describe what he has done or side by side comparisons of the younger
and older agent trying to outwit each other would have been familiar sights to
modern movie fans. Also, being in DC
when much of this true story occurred, I know there is so much more about the
case that we don’t see, that could have added more entertainment and amazement
for the audience. Hanssen’s contact with
the Soviets, his seedy private life and what information he passed on is only
slightly touched upon in Breach.
However, you
still have a good movie that is more of a character study as we watch Hanssen’s
behavior, mannerisms and mysterious ways.
Ray shows us O’Neill’s efforts to get deeper and deeper into Hanssen’s
life, while the senior agent tests the younger one and probes his mind to get a
read on the kid. This approach gives
Cooper, Phillppe and Laura Linney a chance to show off their considerable
skills.
Cooper is
absolutely amazing and mesmerizing as Hanssen in one of the greatest
performances you have ever seen from an already fantastic actor. He makes Hanssen into a creepy, cold,
discomforting figure, but one that you have to respect for his intellect and
ability. Cooper shows you Hanssen’s
anger and bitterness about his place in the FBI structure, and his deep
religious conviction in ways that make you understand where this character is
coming from, even though you wholeheartedly disagree with what he has
done. Phillippe continues to grow as an
actor by creating the perfect nervous, but determined kid the character needs
to be, while Linney is perfect as the tough as nails boss who kicks the young
man in the tail when it s needed, but guides and nurtures someone who has
amazing potential.
Breach is a
movie worth seeking out.
3 Waffles (Out
Of 4)
Breach is
rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language.
Copyright
2007 - WaffleMovies.com
