Breach [2007]

See Larger Image	List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £5.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 2 to 3 weeks Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Starring: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Kathleen Quinlan, Gary Cole, Laura Linney Directed By: Billy Ray Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Binding: DVD EAN: 5039036036528 Format: PAL Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2008-03-31 Running Time: 110 Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 2007
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Editorial Reviews: Is a mystery really mysterious when the end isn't a secret? Is espionage still thrilling when you know beforehand that the cloak has been pulled back and the dagger revealed? If it's a film as good as Breach, the answer is a resounding yes. Here is a true story that's genuinely stranger than fiction: FBI agent Robert Hanssen spent over 20 years selling government secrets to the Russians, making him the most egregious traitor in U.S. history. He was an Opus Dei Catholic and a devout churchgoer who was also a sexual deviant, a straitlaced company man so trusted by his employers that they once appointed him to lead an investigation designed to reveal who the spy was--when in fact it was Hanssen himself. And in the end, he was brought down in part by 26-year-old Eric O'Neill, an agent-in-training who worked with him for just two months. Chris Cooper, a 2003 supporting actor Oscar winner for Adaptation, is brilliant in the lead role, playing Hanssen as a dour, cold, ultra-conservative cypher (women in suits are just one of his peeves) whose conversations more closely resemble interrogations. Ryan Phillippe is also excellent as O'Neill, who's initially kept in the dark by the superior (Laura Linney) who assigned him to help expose Hanssen's treachery; thinking he's been brought in only to gather evidence about his boss's sexual transgressions, O'Neill finds himself caught in a profound moral conundrum, grudgingly admiring Hanssen even as his own marriage is severely tested by the older man's creepy and hypocritical intrusion into their lives, not to mention the FBI's strict rules against discussing the case. Director Billy Ray (whose previous feature was also a true story: Shattered Glass, about the young writer who fabricated stories for The New Republic) and co-screenwriters Adam Mazer and William Rotko do an extraordinary job of maintaining the tension as the story leads to the conclusion that's been revealed in the first few frames (i.e., Hanssen's arrest in February 2001); the exquisite torture of O'Neill's having to keep Hanssen distracted while Bureau technicians search the latter's car is but one example. Moreover, notwithstanding the plot developments, the filmmakers manage to keep their focus on the personal interactions that are the film's key element: the relationships that O'Neill maintains with Hanssen, his father (a cameo by Bruce Davison), his wife (Caroline Dhavernas), and others are entirely credible. At once fascinating and horrifying, Breach is inarguably one of the best films of 2007. --Sam Graham
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Intriguing, captivating and memorable Comment: A spy thriller without any action yet an interesting tale of 2 men in the midst of america's greatest traitor case in recent times. Im not going to describe the story in detail but I just wanna point out the outstanding performance from Cooper. An actor usually associated with similar roles to this but never given a lead role to show the depth he can bring to roles and characters like 'amoral agent' types like Rob Hanssen. The final scene in the elevator where O Neil sheepishly stares at the man he betrayed is truly memorable and i give this 9/10. The single blemish is Phillipe's acting at times which can be hammy. It looks sometimes like hes told to act a certain way sometimes rather than getting into character and portraying, as opposed to acting a role...I guess thats what a director is there for but it adds to a movie if the characters empathise with their roles in my opinion. Classic case of the ol generic good looking guy/girl 'we'll make him a star' casting. Great story carries everyone through. I wasnt really excited by the plot outline before watching because i thought it would be a stereotypical political thriller but its a movie more about characters and their complexities and role conflicts than an indictment of spying or anything. GIVE IT A CHANCE and watch it. Customer Rating: Summary: Your FBI at work, and after only 20 years of traitorous leaks, they bust the case. Chris Cooper is superb Comment: What do you do with an FBI traitor who for 20 years was feeding serious secrets to the Soviets and then to Russia? If you're the FBI, you don't follow up on tips about the guy, you don't get curious that his expensive life style doesn't match his FBI salary, you ignore his extensive, private hetero kinkiness even though a murmur about homosexuality would get another person booted out the door, and you sure don't want to look too hard and then find a scandal on your hands like the CIA's Aldrich Ames. It was in 1979, three years after he joined the FBI, that Robert Hanssen started his career as a spy. It wasn't until 1999 that it occurred to the FBI to look closely at Hanssen. At one point, concerned about the possibility of a mole in their midst, the FBI actually had Hanssen investigating any possible moles within the FBI. Don't look for FBI culpability in Breach. The movie barely alludes to all this, yet this is the real story of Robert Hanssen. What we have, instead, is a genuinely fascinating story of the final hunt to nail Hanssen, the hunt for evidence that would stand up in court. To get that evidence the FBI, finally on the job, sends in Eric O'Neill, a young man without much experience to be Hanssen's gofer. The hope is that Hanssen will not see this fellow as a threat and may let down his guard. If the FBI is going to nail Hanssen, they need to catch him in the act of sending classified information to the Russians. Without this, the best they can do is fire him. It's no spoiler to say that Robert Hanssen was arrested in 2001 and is now serving a life sentence in a high security prison, restricted to solitary confinement 23 hours a day. Eric O'Neill did his job. That outstanding actor, Chris Cooper, plays Hanssen. It's a magnificent performance, stuffed full with intelligence, arrogance, suspicion, threat and conflict. Hanssen is not a likeable guy, but he's shrewd and smart. The contest between Hanssen's deep suspicions toward anyone and Eric O'Neill's odd combination of apparent naivety and resourceful quick thinking keeps the movie, for the most part, speeding right along. The one real weakness is Laura Linney as O'Neill's boss. It's an unnecessary part and just seems to sit there as a way to feature a star name who can be used now and then for some plot exposition. As much as I like Linney, every time she's on screen I'm reminded that I'm watching a Hollywood movie. That goes for some of the secondary parts, too. The movie needed faces we'd never seen before, except for Cooper. Instead there are too many vaguely familiar Hollywood faces, such as Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert, and Kathleen Quinlan. They all do good jobs, but their familiarity is distracting. Ryan Phillippe as Eric O'Neill gives a first-class, nuanced performance. O'Neill is not thrilled with what he's called upon to do. He can't tell anyone, including his wife, and she's not happy with his long and erratic hours. It's a dangerous, high stress job and the man he's trying to catch is no dummy. Phillippe holds his own with Cooper. It's unfortunate that he has one of those youngish, generically handsome faces. He's a good actor, and I think his looks get in the way of critical appreciation of his skills. The movie stands or falls on the actor who plays Hanssen. Chris Cooper is so good and so believable it's a pleasure to sit back and lose yourself in his performance. He's been memorable is so many movies, but one of his best performances (and a favorite of mine) is in Lone Star. Customer Rating: Summary: Outstanding performance by Comment: Chris Cooper is what makes this film unmissable. Acting at its very best. I don't like Ryan Philippe but even he turns in a more than adequate turn here. But watch it for Cooper. Extraordinary! Customer Rating: Summary: Treachery in high places Comment: "Breach" is that rarity in films today ; an intelligent,gripping thriller.In the past there seemed to be a lot of films of this type ,but not so today. The film concerns itself with the discovery of a mole within the FBI who has been supplying intelligence secrets to the Russians for decades.This traitor,Robert Hanssen, is played superbly well by Chris Cooper who really gets under the character's skin. Cooper has been reassigned to a high level job in IT and Ryan Philippe plays his new clerk Eric O'Neill, who unbeknown to Cooper has been assigned by senior FBI figures to investigate him .Hanssen covers his treachery well and O'Neill has to be on his toes at all times in this tough assignment. The acting in "Breach" is of a high standard and the characterisation and dialogue in the film are first rate also.I would highly recommend this movie. Customer Rating: Summary: wolf in sheeps clothing..... Comment: This is the true story of how the FBI closed in on probably the best spy to ever breach their security. It's not a fast paced thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat but it is interesting - probably because you know it happened (Not word for word but how much can they get away with making up really?!) Ryan Phillipe (Eric) does an impressive job as the rooky who is picked to go undercover on the case even though he isn't actually an agent yet, only looking to impress so he can become one. His adversory has been at the game a long time and is a very very intelligent and highly respected American. It feels like David vs Goliath as Eric tries to help the FBI find any solid evidence of his spying. You get a feel for both the characters, especially Eric, and what effect the course of events has on their lives, relationships and beliefs. As I said, not edge of your seat it does move more slowly as things gently unravel. The acting is brilliant and all in all the movie is a success. It has four stars because even though I find it good it doesn't deserve a place among the champs of film....if that makes sense... More Reviews