![]() ![]() ![]() In the end, though, Ray's careful emphasis on authenticity over thrills and psychology over action is impeded by this narrative's narrow window: there's so much we can't know about what Hanssen did and why. He doesn't even carry a gun.Ī long, uniformly credible supporting cast (Laura Linney, Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert) confirms how expert American actors have become at making subterfuge seem like business as usual. ![]() The suspense sequences hinge on his quick wits, not sharp-shooting. The film is more confident detailing O'Neill's courage and ingenuity. It's true O'Neill quit later, but not out of any sense of shame or doubt. We can imagine the spiritual testing ground Martin Scorsese might have made of this - not least because "The Departed" is in a neighboring ballpark - but neither Billy Ray nor Ryan Phillippe persuade us that Eric's conscience is at issue here.Ī well-written scene in which O'Neill discusses quitting with his father (Bruce Davison) feels misplaced, coming on the heels of the revelation that he's point man in probably the most important internal investigation in FBI history. The ploy works, which is some testament to the sincerity of the traitor's religious conviction, but that too must be taken on faith.īut in other respects this becomes a classic undercover story, exploring conflicted personal and professional loyalties, the cost of living a lie, and, paradoxically, the human facility for self-deception. Later when he has been formally "read in" on the case, Eric exploits his own (lapsed) Catholic credentials to allay Hanssen's suspicions. "Breach" is most absorbing, in fact, in the early scenes, where the neophyte agent is completely taken in by this facade of conservative piety. He is a devout Catholic (a member of Opus Dei, "Da Vinci Code" fans) who urges O'Neill to pray regularly and confess his sins. O'Neill realizes Hanssen's vulnerability lies in what should be one of his strengths. The term "breach" is often associated with a security violation or a betrayal of trust - both appropriate here - but it's also an opening, a gap. But there's sourness too, around the mouth, as if he can't dispel the taste of his own bile. He can't hide his surliness and indeed doesn't try to. He moves slowly and stiffly - 56 years old and on the verge of retirement - but he's impatient with protocol and evidently resentful about his lack of advancement. Gruff and craggy, Hanssen consciously psyches out the younger man ("Your name is Clerk and you call me Sir or Boss," he instructs an overly familiar Eric). He'll do so without a cover story - his superiors sense that Hanssen would smell the deception immediately and run to ground.Ĭooper won an Academy Award five years ago as the orchid expert John Laroche in "Adaptation." This is his meatiest role since, and he's certainly the most compelling reason to check out "Breach." In "Breach," with officials suspecting something wrong with Hanssen (Chris Cooper), Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) - a young agent - is assigned to spy on the older man. The Department of Justice called the Hanssen case "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. And he profited from this to the tune of $1.4 million. government officials in the event of a nuclear attack, and details of U.S. (CNN) - In February 2001 Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that veteran FBI agent Robert Hanssen had been arrested for treason.ĭirected by Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass"), "Breach" focuses on the two months leading up to Hanssen's arrest.Īlthough the full extent of the information Hanssen passed to the Russians remains classified, it is known that over 22 years he compromised at least 50 agents, some of whom were subsequently murdered he leaked plans for the evacuation of U.S. ![]()
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