Breach
is a good example of a spy story that gradually builds suspense
to an engrossing conclusion with a central character whose strange
personality contradictions and mood swings make him far more
interesting than James Bond. Like many films at the moment,
it is largely based on real events; which makes this more than
a little disturbing. Even though we know from the first scene
how the film will end, this doesn't diminish the impact.
The film starts at news conference in 2001 with the US Attorney
General John Ashcroft at which he says a very serious breach
had occurred in security, referring to the arrest of the master
spy and FBI agent Robert Hanssen who had been selling secrets
to the Russians over a long period. In fact he turned out to
be the most damaging spy in America's history. He caused the
death of a number of agents working for America and handed the
Russians thousands of pages of classified security material
over 22 years.
Two months earlier a young FBI agent in training Eric O'Neill
(Ryan Phillippe) is suddenly promoted by special agent Kate
Burroughs (Laura Linney) from a low level surveillance operation
to become an assistant to the brilliant computer expert Robert
Hanssen (Chris Cooper) at FBI headquarters. His secret assignment
is to keep tabs on the man as he is told Hanssen may be a sexual
deviant. Ofcourse the truth is that the FBI already suspect
Hanssen is a mole selling them out and have been carrying out
a long investigation on the man. They think young O'Neill may
get under Hanssen's guard being a raw new recruit.
O'Neills enthusiasm soon turns to anxiety as he wakes to the
true reason for unexpected promotion and battles the difficult
personality of Hanssen whose mood swings makes his life a nightmare.
He soon even finds himself in church praying beside Hanssen
when he discovers O'Neill is also a Catholic. There are many
odd contradictions in Hanssen so O'Neill is never quite sure
where he is at. Hanssen's growing acceptance and trust of his
young assistant never the less places O'Neill in a dangerous
position for him and his wife as apprentice spy versus master
spy. This steadily leads to increasingly suspenseful sequences
and the powerful conclusion to the operation.
It
is the acting of the three main characters that lift this movie
above average, especially Chris Cooper (Adaption) who
gives an award-winning performance as the complicated, oddball
but shrewdly clever Robert Hanssen. Perfectly capturing the
strangeness of the man, his zealous religious streak, deviant
sexuality, paranoid suspiciousness, and unpredictable temper.
Cooper has a dominate screen presence and is frighteningly convincing
in this difficult role.
While Ryan Phillippe (Flags of our Fathers) gives
a credible performance as the ambitious stoic young agent under
considerable duress and Laura Linney (Kinsey) is comfortably
at home as the cool unshakable woman in charge. Competently
directed by Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) from a strong
script that allows the tension to steadily build and manages
a high level of conviction in the characters and plot. Finally
the cinematography by Tak Fujimoto is impressive especially
some of the night scenes set against local classical architecture.
For fans of the TV series "Spooks" this is just the
DVD for you.
John
Bale
