My Review: Breach (8/10)

"Can you imagine, sitting in a room with a bunch of your colleagues, everybody trying to guess the identity of a mole and all the while, it's you they're after, you they're looking for? That must be very satisfying, wouldn't you think?"

Breach is a very intelligent spy thriller much more interesting than Spy Games or any of the other spy movies that have come out in recent years which rely too much on the special effects and not as much on the relationship between the characters. Breach is based on a true story about the mole in the FBI agency that sold millions worth of information to the Soviets in a 25 year span and focuses on the last two months before his arrest. What makes this movie so appealing is that this man, Robert Hanssen lived a very hipocritcal life since he was a very religious man who went to mass every day and seemed to live a very clean life. What makes this even better is that it is a true story based on recent events and the script couldnt have been made up by any Hollywood writers.

The actors in this film are great, but who really stands out in this movie is Chris Cooper. He plays the mole Robert Hanssen brilliantly, and is such a solid actor. In this film he absolutely nails the character and for some moments I was even fooled into sympathising with his persona. This is one of his best performances to date along with Seabiscuit although this time he has more screen time. Ryan Philippe also does a good job as O Neill, the agent who is chosen to work alongside Hannsen and spy on him. Laura Linney completes this well cast movie and also shines in the few scenes she is in. The only performance I somewhat disliked came from the actress that played Phillipes wife. She felt a bit miscast, but the rest of the supporting actors were good and Cooper simply outshines everyone.

Overall I found this movie very entertaining and it mantained my interest for the entire two hours even though we already know the outcome of the film. The movie is worth seeing for Coopers performance alone, but even then there is much more to this that you will find enjoyable and thrilling. The relationship and character development between Hannsen and O Neill is also one of the main ingredients that help make this a succesful film. I recommend this movie!