Breach (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Breach is a very intense film based on the true story of Robert Hansen who commited the worst breach in US history. For over twenty years, Robert Hansen sold secrets to the Russians. Breach is the story that tells of investigation to catch Robert Hansen. A phenomenal Thriller that… More
  Breach is a very intense film based on the true story of Robert Hansen who commited the worst breach in US history. For over twenty years, Robert Hansen sold secrets to the Russians. Breach is the story that tells of investigation to catch Robert Hansen. A phenomenal Thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Breach is one terrific film with a great cast. The film doesn't have action, but it more than makes up for it in thrills. A terrific film based on a shocking true story.

• Lenny M

  
  Chris Cooper is solid always, Ryan Phillippe is liquid gay, I wonder who's the gas? Dat's me.

• Dan S

  
  A solid, very well-acted governmental drama based on a true story of an FBI agent who got caught selling secrets to the Russians. The film follows a young, kind of hot-shot (Phillippe) whose stone-cold face make the paranoid and usually grumpy veteran agent (Cooper) susceptible to… More
  A solid, very well-acted governmental drama based on a true story of an FBI agent who got caught selling secrets to the Russians. The film follows a young, kind of hot-shot (Phillippe) whose stone-cold face make the paranoid and usually grumpy veteran agent (Cooper) susceptible to trusting him, when it turns out that young agent is out to burn him. It's mostly interesting to see the interactions between the two agents, as well as how the weathered veteran starts to break down and trust the one man he shouldn't be trusting. Chris Cooper turns in a simply outstanding performance. He captures the inner guilt as well as the pain and hypocrisy his character is undoubtedly feeling. Phillippe is also does an admirable job.

• Jeremy S

  
  Based on the true life events surrounding America's worst spy Robert Hannsen, who's actions, led to the deaths of three covert US agents in the Soviet Union and the full damage cost of his information leakings is unknown, but believed to be in the billions. At it's… More
  Based on the true life events surrounding America's worst spy Robert Hannsen, who's actions, led to the deaths of three covert US agents in the Soviet Union and the full damage cost of his information leakings is unknown, but believed to be in the billions. At it's heart Breach is a spy thriller of the highest pedigree. Tense, compelling, gripping, unnerving, and very understated. The film relies heavily on suspence and the central character, of the story, Hanssen, played by a genius Chris Cooper who's performance is Oscar worthy. The film would easily have become mundane, had a weaker actor played the part. Cooper creates almost a second Hannibal, a murderous monster with higher things on his mind than killing, a cultured, genius and importantly a devoultly religious man. A member of the Catholic organization Opus Dei, and a fervent Catholic, Hanssen's character thickens as more layers are developed. Everyone, as the detective Eric (played by Ryan Phillippe) says 'mis-read him', from the CIA themselves, to Eric and to the audience. How can such a seemingly good man be so bad? Yet apperances aren't what they seem, and so the fun begins. The film works up to a grand finale, in which the audience is worked up with it. Like a Hitcockian film, suspence builds to a crachendo and explodes with power, then resolves. Importantly Breach doesn't give you the one thing your left dying for, a real glimpse into the mind of America's worst spy. As Hanssen himself says "The why doesn't matter really, does it?"

• Dean !

  
  A good film, well made, based on a true story. Just a pity there isn't a little more action or tension. The subject might be a tad boring for some and the film is very slowly paced.

• Jani H

  
  An outstanding performance by Chris Cooper. He makes his character very interesting which can't be said about Ryan Philippe. This is all about the "worst spy in US history", Robert Hanssen. The movie is tense with a truly interesting story. Highly recommended.

• jay n

  
  Interesting story and very good performances from Laura Linney and Chris Cooper, would have been so much better with a stronger actor in the lead than the vapid Phillippe.

• Bannan i

  
  Not bad, not bad at all. Review...tbc.

• Dean M

  
  Dull true story of the greatest security breach in U.S. intelligence history with too much investigations and talks.

• Bruce B

  
  Great Flix, One of the better CIA/FBI Films that have been out there in years. Worth the Buy

• Craig S

  
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> Billy Ray.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Ryan Phillippe, Laura Linney, Chris Cooper.</b> Finally, a true thriller right down to the core, you have no car chases here, no gunfights, no explosions, just actors, dialogue,… More
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> Billy Ray.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Ryan Phillippe, Laura Linney, Chris Cooper.</b> Finally, a true thriller right down to the core, you have no car chases here, no gunfights, no explosions, just actors, dialogue, a very strong script and solid direction. To cover Robert Hanssen's main life would have taken many long episodes to cover all the main points, instead with this film, it focuses on the final personal two months of how he got caught. Without resorting to any fancy sequences to 'attempt' to create suspense, it comes naturally here, Billy Ray's very tight direction keeps us engrossed on these characters and everything else is drawn from them. It's very much a character study and involves a lot of dialogue, but it is a fascinating one and I found myself very intrigued by these characters, the way they are developed keeps you engrossed right up until the end. Now I bet it would have been a difficult choice to fill the cast, especially for Robert Hanssen. Ryan Phillippe proves he can do well and delivers quite a sustained and excellent performance as the hopeful FBI Agent, Laura Linney is captivating and great as always, but I really hope for her to jump out of her shell and show us something amazing....but the real man to mention here is Chris Cooper, in what can easily be said as his 'Oscar nominated' or winning role, come next year. His portrayal of Robert Hanssen is nothing short of outstanding, he fits into this tough role so well and displays an outstanding range of emotions in both his dialogue and his facials, he has always been great in the roles he plays but this one will certainly be life changing. Tense, intriguing, captivating and very solid. A thriller that never relies on cheap hollywood tricks to wow the audience, its a character study that is smart and compelling and Billy Ray delivers some outstanding taut direction, his movements and letting his actors shine creates the suspense needed.

• Drew S

  
  Who handled Breach? It's a shame what happened to this film. Releasing it in February screwed it over so hard; not only is it a dumping-ground month for some of Hollywood's truly heinous titles, but it also got put up against the intimidating (but no better) Zodiac. The film… More
  Who handled Breach? It's a shame what happened to this film. Releasing it in February screwed it over so hard; not only is it a dumping-ground month for some of Hollywood's truly heinous titles, but it also got put up against the intimidating (but no better) Zodiac. The film sank into relative obscurity, and that is downright criminal. Breach is not an absolutely amazing movie, but it's damn good for its genre. It is a little more chatty than most of the movies in that "thriller" genre, but well-written enough to get away with it. It has plenty of thrilling scenes, but they are tempered with and surrounded by incredibly engaging dialogue. Take, for instance, the traffic jam scene; not only is it incredibly suspenseful, but it shares an abundance of information about both Philippe and Cooper's characters. It is productive, intelligent film-making. The movie embraces modern thriller sensibilities and at the same time refuses to shy away from conversation and the human mind as a springboard. The second tragedy of Breach's release is that Chris Cooper's performance will be forgotten by the Academy. Having won for Adaptation and then being considered for this would have been one of the greatest follow-ups ever, but alas, his brilliant work here is completely squandered. He delivers his character, a chest-puffing bundle of insecurities, so naturally. Laura Linney slides right into her part too. Even Ryan Philippe, who some would argue hasn't really paid his dues yet, does very well here, except it can be kind of hard to tell because his character is a little underwritten. It would have behooved him to have more to do than react perplexedly to Cooper's unusual questions. I think the film's one failing is that it succumbs to the need to be Hollywoodian, what with the swelling scores and the need to explain the cyclicality of some of the themes. I found myself having a few of those "thanks, guys, I could have figured that out on my own" moments. But if the movie wants to hold my hand a little, it's cool. You could be spotted with something worse than Breach.

• Nate Z

  
  [center][img]http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7349/photo28wy1.jpg[/img] [left][font=Arial][color=DarkRed]Ghost Rider - Nicolas Cage's career has been flaming out, so what better role than a burning skeleton biker who serves as a bounty hunter for the Devil, in this case… More
  [center][img]http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7349/photo28wy1.jpg[/img] [left][font=Arial][color=DarkRed]Ghost Rider - Nicolas Cage's career has been flaming out, so what better role than a burning skeleton biker who serves as a bounty hunter for the Devil, in this case Peter Fonda. A cliché-riddled script, laughable performances, cheesy effects and dull villains doom any entertainment prospects this movie might have had. Cage, as the titular rider, gets to fight a group of escaped demons who all have one connection to an element; one has the power of fire, another the power of wind, etc., it's like a hellish Captain Planet squad. But what's the point when Ghost Rider simply vanquishes them so easily? It's repetitive and goes nowhere. There's one moment Sam Elliot "turns" into an older ghost rider/bounty hunter and rides along with Cage to save the day. But then he says, "Well, I could only do that once more, so good luck." What? You could only turn into a flaming ass kicker one more time and you wasted it on riding a horsey through the desert? Eva Mendes is awful as her role of "girlfriend from past," and why, if she and Cage grew up as childhood sweethearts, does he look over 15 years older than her in the present? I guess working for Satan can really take a lot out of you. Nate's Grade: D Breach - Chris Cooper is masterful in an unnerving and deeply contradictory role as a man of God, country, patriotism, and family. He was a respected FBI expert eventually discovered to be the biggest mole in U.S. intelligence history, directly responsible for the deaths of U.S. spies and interests in Russia during the Cold War. Writer/director Billy Ray infuses the film with the same stoic, controlled calm of his exceptional earlier effort [i]Shattered Glass[/i], and the movie unwinds like a great political thriller from the 1970s. The story is smart and engaging but it is Cooper that turns [i]Breach[/i] into one of the best films of 2007. His performance is as varied and complex as the man he is portraying; frightening and intimidating but also empathetic and bound by a sense of honor, Cooper gives a performance that plays upon ambiguity and understatement. Watch the way he even drives people into walls when he walks alongside them in hallways. It's that kind of intense, highly focused, and morally challenging work that deserves an Oscar nomination. Grade: A Away from Her - Actress Sarah Polley makes a remarkable directorial/screenwriting debut telling the story of a couple going through the late stages of Alzheimer's. This is a truly adult tale that deals in the heartbreak of losing a loved one gradually and slowly. The film centers on a long-standing marriage that endures the hardships of becoming a victim in your own mind, first forgetting small things and then finally shutting down completely. While plenty of films have articulately dealt with the point of view of the afflicted, I feel [/color][/font][font=Arial][color=DarkRed][i]Away from Her[/i][/color][/font][font=Arial][color=DarkRed] is one of the better perspectives on seeing the devastating effects of the illness from the spouse. The movie deals with its real world dilemmas in a respectful and realistic manner and Polley has put herself on the map as a thoughtful, mature, and engrossing talent to watch whenever she hops behind the camera. Grade: B+ Fracture - This is a genre movie, pure and simple, but it has a tricky plot and is aided by two exceptionally high caliber performances from Anthony Hopkins, once again personifying evil and confidence, and Ryan Gosling, one of, no, THE best actor of his generation. He imbues such meaty resonance to a character that would have seemed flimsy and altogether stock in another actor's hands. Gosling and Hopkins have great tit-for-tat moments where each is trying to outwit the other, and their verbal chess match provides the best scenes in this procedural thriller. The disintegrating murder case keeps the audience guessing, but it's Hopkins and Gosling that elevate the material into delicious crackling Southern-fried entertainment. Grade: B Disturbia - This [i]Rear Window[/i] for the Myspace generation starts off strong with a solid performance by Shia LeBouf, but then quickly unravels once the filmmakers think they're desperately running out of time. The teasing mystery is set up well and elicits some interest, but then, as if afraid of lulling an audience to sleep with a story that takes its damn time, [i]Disturbia[/i] throws everything and the kitchen sink at you in the last 20 minutes. The movie falls on its face (the metaphors are flying today) trying to make up for lost time with jump scares and lame thriller conventions. The end gets a tad absurd as well as Shia discovers his serial killer neighbor isn't just a murderer, but he's a home decorator on par with the creature from [i]Jeepers Creepers[/i]. By the time Shia falls into an underground water cavern filled with corpses, I wanted to scream myself for such wasted potential to a film that seemed like a formless rip-off on the surface. Grade: C+[/color][/font] [/left] [/center]

• danny d

  
  really good flick. not as involved, dramatic, or clever as i expected it to be. you really never even expirienced anything of a spy story even though the flick was about catching a spy, it was more a film about relationships and the inner workings of the FBI. It was basically a spy… More
  really good flick. not as involved, dramatic, or clever as i expected it to be. you really never even expirienced anything of a spy story even though the flick was about catching a spy, it was more a film about relationships and the inner workings of the FBI. It was basically a spy movie that was not about spying. but it was interesting and well acted and worth a watch.

• Luke B

  
  Somebody should just take the Oscar Chris Cooper already has and put diamonds where the eyes should be, as well as a crown that has etched into it "I am amazing". Breach is one of those 'slower' espionage thrillers. You wont find any of Bourne's shaky camera… More
  Somebody should just take the Oscar Chris Cooper already has and put diamonds where the eyes should be, as well as a crown that has etched into it "I am amazing". Breach is one of those 'slower' espionage thrillers. You wont find any of Bourne's shaky camera work, or Bond's sexy lady friends. Billy Ray once again directs a true story to startling effect by simply allowing the story and dialogue to speak for itself. He avoids flashy cuts or a headache inducing soundtrack, his skill also allows him to create tense scenes even when everything is happening emotionally within the characters. Cooper plays a complex and fascinating man, extremely religious and very loving but at the same time a traitor to his country. The film makes a point of blurring his motives, and so we can only judge him on the man that is shown. The final elevator scene where he is broken down is a bittersweet end. Phillipe is great in his role and illustrates our apprehensions about investigating such a stand up guy. It's an interesting journey.

• Taylor B

  
  Investigation concluded, good movie

• Michael S

  
  One of the year's very best. Chris Cooper's performance elavates the film from very good to brilliant.

• Daniel H

  
  A refreshingly well done spy-thriller, with pretty much no gunplay or action, and a true to life post-cold-war setting. A great example of how a movie can adapt a real-life event faithfully without sacrificing entertainment quality or artistic license. A movie that treats it's… More
  A refreshingly well done spy-thriller, with pretty much no gunplay or action, and a true to life post-cold-war setting. A great example of how a movie can adapt a real-life event faithfully without sacrificing entertainment quality or artistic license. A movie that treats it's audience maturely, but doesn't go into labyrinthine plot twists merely to prove that what is happening it complex.

• William D

  
  [size=3][color=black]The winter of 2007 has brought with it an endless stream of so-so American films. Add Breach to that list. [/color][/size][size=3]Thank God for Chris Cooper, otherwise this film really would have been worthless.[/size]… More
  [size=3][color=black]The winter of 2007 has brought with it an endless stream of so-so American films. Add Breach to that list. [/color][/size][size=3]Thank God for Chris Cooper, otherwise this film really would have been worthless.[/size] [img]http://ledger.southofboston.com/content/articles/2007/02/16/life/life01.jpg[/img] [size=3]The story is based on fact. In 2001, shortly after the Bush Administration took power, the FBI arrested one of their own senior agents, Robert Hanssen, for treason. He had been selling secrets to foreign powers, particularly the Russians, for years.[/size] [size=3]It was the worst case of espionage in U.S. history. Not just strategic secrets were leaked. Countless spies working for the Americans were killed abroad because Hanssen told foreign powers about them. [/size] [size=3]Two dimensions of this story are fascinating to me. One: why did Hanssen do it? Moreover, why does anyone commit treason? For money? A secret feeling of power? Ideological commitment? Hanssen clearly wasn't a Communist![/size] [size=3]Secondly: how did the FBI catch him in the act?[/size] [size=3]The movie explores both questions, but it's more interested in the latter. The script doesn't have much in the way of an explanation for Hanssen's actions. But it is intriguing to ponder, and learning about him was fun, especially since he's played by the extraordinary Chris Cooper. This actor could read the phone book and make it entertaining. It's good news that his radiant performance in Adaptation was not a fluke.[/size] [size=3]Hanssen was certainly iconoclastic. He was a rabidly conservative Catholic, attending Opus Dei masses with his wife regularly. We even see a scene inside one of these services spoken only in Latin. He also talks about spiritual matters constantly in the film. How often do you see that in an American film?[/size] [size=3]Hanssen also films himself having sex with his wife, presumably unbeknownst to her, and passes the tapes around to acquaintances! He even in one scene appears to be coaxing his 20-something male clerk to watch porn with him.[/size] [size=3]The clerk is played by Ryan Phillippe. Sadly the movie pays more attention to the clerk than to Hanssen. The clerk gradually gets involved in the case. The FBI has figured Hanssen out, but they don't want to arrest him until they have an airtight case. They're hoping to catch him in the act and put him away forever. The clerk is told to keep an eye on Hanssen and then to help catch him in a sting. This puts Phillippe's character in more and more danger, which does make the film somewhat exciting.[/size] [size=3]But unfortunately, Phillippe is just not a deep actor. And he is not deepening with experience. He is merely competent, not a shred more, and I suppose he always will be. Cooper is [i]light years[/i] beyond Phillippe.[/size] [size=3]Laura Linney plays the senior FBI agent who apprises the clerk of the situation. Linney gives what will probably go down in history as her worst screen performance. It is shallow and wooden from the first moment to the last. I fear for Ms. Linney. I became a big fan of hers after You Can Count on Me. But after Exorcism of Emily Rose and now this, I'm starting to confuse her with a TV actress. Helen Hunt maybe. She's not turning into the next Meryl Streep, that's for sure, which is what I think a lot of people were expecting from her.[/size] [size=3]Linney completely removes any hint of sex appeal from her character. I like that. It's refreshing to see a male director let an attractive actress play a woman who isn't sexy. She is all business. But why make her shallow? The woman on Cold Case conveys more depth than Linney does here.[/size] [size=3]The story builds to a pretty good crescendo, with the clerk ending up playing a pivotal role in the case. Presumably without him the sting would not have gone down. I suspect the screenwriter took liberties to make the young guy seem more heroic. I can't imagine how those actions would have come out of a 25-year-old. But it does make the ending of the film moderately gripping.[/size] [size=3]If you like political thrillers, skip Breach and rent All the President's Men, with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. Or The Manchurian Candidate, either the wonderfully creepy original with Frank Sinatra or the hard-edged remake with Meryl Streep.[/size]

• Aaron N

  
  Robert Hanssen: It's two guys in a fishing boat. A good story surrounded by the framework of a decent story. The good plot involves the uncovering of the traiter within the FBI. Chris Cooper owns this movie as Robert Hanssen. His character is said to have done many bad things,… More
  Robert Hanssen: It's two guys in a fishing boat. A good story surrounded by the framework of a decent story. The good plot involves the uncovering of the traiter within the FBI. Chris Cooper owns this movie as Robert Hanssen. His character is said to have done many bad things, but we only see so much of him, and Cooper does a great job showing only so much his character, yet giving us a lot of what we need to know. Ryan Phillipe takes the role of Ethan Hawk in Training Day basically and gets shit on during the whole movie. He does a good job during his scenes with Cooper which matter most. The main problem I have is how I wasn't really caring for the Phillipe and his wife, it kind of goes to the same problem I had with The Good Shepherd, another recent spy drama, something about the family life of spies just takes me away from things, it can be necessary, but I just don't really care. Still it's a good movie with a great performance from Cooper.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings