Review

Review Date: 25-February-07
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Breach (2007)

Well, they could not have made a movie like "Breach" five years ago when rabid patriotism permeated the U.S. in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Even now it seems surprising, a mainstream film about an American traitor that portrays him and those who brought him down as susceptible human beings and never once wallows in violence or passion. Directed with precision by Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass"), this is not a dramatic retelling of a historic government sting. It's a psychological imagining of what real people might have felt under extraordinary real-life circumstances.

In a classic setup, "Breach" begins by establishing the ambitious nature of an FBI rookie named Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) and then throwing him into the lion's den. A specialist in computers and terrorism, O'Neill hopes to catch the eye of the bureau's muckamucks and unexpectedly gets his wish by being chosen to bird-dog 25-year veteran Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper). The assignment seems trifling and seedy: O'Neill is asked to report Hanssen's every move to a hard-nosed internal investigator (Laura Linney) as part of a plan to squelch his embarrassing taste for pornography. Reluctant but obedient, O'Neill assumes the role of Hanssen's clerk in a new department supposedly created to protect the FBI's digital communications. After a bumpy start, he comes to like the old guy. Hanssen is a crusty, bigoted Catholic zealot, but he's also savvy and earnest and apparently devoted to his family. It's hard for O'Neill, then, when he threatens to leave his assignment and is retained with the truth: that his new boss is not just a pervert but the source of the worst security breach in U.S. history.

The game is really on from that point, but again, it doesn't feature a lot of guns or stakeouts or car chases. It consists primarily of O'Neill reaching within himself to finish the job despite his connection to the traitor and the strain his work places on his wife (Caroline Dhavernas). (Yeah, I say this in every review of a spy/criminal-based flick, but what else should someone expect when married to a person in that business? I have a hard time feeling sorry for her, just as I have a hard time viewing Hanssen as a horrible murderer for selling out other Russian traitors. When you play with fire ....) The understated yet intense narrative works because the ever-riveting Cooper demands acknowledgment of Hanssen's twisted complexity, and because Phillippe ably keeps up with him. Only the brief final scene appears contrived for theatrical impact. The recurring question at the end is whether a man should be allowed to explain his actions. "Breach" concludes that justice was done but answers Yes to this question as well.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.