Review of Breach (2007) by Bill V — 11 Jul 2009

A mildly engrossing film based on the story about former FBI agent and spy for the Soviet Union, Robert Hanssen. He spied for the Soviets for a period of about 22 years ending with his arrest in 2001.

Director Billy Ray does a good job capturing the character of Robert Hanssen but he doesnâ??t go far enough with exploring the reasons Hanssen committed his crimes. He also doesnâ??t take a deeper dive into how evil Hanssen was. He spends a great deal of time on Hanssenâ??s Roman Catholicism but it seems a little disconnected to the rest of the story. If Hanssenâ??s motives were clearer, this may have made more sense.

I think Hanssenâ??s motive was clear. There is one line which sticks out to me. Toward the end Hanssen is in a confrontation with his FBI aide Eric Oâ??Neill. Hanssen is trying to figure out if Oâ??Neill can be trusted. He says to Oâ??Neill, â??I matter...plenty!â?? I saw envy. If anything motivates people to do despicable things, itâ??s envy. Hanssen didnâ??t think he mattered and he envied people who seemed to matter more than he did.

Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe put in good performances but Cooper carries it. Some good themes are present: honesty, trust, faith, lying, betrayal, envy, evil.