Review of Breach (2007) by Luke J — 18 Jan 2009
The story of Robert Hanssen is curious. How could a man that looked so normal on the outside be a spy? Breach doesn't really offer an answer and is better for it. Chris Cooper instead plays Hanssen to complexity. It seems throughout the movie that even Hanssen wasn't fully aware of his motives. Maybe it was a bet to himself just to see if he could do it.
The biggest weakness of the film is Laura Linney. I like Laura Linney, so it's with regret that I say she's cardboard in this movie. She plays a characture of an FBI agent as if she watched B grade spy movies to fill the part. Scenes she's not in are some of the best.
Ultimately, the plot suffers by never making up its mind if it is a thriller or a character piece. It waffles. It would have been better to cut the bits of thriller (that don't really thrill all that effectively) and stick with allowing the characters to move and interact a bit more. It's frustrating to have a brilliant scene between Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe cut into by a scene in which (Oh no!) Cooper is about to find out who Phillippe is.
Without a doubt, Cooper makes Breach a good film. It's packing too much into the movie that makes it less than great.
This review of Breach (2007) was written by Luke J on 18 Jan 2009.
Breach has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
