A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Breach

Date Viewed: 2/17/07

Details:

Chris Cooper

Ryan Phillippe

Laura Linney

Caroline Dhavernas

Dennis Haysbert

Kathleen Quinlan

Director: Billy Ray

Score: +1/2

The Review: Follows the events surrounding the deepest and most sensitive penetration of US security agencies ever made public -- the FBI's Hanssen case.

Curiously plotted, the film begins by telling you the ending of the story -- you find out in the first minute or so that senior FBI agent Robert Hanssen was found to be a mole, captured and is under interrogation. All that's left for development are character, rationale, supporting roles, interagency politics -- indeed, all the interesting stuff, without having to worry about whether they actually find the bad guy. They don't tell you, however, who lives, who dies, who escapes, who has their life totally disrupted. So I guess you have to watch it.

But don't worry, it's a good watch -- the characterization is very good, the twists and turns befit a spy thriller, and you care about what's going on. Cooper is superb as Hanssen, an apparently highly effective agent with a bizarre, contradictory and a bit shocking private life. Linney likewise is very good as the senior agent in charge who is out to nail Hanssen with his hands dirty (to make the evidence stick); she has all the hard-assed attributes of the "boss from hell" -- good though.

Phillippe is a bit out of his depth with the luminosity and intensity of the other cast, but competently serves as the junior agent actually assigned to Hanssen, both to be mentored and as a mole in the mole's office.

Excellent; recommended.

(28-Apr-07)

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