David O'ConnellBreach
November 11th 2008 03:46
I was a huge fan of director Billy Ray’s 2003 film Shattered Glass, which charted the rise and fall of New Republic journalist Stephen Glass from feted wunderkind to disgraced fabricator. His 2007 follow-up, Breach, co-written with Adam Mazer and William Rotko, bears many similarities: again the director has been drawn to a fascinating true-life story and another inglorious fall from grace.
This time, it’s the tale of FBI counter-intelligence agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), whose double dealings with the Soviets - whom he worked with for years to infiltrate their inner circles - and lurid proclivities at home drew the attention of his superiors years before his eventual arrest.
Breach is about the last months of Hanssen’s time in the Bureau in 2001. A fictional department-head title is created for him, attractive enough to lure him back from overseas, with a new subordinate assigned as his assistant or ‘clerk’ – a rising star, though not yet a fully-fledged agent, Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe).
Tasked with documenting every word that Hanssen speaks in an effort to garner the necessary proof to bring him down, Eric finds himself conflicted by the respect and belief he soon has in his new boss. He finds no obvious sign of Hanssen’s supposed perverted pornographic indulgences; instead he sees a God-fearing Catholic and devoted family man who simply refuses to follow the Bureau’s most outmoded, ingrained policies and therefore rubs his superiors the wrong way.
Are they just looking for any excuse to rid themselves of him? Or is there really a goldmine to discover beneath the prickly Hanssen's facade?
Eric’s home life suffers badly soon after, his wife Juliana (Caroline Dhavernas) resenting the commitment required by his new assignment and the insidious invasion of their private life that follows with Hanssen often intruding upon their precious domesticity.
Chris Cooper provides another great portrayal as Hanssen, eliciting much empathy, which is quite a feat considering the things we’re told about the man before he even appears on screen, preparing us for a contemptible, amoral cretin.
Laura Linney is solid as Eric’s immediate supervisor Kate Burroughs, though the role is hardly a stretch for her, whilst Phillippe, who is generally lacking in substance, provides a solid moral centre – we discover Hanssen’s subtle shadings, by degrees, through his eyes, and so he needs to be convincing - and he is.
The film has a stylish visual sense, even with a reliance on mostly dull, industrial tones, whilst composer Mychael Danna, as he did with Shattered Glass, provides a subtly melodic score that insinuates itself into the drama without ever drawing attention to itself.
Ray has succeeded once again with another compelling drama that is almost the equal of Shattered Glass. He’s imposed restrictive creative choices on his film, and it works perfectly.
His low-key approach never crowds the story with the extraneous distractions of sub-plots or a cast of thousands that wouldn’t serve the central story – quite a feat considering the enormous implications of Hanssen’s despicable betrayal of his country; it’d seem natural for less creative directors to go overboard with an excessively cinematic approach.
But Breach’s balance is just right; it turns out to be a superb film and highly recommended.
This time, it’s the tale of FBI counter-intelligence agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), whose double dealings with the Soviets - whom he worked with for years to infiltrate their inner circles - and lurid proclivities at home drew the attention of his superiors years before his eventual arrest.
Breach is about the last months of Hanssen’s time in the Bureau in 2001. A fictional department-head title is created for him, attractive enough to lure him back from overseas, with a new subordinate assigned as his assistant or ‘clerk’ – a rising star, though not yet a fully-fledged agent, Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe).
Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) with his new boss Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper)
Tasked with documenting every word that Hanssen speaks in an effort to garner the necessary proof to bring him down, Eric finds himself conflicted by the respect and belief he soon has in his new boss. He finds no obvious sign of Hanssen’s supposed perverted pornographic indulgences; instead he sees a God-fearing Catholic and devoted family man who simply refuses to follow the Bureau’s most outmoded, ingrained policies and therefore rubs his superiors the wrong way.
Are they just looking for any excuse to rid themselves of him? Or is there really a goldmine to discover beneath the prickly Hanssen's facade?
Eric’s home life suffers badly soon after, his wife Juliana (Caroline Dhavernas) resenting the commitment required by his new assignment and the insidious invasion of their private life that follows with Hanssen often intruding upon their precious domesticity.
Laura Linney as Eric's 'handler' Kate Burroughs
Chris Cooper provides another great portrayal as Hanssen, eliciting much empathy, which is quite a feat considering the things we’re told about the man before he even appears on screen, preparing us for a contemptible, amoral cretin.
Laura Linney is solid as Eric’s immediate supervisor Kate Burroughs, though the role is hardly a stretch for her, whilst Phillippe, who is generally lacking in substance, provides a solid moral centre – we discover Hanssen’s subtle shadings, by degrees, through his eyes, and so he needs to be convincing - and he is.
The film has a stylish visual sense, even with a reliance on mostly dull, industrial tones, whilst composer Mychael Danna, as he did with Shattered Glass, provides a subtly melodic score that insinuates itself into the drama without ever drawing attention to itself.
Ray has succeeded once again with another compelling drama that is almost the equal of Shattered Glass. He’s imposed restrictive creative choices on his film, and it works perfectly.
His low-key approach never crowds the story with the extraneous distractions of sub-plots or a cast of thousands that wouldn’t serve the central story – quite a feat considering the enormous implications of Hanssen’s despicable betrayal of his country; it’d seem natural for less creative directors to go overboard with an excessively cinematic approach.
But Breach’s balance is just right; it turns out to be a superb film and highly recommended.
| 85 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic