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Movie Review - Breach (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Billy Ray |
| Starring: |
Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, and Laura Linney |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for violence, sexual content and language) |
| Length: |
110 minutes |
| Genre: |
Drama/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
Inspired by the true story of the greatest security breach in U.S. history |
| Studio: |
Universal Pictures |
| Website: |
Breach |
| Release: |
February 14, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Throughout his 25-year career with the Bureau, Robert Hanssen spent the last 22 years of his service selling
thousands of pages of valuable classified documents to Russia during the Cold War - and subsequently to the
former Soviet Union. His betrayal included identification of KGB agents who were spying on behalf of
America, as well as the United States' template for relocation of the president in the event of a
catastrophic attack.
A member of this team of federal agents was a young man named Eric O'Neill. O'Neill was a 26-year-old
special surveillance operative who, only three months earlier, had been recruited by the team to work as an
assistant to Hanssen. The operatives planted O'Neill in the hopes that he could gain Hanssen's trust,
further drawing the suspected mole out of cover. After the arrest, O'Neill was reassigned to his original
position; shortly thereafter, he left the Bureau to concentrate on his law studies. The story of the worst
breach in United States intelligence ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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The main challenge for a docudrama is how to keep the audience's attention despite the fact that the
story's resolution is already well-known. I have one friend (who shall remain nameless and who will likely
be at my desk whining in about two minutes) who refuses to watch movies based on true stories because
he "already knows what happens."
A short-sighted argument, if you ask me. You can read all the text you want about a historical subject,
but didn't somebody famous say something about actions speaking louder than words? Visual cues can have a
way of resounding greater than the page of a textbook.
Take the case of Robert Hannsen, for example. The full extent of his traitorous actions may never be
known. Because of him, we know operations were blown, lives were lost, and sensitive information was
compromised. Breach is only able to scratch the surface of the damage this man has caused the
United States.
But if you don't look beyond that surface, it would be easy to paint him as a mustache-twirling villain
of Hitler-esque proportions. Enter Chris Cooper. Through his performance we witness quite the enigma of
a man, painted in various shades of gray. We see the internal struggles of a psychologically disturbed
man and yet never can tell how sincere or not he is in his personal life.
If you are already familiar with the story then the film will only offer a dramatic interpretation of the
events surrounding Hansenn. If, like me, you only possess a minimal knowledge of the subject then this will
certainly pique your interest to find out more. However, if you're looking for concrete answers then that's
one thing the film does not offer.
Why did he do it? Money? Ego? Revenge for the lack of recognition given his brilliance? Or did he really
think he was a true patriot, exposing flaws within U.S. security? It's all speculation, and Breach
delivers a tense and intriguing story that will cause us all to indeed speculate.
If you're a fan of the "spy genre," then I'd warn you not to expect any Ronin-style car chases or
Jason Bourne-esque butt-kickery. This is a character-driven study that shows the disturbing truth of how
not all of our bad guys announce their arrival wearing a black hat.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Here's one example of how far-reaching Hanssen's actions are, going beyond even his intentions - he
gave the Russians some very sensitive software regarding U.S. security. One of the Russians sold that
software to Al-Qaida. It's thought that Bin Laden might have used the software to coordinate the 9/11
attacks.
- "[Director Ray] felt that Chris Cooper was the epitome of Robert Hanssen, that he could play the darkness of
the character, but also find the humanity. The word 'chameleon' describes Chris to a T. This character is
all about shades and layers and colors and contradictions."
- How accurate is the movie in regard to its real-life counterpart? Billy Ray, who admits a penchant for
research-driven movies, agrees that you have to take certain liberties in order to tell a story that will
draw in audiences. "But, with Robert Hanssen, we didn't have to," he says. "His story is so compelling, so
odd, we didn't have to make up anything about him in order to tell a good tale. Certain events had to be
compressed, certain characters needed to be combined and names needed to be altered - where the anonymity
of people had to be protected. But what we told is what happened."
- In 2001, O'Neill's new marriage to Juliana was quite complicated by this assignment. "I would work all
day on the case, then go to law school at night, and very often go back to the office. I was torn between
needing to be with Juliana and balancing this major national security investigation. So, suddenly I was just
this jerk who was working all the time and didn't even seem to have a good explanation for it. It was very
difficult to lie to her, but I was required to. That just goes with the job."
- Ray kept O'Neill involved in all aspects of the production, from rewriting the original screenplay to
putting it on the big screen. "I worked closely with him to provide an accurate portrayal of events from
an FBI standpoint," says O'Neill. The former agent believes "this will be the most accurate FBI movie ever
made."
- A fastidious researcher, Cooper read nearly a dozen books on the Hanssen case to prepare for his
role.
- The FBI was extremely cooperative in assisting the team in telling Hanssen and O'Neill's story in an
accurate manner. While access to the FBI buildings was limited, the filmmakers were given the honor of
shooting key interiors - including the FBI Plaza (the central inner courtyard in the FBI Hoover Building)
and the Hoover lobby, which has never before been allowed.
- To recreate Hanssen's 2001 arrest on Fairway Drive in Vienna, Virginia, close to the agent's home on
Talisman Drive, Ray insisted the scene be filmed at the location of the actual arrest. "That was something
I fought hard for," the director notes. "It took a bit of arm twisting, because it's expensive to shoot
anywhere around D.C., but I wasn't going to shoot that scene anywhere else."
- To assist the filmmakers in accurate recreation of the arrest, the FBI gave them an edited tape of the
event so they could match it down to the last detail. Then, to bring even further authenticity to the scene,
two FBI agents who were part of the team that arrested Hanssen walked cast and crew through a "dress
rehearsal," ensuring that every detail - right down to putting the handcuffs on Hanssen - was correctly
executed.
- Chris Cooper was in Lonesome Dove with Tommy Lee Jones who is in the upcoming No Country for
Old Men with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Profanity consists of one "f" bomb, a G-d**n or two, and a few "s" missiles. Hannsen's sexual perversion is
discussed but not explicitly. There's not a lot here to offend, but its adult themes will likely bore the
youngsters.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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No real surprises here.
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THE GIST
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Breach delivers strong acting and a tense, solid story that fans of docudramas and historical films
should appreciate.
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