everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Best movie of this year hands down!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

"America's state religion is patriotism, a phenomenon which has convinced many that 'treason' is morally worse than murder or rape." - William Blum "Breach" stars Chris Cooper as Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who spends two decades selling state secrets to the Soviet Union. In an attempt to gather incriminating evidence against Hanssen, the FBI assign agent Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) to work undercover as Hanssen's clerk."Breach" oozes Sigmund Freud. It finds Hanssen betraying his nation because he believes that it is responsible for his anonymity and impotency. Like an ignored son, Hanssen thus lashes out, desperately clamouring for "daddy" to notice him. Of course "daddy" - The Big Other qua Nation State – eventually does. Not tolerating any other avenues of power beyond its own, the United States Government promptly crushes Hanssen.The film's Oedipism extend to O'Neill. O'Neill comes from a long line of government foot-soldiers, a calling he initially rejects. But feeling that he has betrayed both the state-as-father and his literal father, O'Neill eventually joins the FBI. In short, O'Neill does the State's bidding in order to ingratiate himself with a "daddy" he feels he has abandoned, whilst Hanssen betrays the State because he feels as though "daddy" has first abandoned him. Elsewhere the film delves into Hanssen's obsession with both Catholicism and sex, the former a form of guilty penance, the latter a feeble means of asserting control.Though riveting, "Breach" isn't as good as the best "undercover" movies ("Serpico", "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", "Donnie Brasco", "Army of Shadows", "Molly Maguires", "The Falcon and the Snowman", "Prince of the City" etc). It's too apolitical, too scared to question blind fidelity to Western Super Imperialists and their federal bodies. Indeed, "Breach" ends with text reminding us that Hanssen's leaks led to "government assets dying", a bit of emotional blackmail whose interrogation a better artist would make this film actually about. The film's stance is particularly timid in light of recent revelations surrounding full-spectrum, global surveillance; the United States now deems all of its citizens guilty of defacto treason.On the level of psycho-drama and character study, however, "Breach" is excellent. Cooper is fascinating as Hanssen – simultaneously creepy, pathetic and endearing – and the film is beautifully lit, shot, and remains quietly engrossing throughout. Caroline Dhavernas co-stars as O'Neill's clichéd "uppity wife".7.9/10 – See "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold".

Breach (2007)The big arc here is the uncovering of a spy within the FBI, based on a true story. And that's interesting. But the movie works because of the mental and emotional sparring between the two leads. First is the spy, Robert Hanssen, played brilliantly by Chris Cooper. He pulls off the brilliance and eccentricity you might get with this kind of person, and all without stagy exaggeration. This is a spy and a spy story worthy of John Le Carre.Next to him is the young FBI worker, not yet an agent, Eric O'Neill, played by Ryan Phillippe. He's excellent enough to support Cooper, for sure, though he (maybe by necessity) is a more bland type. His struggle with why he (of all the FBI people possible) has been given the huge job of bringing this other man down is key to his depth.Both men have wives, and both women are good—Hanssen's wife is played by Kathleen Quinlan and though we don't see her much, she's really good. And generally the cast supports this chilling, dry, steady intrigue. In other ways, the movie is a bit conventional—professionally made, you might say, but without stylistic distinction. It's no breakthrough masterpiece. But what it tries to do telling this story it does with spare, direct force. This is no adventure tale —there is no real action. But that's good. It's compelling and interesting.Since this is "history" or "based on truth" it's worth saying that only the large facts are followed. All the fun movie stuff—the meeting of the wives, the pistol shooting in two scenes, the sex stuff, and so on—are all invented. Apparently life is either too dull or too dangerous to really put on film.But that's okay. It's a strong story. And Cooper steals the day.

Whenever a film I am about to watch is prefaced by the legend 'based on a true story' or a variation of such, my heart sinks. And usually it sinks with good reason. The legend is almost always a studio device to acquire a little something extra for its film, usually duplicitously, which it doesn't deserve. Breach, thank goodness, is the exception which proves the rule.Robert Hannsen, here admirably and interestingly played by Chris Cooper, was a real-life traitor who is now serving life without parole in jail for his treachery. We also know that he was or purported to be - given the unfathomable enigma he presents to this day, how can we know what is true? - a devout Roman Catholic, that he secretly taped videos of himself having sex with his wife and passed the tapes on to a friend, and that to date his only apparent motive for betraying his country and colleagues was money.So far so enigmatic and the raw material of Hannsen's treachery could have made any number of different kinds of films. Director Billy Ray and his scriptwriters take that material and make a rather good film. (I was, by the way, encouraged to watch Breach when I saw that it also stars Laura Linney - I have, to date, not seen her in anything but good and interesting films.) Without grandstanding, fake excitement, car chases or gratuitous sex and violence Ray has made an engrossing film which doesn't strike a single wrong note and oozes suspense - even though we all know what's going to happen. And that in my book constitutes a class act. We are drawn into Ryan Phillippe's dilemma that he cannot tell his wife the truth about his work even though it is in danger of doing serious damage to his marriage. We are drawn into Cooper's weirdly paranoid world and even allowed a suggestion at what might have set him on the road to treachery. But these elements are admirably played - there is no fake drama at all.So sorry all you guys and gals who like a bit of 'action' in your 'spy' films, you ain't going to get it with Breach. But you will get and intelligent, quite gripping drama of a kind not often made.

In 2001, the FBI clerk Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), who is a specialist in computer but wants to be an agent, is invited by agent Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) to work with the senior agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) that had worked for many years in Soviet Union and now is assigned to protect the agency against electronic infiltration. Kate tells to Eric to write down the behavior of Hanssen in notes and send them to her since Hanssen would be a pervert under investigation of his sexual behavior.Eric works with the bitter and rough Hanssen and he finds a family man and devout Catholic who earns his respect instead of a deviant. Further, his investigation and his relationship with Hanssen and his wife Bonnie (Kathleen Quinlan) affects Eric's wife Juliana (Caroline Dhavernas). Eric tells his opinion to Kate and she decides to tell the truth about Hanssen to him: he is a mole that sold many secrets to the Soviet Union and has compromised the identity of dozens of agents. Eric decides to go on in his assignment despite his friendship with Hanssen and the problems in his marriage."Breach" is an engaging and dramatic spy movie based on the true story of an FBI agent that was arrested for spying on 20 February 2001. I bought this DVD many years ago and only yesterday I decided to watch it and I found a great film.The plot is developed in adequate pace and supported by magnificent performances of Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe and Laura Linney. The duel between Eric O'Neill and Robert Hanssen is fantastic. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Quebra de Confiança" ("Fail in Confidence")