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Movies / On DVD / Breach
Breach

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Breach (2007)

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Reviews Counted:170

Fresh:142

Rotten:28

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Powered by Chris Cooper's masterful performance, Breach is a tense and engaging portrayal of the FBI's infamous turncoat.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for violence, sexual content and language.

Runtime: 3 hrs 42 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:31-08-2007

Synopsis: Chris Cooper (ADAPTATION) gives a remarkable performance as complicated and bitter FBI agent Robert Hanssen in BREACH. Hanssen is a computer specialist who, after 25 years of service, is put under... Chris Cooper (ADAPTATION) gives a remarkable performance as complicated and bitter FBI agent Robert Hanssen in BREACH. Hanssen is a computer specialist who, after 25 years of service, is put under surveillance as a suspected sex offender. Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe, CRASH) is the ambitious young upstart they put on the job, assigning him to pose as Hanssen's new clerk in order to win his trust and keep an eye on his every move. Eric is dismayed to be put on such low-priority detail, accustomed as he is to investigating high-profile terrorism suspects. His reluctance is multiplied as he gets to know the subject of his inquiry; Hanssen is at first harsh towards his young secretary, but as he opens up, Eric gets to know and respect him as a family man of strong Catholic faith. Soon, however, Hanssen is infiltrating Eric's personal life and causing problems between him and his wife, Juliana (Caroline Dhavernas, HOLLYWOODLAND), and just when Eric is about to give up the case, he discovers that it is much bigger than he ever imagined. Eric finds himself in the middle of an investigation into the biggest security breach in U.S. history, forcing him to resort to dramatic and ingenious tactics in order to bring down the suspect. Director Billy Ray's first directorial effort was the dramatization of the Stephen Glass scandal at the D.C. magazine The New Republic in SHATTERED GLASS, and here he once again turns his eye--with great success--to a true story with a complex villain. Cooper's excellent characterization invites pity and horror in equal measure; his performance is well supported in this character-driven thriller by Laura Linney (KINSEY) as the hard-nosed agent leading the investigation, and Phillippe as the resourceful and introspective O'Neill. [More]

Starring: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Kathleen Quinlan, Laura Linney

Starring: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Kathleen Quinlan, Laura Linney, Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert, Caroline Dhavernas, Bruce Davison

Director: Billy Ray

Director: Billy Ray
Producer: Scott Kroopf
Composer: Mychael Danna
Studio: Universal Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Breach

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Cooper gives a great performance as a man now spending 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, serving a life sentence without the prospect of probation.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
09/08/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Enjoyable, slow-burning thriller with an intelligent script and strong performances from its two leads.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/31/07
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Breach is slow, but never ponderous, and not at all like your average spy thriller. It has less obvious thrills and more depth.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
08/31/07
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

Breach rarely treads new ground, but the set pieces are used so sparingly and with such focus on the central characters, the movie reaches a degree of tension you might not think possible.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
08/31/07
Rich Phippen
Rich Phippen
Sky Movies

A sombre game of cat-and-mouse. What it lacks in genuine tension it amply compensates in the understated performances of the two leads.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
08/31/07
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Intriguing and intelligent, Breach may be too understated for its own good.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
08/31/07
David Gritten
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An interestingly told tale: melancholy, thoughtful, and very un-American.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/31/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Chris Cooper, who won an Oscar for his supporting role in Adaptation, gives a brilliant poker-faced performance as Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe is also convincing as O’Neill.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
08/31/07
Sun Online

Despite a couple of tense set pieces, the suspense needed to ignite this film is disappointingly lacking.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
08/31/07
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In the face of such a towering performance from Cooper, Phillippe keeps his end up while Laura Linney, as his handler, delivers the kind of turn we’ve come to expect from one of America’s finest movie actresses.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
08/31/07
Daily Mirror [UK]

An effective and meticulous character drama, Breach doesn't quite make the most of its story but still tells a fascinating tale, aided by Chris Cooper's magnetic central performance.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/31/07
Saxon Bullock
Saxon Bullock
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Slow-burning and sombre, Breach won’t be for everyone. But it’s worth catching for Cooper’s performance, while its fact-based tale of treachery will strike a chord in today’s climate of suspicion.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
08/31/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Total Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tense, fascinating, worthwhile.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
08/31/07
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite a career-best turn from Chris Cooper, however, Breach is a weirdly muted affair.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/28/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cold and cerebral, with simmering suspense rather than outright excitement, this is a feel-the-quality-of-the-acting movie. It can’t answer all sorts of questions, but does take a scary mug shot of a subtle monster.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/03/07
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Slow and steady, sure-handed and gripping.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
03/03/07
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

...a slow-paced character study that benefits substantially from Chris Cooper's downright astounding performance...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
11/07/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Muffles suspense and dilutes tension without turning into a distanced approach

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/27/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for Breach

September 21, 2007: Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, Sam Riley Join Franklyn
Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, and Sam Riley are heading into the future. More...

July 21, 2007: trailer and preview Opens in new window
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April 26, 2007: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

March 19, 2007: Box Office Guru Wrapup: "300" Reigns Again as Box Office King
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