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DVD - Breach
 DVD Movie Review
Title: Breach
Director: Billy Ray
Release Date: July 2007
www.breachmovie.net
An Interesting movie to watch if only for a glimpse inside the highly secretive world of the FBI.
The inner workings of the FBI and the mind of Robert Hannsen are hardly on display in the movie. One feels from watching this movie that we hardly peel the top layer of what really going on in the hushed inner sanctum known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Nor do we know a lot more about Robert Hannsen. I left this movie haunted by the thoughts of what was happening in February 2001 that I really didn’t hear all the press, digging deep into what makes Robert Hannsen tick. Why would he betray his government, provide highly classified information to the Soviet government and risk spending the rest of his life in the Supermax Federal Prison in Florence, Colorado. Did he think he was smarter than the US government or at least the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Probably.
Chris Cooper (The Bourne Identity) does a fabulously slimy job of portraying Robert Hannsen, the man who has worked for the FBI for 26 years in various supervising positions within the Agency. As the government become increasingly suspicious of Mr. Hannsen, they kept him employed but in more mundane, isolated positions of consultation and meetings of no importance. Hannsen is provided with an assistant played with remarkable believability by Ryan Phillippe, previously known only as Reese Witherspoon’s loving, now ex-husband. Phillippe plays the wide eyed innocent, Eric O’Neill, an assistant to Mr. Hannsen who keeps track of Hannsen’s comings and goings and relays them to the lead investigator, played with cool precision by Laura Linney. Eric O’Neill has a couple of great qualifications for the job. He is a green recruit wanting to become a full fledged FBI agent and he’s Catholic.
We learn through this movie that Robert Hannsen is a pretty traditional guy living the middle class, traditional life. He’s worked for the FBI for going on 26 years, he’s getting ready to retire to a pleasant government pension. He has a loving, devoted wife and children; he’s a devoted Catholic who attends mass regularly. He is also very judgmental, a pervert and oh, he sells top secrets to the Russians. The movie plods a bit and its not high action. We’re taken into the mundane world of headquarters with long white halls and black doors that lead to uncluttered, plain offices. Government issue in this case.. Even Eric O’Neill wondered what bit of slow paced mentality landed him in this dead end assignment.
There are numerous articles about Robert Hannsen on the internet. Books have been written about Mr. Hannsen. His family remains mum. They were as much in the dark and living the middle class traditional life too. Nothing I’ve read gives even a glimmer into the cloak and dagger world of FBI or what made Robert Hannsen tick. What would make a 26 year veteran turn on his country and sell secrets for cash and diamonds that he really didn’t even hang on to. Very little of the cash and diamonds even went into the weekly family budget.
Sound: 5.1 Dolby surround.
Running time: 111mins
Format: Widescreen
Contact the author:
jfshaw@mylasco.com
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