Breach

A movie that gives away the ending in the first minute should not be suspenseful. It should be a bit annoying to watch when you know how it all wraps up, yet this movie finds a way to be both interesting and suspenseful. The pacing, while slow, is exactly what this movie needed and the director (Billy Ray) knows exactly what to do, which is put the camera up and just watch his actors act. In fact, I even forgot I hated Laura Linney towards the end of the movie. The true stars of the film though are Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe. In 2001, the FBI made the biggest bust of espionage in the history of America. An FBI agent had been selling secrets to the Russians since the early 80’s and it had cost lives and millions of dollars. The “based on a true story” picks up 2 months before the capture and we meet Phillippe’s character. He is a young grunt for the FBI trying to make agent and is put on the case of tailing Cooper’s character. He is told it is about sexual deviancy, but the Cooper character is so good, that Phillippe quickly questions the operation. He is let in on the operation and what ensues is a brilliantly paced game of cat and mouse.


The thing that makes this movie better than your typical political cat and mouse film is the performance of Chris Cooper. We know from the very beginning he is a dirt ball and a villain, yet as we watch him on screen we can understand why Phillippe’s character grows to respect and admire him before finding out the truth. Cooper, who I have always found to be overrated, is the perfect mix of wily charm, slimy disgustingness and a faux martyrdom. He will give the creeps right before praying with his family and it is that complexity that throws this movie into a higher level. For his part, Phillippe has turned into quite the little actor and he does great with the young and eager FBI wannabe. He thinks well on his feet, but even when he is struggling with the secrets he manages to keep a hint of cockiness that is exactly what the character needs.


In order to enjoy this movie you have to be able to endure a lot of dialogue. I imagine the script for this bad boy was a long one because it is pretty much all talk. The back and forth between the two main characters, while not extremely brilliant writing, sets the mood perfectly and it never gets annoying. What action we do get is very well made tension. There is a scene towards the conclusion of the film that takes place in a park of some sort that will have you on the edge of your seat and forgetting you already know what happens. That is high praise indeed for a movie thrown into the wasteland of movies called February!