Breach

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Breach

PG-13

Released Feb 16, 2007

1h 50m

Biography

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

176 Reviews

67%

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250,000+ Ratings

Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), a low-level surveillance expert with the FBI, believes he is accomplishing his dream of becoming a full-fledged agent, with his unexpected promotion and assignment to work with renowned agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper). However, he soon learns the reason for his promotion is to gain Hanssen's trust and find proof that he is a traitor to the country.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

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

Rated: 3/5

Aug 31, 2007

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

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

Rated: 3/5

Aug 31, 2007

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David Gritten

Daily Telegraph (UK)

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

Aug 31, 2007

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Jana Monji

Age of the Geek

It's worth remembering this astonishing bit of US history, where a young investigator took down his boss, an FBI agent named Robert Hanssen. These two men are caught between truth and lies and only one of them likes the lie.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 11, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Cooper works hard to provide any psychological subtext to the story behind the headlines.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 19, 2021

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

Breach sheds no light on any of the potentially fascinating material. ... The film prides itself on not being able to explain anything about Hanssen's activities.

Feb 14, 2021

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Jelisije J

A good realistic biopic of the discovery and uncovering of the spy who infiltrated America and sold it secrets to the Russians.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

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Alain E

Very well done movie about the real life traitor Robert Hanssen. A less artful script would have stressed a fake patriotism or create unnecessary confrontations. The plmoves very well until the final resolution. The case itself provides of course another example that proves that religiosity and the Christian (or any other) faith hardly builds an ethical person.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

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Audience Member

Good espionage movie with a great performance by Chris Cooper. The actual sequence of events were probably less dramatic and boring so Hollywood takes some artistic freedom to make it more existing and squeeze it into a two hour movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/25

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Audience Member

Really interesting movie about a true story. It is a little slower paced, so expect that. But I thought it had some thrilling moments and I really liked the fact that it was based on a true story. I would recommend it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/25

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Elizabeth N

Good. Could have been more exciting

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

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Musical F

Chris Cooper's performance was creepy good but the movie wasn't satisfying or eventful. Lots of psychological suspense, not much plot movement. Always good to see Laura Linney but I wouldn't recommend this movie even though it's probably better than most garbage out there. No benefiting from the soft bigotry of low expectations with me. No grading on a curve here. There are better political thrillers

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

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Billy Ray

Director

Chris Cooper

Robert Hanssen

Ryan Phillippe

Eric O'Neill

Laura Linney

Kate Burroughs

Dennis Haysbert

Dan Plesac

Gary Cole

Rich Garces

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Synopsis

Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), a low-level surveillance expert with the FBI, believes he is accomplishing his dream of becoming a full-fledged agent, with his unexpected promotion and assignment to work with renowned agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper). However, he soon learns the reason for his promotion is to gain Hanssen's trust and find proof that he is a traitor to the country.

Director: Billy Ray
Producer: Bobby Newmyer, Scott Strauss, Scott Kroopf
Screenwriter: Adam Mazer, William Rotko, Billy Ray
Distributor: Universal
Production Co: Outlaw Productions, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language|Violence)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $33.0M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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