At first, O�Neill believes that Hanssen is merely in trouble for some online sexual exploits. However, he begins to question this as he discovers that Hanssen attends church daily, never drinks, and is the epitome of a loving grandfather.

Robert Hanssen was a devout Catholic, sexual deviant and the worst spy in American history. �Breach� tells the story of his final two months as an agent for the FBI.

Set in early 2001, Chris Cooper portrays a slowly unraveling Hanssen. Ryan Phillippe plays Eric O�Neill, an up and comer to the system who is assigned to be Hanssen�s clerk, while secretly spying on the spy.

At first, O�Neill believes that Hanssen is merely in trouble for some online sexual exploits. However, he begins to question this as he discovers that Hanssen attends church daily, never drinks, and is the epitome of a loving grandfather.

After asking to be pulled from the case, his superior (played wonderfully by Laura Linney) informs O�Neill that Hanssen has been supplying names and information to the Russians for nearly 20 years. At this point, O�Neill�s world becomes wrought with turmoil as he tries to balance increasingly unstable work and personal lives.

The chemistry between Phillippe and Cooper provide the best onscreen duo of this young year. Watching their relationship both blossom and wilt over the course of two months is simply great cinema.

It�s nice to see Phillippe evolve as an actor with each new role he takes. With �Crash,� �Flags of our Fathers� and now �Breach,� he is shedding his persona as a poor man�s Leonardo DiCaprio and really becoming an actor worth following.

Phillippe�s talent is only complimented by Chris Cooper, one of Hollywood�s many �Hey, it�s that guy!� actors. With supporting roles in 2005's �Syriana� and �Jarhead,� Cooper was overshadowed by the bigger names in those films. �Breach� lets him stretch his acting muscles, allowing him to steal the movie with his amazing performance.

Director Billy Ray (�Shattered Glass�) and editor Jeffrey Ford should also be commended for the way in which they wove the film together. The pace of the film is perfect, hitting all the right beats at all the right moments. Scenes where O�Neill is frantically trying to search Hanssen�s personal belongings without being discovered are amazingly intense.

In spite of all the areas where the film succeeds, �Breach� is by no means perfect. Numerous loose ends, a lack of clarity regarding what exactly Hanssen told the Russians, and an underdeveloped relationship between Phillippe�s character and his wife weigh down the film.

Also, some may be disappointed at how intimate the film feels while telling the grandiose story of a man whose impact on America is staggering. The true consequences of Hanssen�s actions are never made clear to the viewer. Despite these flaws, the tug of war between the two leads is entertaining enough to warrant the price of admission. Couple this with a final scene as intense, ambiguous and satisfying as any in recent memory, and �Breach� becomes a film well worth your time.

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