The other spy movie

In recent years there has been a slew of espionage thrillers. From "The Bourne Identity" to "The Departed," America has had a piqued interest in spy movies in recent history. Along comes "Breach," a cat-and-mouse thriller based on the true story of "the worst spy in American history." Since it's a true story, you know the spy will ultimately be caught as well as knowing the general gist, which restricts the movie from being an astonishing film. However, with Billy Ray at the helm in only his second directorial effort, "Breach" is a well-focused and well-depicted story of one of the most malevolent men in U.S. history and his unlikely demise.\nThe movie begins two months before Robert Hanssen's (Chris Cooper) arrest, where up-and-coming agent Eric O'Neil (Ryan Phillippe) is given a new and unusual assignment of following longtime U.S. agent Hanssen. O'Neil is told that Hanssen is a sexual deviant and to follow and jot down his every move. O'Neil, who is initially enamored with Hanssen, sees the assignment as being a waste of time until FBI agent Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) tells him the real reason behind following Hanssen -- treason to the United States. Hanssen appears to be a devout Catholic, dedicated husband and grandfather, and a man of great moral conviction, but he is also overprotective and tests agent O'Neil constantly. Hanssen begins to invade O'Neil's life and, like most spy movies, O'Neil begins to have trust issues with his newlywed wife. The movie climaxes as Hanssen grows more suspicious of O'Neil and his trust of O'Neil leads to his ultimate arrest.\nThe two leads, Cooper and Phillippe, give top-notch performances. Cooper has been perfectly cast as the hyper-religious double agent who wears his beliefs on his sleeve. He always plays these suspicious roles, from his role as the closet homosexual neighbor in "American Beauty" to the flower-hunting drug addict in "Adaptation." This is not to undermine Phillippe, who puts forth one of the strongest performances of his career. He is well-cast as the cocky yet unsure agent who is put into a difficult situation. Though the movie is built around these two characters, the supporting cast is more than sufficient.\nThough this movie has neither the strongest script nor the most interesting story, it is quite focused and suspenseful. Director Billy Ray has done the most with what he was given. Where Breach lacks action, it picks up in suspense, since it feels more personal than its fellow spy movies, "The Bourne Identity" and "The Good Shepherd." "Breach" lives up to expectations and is not a bad way to spend a night at the movies.