DVD of the Week: Breach

Breach is a solid, methodically paced thriller boosted tremendously by the work of Chris Cooper who actually gives one of his best performances ever here, making an otherwise mediocre film wildly notable. Cooper stars as Robert Hanssen, a known FBI traitor based on an actual agent who sold government secrets for decades. Ryan Phillippe is competent enough as the rookie agent tapped by the bureau (in the form of a handler played by the always magnificent Laura Linney) to pose as an underling and find hard evidence to convict Hanssen. The plot has a certain inevitability to it, but the performances and writing are strong enough to really elevate this to the level of a quality thriller.