Breach ****

If you think Breach is just another plot-driven thriller, think again.

Though the plot is a fine-grained evolution of increasingly complex situations, the true worth of this film is that director Billy Ray delivers stunning intellectual drama and character development. Those unaccustomed to the spy movie genre will be riveted by the story of the unraveling of a dangerous man, as told through the eyes of a sympathetic, uncertain upstart.

Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) was responsible for one of the biggest intelligence breaches in American history; he sold secrets to the Soviets and then the Russians for decades before finally being caught in the act by new recruit Eric O'Neill (Ryan Philippe) and arrested in 2001. The movie opens with this true information, then flashes back two months to follow his careful capture.

O'Neill, a driven but underappreciated FBI nobody, thinks it's his big break when the powerful Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) taps him to act as Hanssen's assistant to keep an eye on his new boss' "sexual deviancy." Yet Hanssen is a looming, confident bigshot with remarkably traditional family values: Catholicism and patriotism. Such a dedicated and solid man seems far from deviant.

Hanssen's moral fiber makes such an impression on the young and searching O'Neill that he approaches Burroughs with doubts about his assignment. Only then does he learn the true scale of the operation, which was actually tasked to catch Hanssen in the act of espionage.

Thus begins the intense probe into Hanssen's character. At first, he seems such an unlikely traitor that his devotion to family, God and country are humorous. But slowly the audience realizes how creepy and tortured he is, thanks to Cooper's subtle and honest portrayal. Cooper and Philippe work well together, dancing through a series of reciprocal lies as we wait for the inevitable collision.

At the same time, O'Neill's involvement with such darkness begins to cast a shadow over his formerly happy marriage. His work soon invades his entire life and calls into question his priorities in an equally gripping sub-plot.

Though suspense often predominates, sprinkles of ironic humor give the tone just the right amount of edge. Mychael Danna's score of low piano music sets the mood but doesn't overpower with too much intensity. The sets also establish mood well: O'Neill's colorful and comfortably cluttered apartment is a fitting contrast to the stark and intimidating FBI offices.

Cooper succeeds as an actor because even as Hanssen grows disturbing and pathetic, he never stops seeming like a regular, if troubled, person. Ray does his best to question your loyalty to the characters, leaving you with a mess of opinions to untangle. Breach is not another Mission: Impossible-style adrenaline shot, but it will make you stop and think about the nature of loyalty, betrayal, devotion and sacrifice, especially given that it's based on a true story. It breaks out of the spy movie mold with surprising depth, more than earning itself the price of a movie ticket.

[HTML_REMOVED] Jennifer Cushing