Overview
A gripping tale of loyalty and betrayal unfolds within the FBI's ranks as a spy is hunted down.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- tense
- paranoid
- restrained
- focused thriller night
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the fact-based espionage thriller tense and engaging, with Chris Cooper's performance as Robert Hanssen receiving especially strong praise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hanssen's espionage is revealed through mundane FBI work, clerical observation, and emotionally restrained domestic scenes.
Eric O'Neill begins by observing Hanssen professionally, then develops respect for him while investigating his betrayal.
The film opens with Hanssen's arrest before revisiting the preceding investigation, making the central tension how the FBI catches him and why he spies.
O'Neill's assignment invades his marriage as Hanssen becomes increasingly intrusive and the investigation escalates.
Films like Breach, and why
tinker tailor soldier spy
fact-based espionage drama built around institutional secrecy, surveillance, and a tense mentor-protégé relationship
zero dark thirty
measured true-story thriller about an investigation inside a powerful institution, with moral ambiguity and procedural tension
the departed
psychological crime drama centered on deception, professional ambition, and the corrosive pressure of hidden identities
Movie Details
- Director
- Billy Ray
- Release Date
- 2007-02-12
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (695)
Cast
- Chris Cooper
- Ryan Phillippe
- Laura Linney
- Caroline Dhavernas
- Gary Cole
- Dennis Haysbert
- Kathleen Quinlan
- Bruce Davison
- Jonathan Watton
- Tom Barnett
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Breach about?
- A young FBI computer specialist must surveil the charismatic senior agent who may be betraying the country while protecting his own marriage and ambitions.
- What is Breach like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Breach as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Breach violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Breach.
- What did critics think of Breach?
- Critics broadly found the fact-based espionage thriller tense and engaging, with Chris Cooper's performance as Robert Hanssen receiving especially strong praise.
- Which films are like Breach?
- Films with a similar feel include tinker tailor soldier spy, zero dark thirty, and the departed.
- How long is Breach?
- Breach runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Breach?
- In United States, Breach is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
