Breach (2007) Mill Creek Blu-ray Review

FBI Traitor Robert Hanssen’s Story

Billy Ray’s Breach is Hollywood’s dramatic take on the true story that made national headlines in the early 2000s. Veteran FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested after years of giving classified American secrets to the Russians. The greatest security breach in American intelligence history, the news sent shockwaves across the country. A devout Catholic and family man, no one fully understood why Hanssen became a traitor to his own country.

Chris Cooper stars as Hanssen and Ryan Phillipe plays young FBI employee Eric O’Neill, a mole sent in by the agency to spy on Hanssen. The taut drama has the young, inexperienced O’Neill questioning everything in his role taking down the FBI’s biggest traitor. Laura Linney plays O’Neill’s tough FBI handler managing the top-secret operation against Hanssen.

Billy Ray’s Breach is Hollywood’s dramatic take on the true story that made national headlines in the early 2000s

The suspense mostly comes from O’Neil’s dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the secretive Hanssen, working him for insight. Lacking shoot-outs and violent murders, the story is mostly dramatic spy-versus-spy intrigue without the visceral action most spy thrillers contain.

Breach is character-driven storytelling, detailing Hanssen’s unusual personality and long-held grudges against the FBI’s entrenched culture. There is a focus on the stress felt by O’Neill as he works the case, causing problems in his marriage.

Breach is a capable treatment of Hanssen’s sordid case without sensationalizing facts for entertainment. Chris Cooper carries the movie with his nuanced portrayal, imparting an intensity that keeps things interesting. The weakest element in the smoothly-written tale is clearly pretty boy Phillipe, an actor in over his head with heavyweights like Cooper and Linney holding down their roles.

Video

Breach originally came out on on DVD and HD DVD in 2007 with a passable transfer that showed signs of sharpening and even filtering. Mill Creek has licensed the movie from Universal, who themselves just issued a Breach Blu-ray only a year ago in 2020.

It appears that Universal hasn’t struck a new master because the problems from 14 years ago remain evident in this so-so presentation. There are no qualitative differences between Universal’s Blu-ray and this Mill Creek effort.

The 1.85:1 presentation includes a serviceable AVC encode that does break down into macroblocking in a few select shots. Shadow delineation is limited with some hints of crushing in darkened scenes. Breach isn’t a lively, warm film. Colors are restrained with a muted contrast. The older transfer isn’t perfect at capturing the movie’s original grain structure. There is modest definition without the demanding detail evident in more recent movies.

Breach wasn’t filmed with razor-sharp intensity and definition but this is not the best it could look in 1080P video. This old HD transfer likely struck for the HD DVD doesn’t stand up to newer film transfers made in the last five years.

Audio

Breach’s 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio offers a satisfying but low-key soundtrack suitable for a Hollywood drama with modest engagement. Crystal-clear dialogue is smoothly balanced in the soundstage with bigger audio cues. There’s not a lot of action material for superior discrete activity but the mix provides a convincing urban soundscape in the city with mild immersion. The score has a rich, harmonic presence with spacious imaging.

Optional English SDH subtitles play in a white font.

Extras

There are no special features found on this budget release from Mill Creek. The disc is coded for Region A as opposed to Universal’s region-free BD. In A/V terms, the Mill Creek and recent BD release from Universal itself are basically identical in quality.

Fans should either hold on to the Breach DVD with its director’s commentary and multitude of special features, or the BD put out by Universal.

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

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