Breach
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
view
per page
  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    90
    The acting is superb, particularly from the three principals.
  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    In this steadily gripping hothouse of a thriller, it's Cooper -- funny, fierce and bug-wild -- who gives us a look into the abyss.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    88
    A compelling and eerily effective little drama.
  4. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    83
    Without Cooper's performance, Breach would have been a good, workmanlike thriller. His presence lifts it to a whole new level.
  5. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    83
    That it's based on a true spying case seems almost incidental. The heart of the picture is the human drama.
  6. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    83
    In every important way, Breach isn't just a solid thriller; it's also an ambitious and engrossing piece of narrative journalism.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    Filled with tension, deception and bravura acting, Breach is a crackling tale of real-life espionage that doubles as a compelling psychological drama.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 59 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. Tss5078
    7
    Breach is a movie based on actual events, in which a rookie FBI agent goes undercover to find a Russian spy inside the U.S. Government. While the story is a good one, the film moves VERY slowly. In the end, it's pretty awesome what this agent did and what he was able to find. The story could have been told in a different way thou, one that would have kept the audiences attention better. It's a good story with a couple of great performances, but its not easy to sit through.… Full Review »
  2. asthobaskoro
    9
    Masterful docudrama - solid acting, great script and direction. Thrilling, the most realistic of suspense and also Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) work.… Full Review »
  3. Lopez17
    10
    On February18,2001 Attorney General John Ashcroft made a public televised announcement that one of the FBI's highest ranking agents Robert Hanssen had been charged with selling American secrets to Russia for more than US$1.4 million in cash and diamonds over a 22-year period. On 6 July 2001, he pleaded guilty to fifteen counts of espionage. He was then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His activities have been described as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history." Billy Rayâ… Full Review »
See all user reviews »