An ambitious young named O'Neill (Ryan Philippe), happily married (to Caroline Dhavernas) dreams becoming FBI agent is assigned a major mission by his superiors (Laura Linney, Gary Cole) spying his chief, allegedly a loyal career officer named Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) , though he is really selling top secret information to Russian espionage. But Hanssen results to be a devout Catholic and a pornographer.
This good movie is a blend of spy-story and studio character .Magnificent performances of all star cast, as Chris Cooper who reflects splendidly his complex personality as reptilian and astute double-agent, as Ryan Philippe as junior agent who investigates undercover the activities his boss and Laura Linney as FBI major agent. It packs atmospheric cinematography by Tak Fujimoto and appropriate musical score by Mychael Danna. Nice film-making by Billy Ray who builds a nerve-shredding suspense when a narrow margin O'Neill becomes available to search boss's office and when his car is being inspected while the protagonists are returning to garage. These happenings were formerly adapted for TV (2001) in ¨ Master Spy : The Robert Hanssen story¨ by Lawrence Schiller with William Hurt, Mary Louise-Parker and Ron Silver.
Based on real case , the actual deeds are the following : Robert Philip Hanssen (born 18 April 1944) is a former American FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States, especially during George Bush government, for 22 years from 1979 to 2001 and betrayed at least 50 sources. He began working for the FBI and then defected to the KGB while continuing to work for the FBI. The codename of the FBI for the spy before they found out it was him was Graysuit. Despite the fact that he revealed highly sensitive security information to the Soviet Union and in illicit pay, federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for his guilty pleas to fifteen espionage and conspiracy charges. He is currently serving a life sentence at the Federal Bureau of Prisons Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, a "Supermax" federal penitentiary in which Hanssen spends twenty-three hours a day in solitary confinement.
Hanssen was arrested on 18 February 2001 at Foxstone Park (whose events are well described at the movie and being caught by Dennis Haybert)) near his home in Vienna, Virginia and was 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 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. 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". Hanssen is now serving in life sentence.
This good movie is a blend of spy-story and studio character .Magnificent performances of all star cast, as Chris Cooper who reflects splendidly his complex personality as reptilian and astute double-agent, as Ryan Philippe as junior agent who investigates undercover the activities his boss and Laura Linney as FBI major agent. It packs atmospheric cinematography by Tak Fujimoto and appropriate musical score by Mychael Danna. Nice film-making by Billy Ray who builds a nerve-shredding suspense when a narrow margin O'Neill becomes available to search boss's office and when his car is being inspected while the protagonists are returning to garage. These happenings were formerly adapted for TV (2001) in ¨ Master Spy : The Robert Hanssen story¨ by Lawrence Schiller with William Hurt, Mary Louise-Parker and Ron Silver.
Based on real case , the actual deeds are the following : Robert Philip Hanssen (born 18 April 1944) is a former American FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States, especially during George Bush government, for 22 years from 1979 to 2001 and betrayed at least 50 sources. He began working for the FBI and then defected to the KGB while continuing to work for the FBI. The codename of the FBI for the spy before they found out it was him was Graysuit. Despite the fact that he revealed highly sensitive security information to the Soviet Union and in illicit pay, federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for his guilty pleas to fifteen espionage and conspiracy charges. He is currently serving a life sentence at the Federal Bureau of Prisons Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, a "Supermax" federal penitentiary in which Hanssen spends twenty-three hours a day in solitary confinement.
Hanssen was arrested on 18 February 2001 at Foxstone Park (whose events are well described at the movie and being caught by Dennis Haybert)) near his home in Vienna, Virginia and was 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 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. 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". Hanssen is now serving in life sentence.