by Jules Brenner

Created on: February 14, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

If this film were released in November there'd be plenty of buzz for Chris Cooper's chances of an Oscar nomination for his performance here. In 9 months we'll know if the Motion Picture Academy has a long enough memory to retain what they see in February.

The greatest case of treason in the history of the FBI was exposed with the capture and incarceration of agent Robert Hanssen, a traitor whose alliance with Russia's KGB spies resulted in the murders of 50 known "assets" (humans) working for us. The true extent of the damage he caused with the total access his high station in the agency gave him isn't known or remains classified.

Once his perfidy became known to the agency, an elaborate and highly secretive operation was put in place to catch him in the act of passing classified intel to the enemy. The Agency doesn't want to go to trial with the circumstantial case they've already built, resulting in a probable 5 years. They want this cookie in for life. For that, the mole needs a counter mole.

For this, career agent Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) exploits the special talents of agent-wannabe Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), handsome, deceptively straightforward, with the talents of a quick-mind and subtle manipulation, resourcefulness yet to be discovered but which Burroughs astutely senses. She places him in the position of Hanssen's assistant in his new office at the Bureau, explaining only that he's a sexual pervert.

Hanssen, suspecting only that he's been transferred to an inconsequential job as a pre-retirement ploy, is maddened by the thought that his accomplishments, abilities and previous high status for the Agency is now being unappreciated. he has no real suspicion of how close he is to being unmasked.

The heart of the drama is the cat and mouse game, the chance of discovery and the blowing of the case with every thought, every gesture, as Hanssen's main concern with assistant O'Neill is whether he can trust him. Of course he cannot, but he doesn't know it. Meanwhile, he's a wily and dangerous enemy who can use the power still at his command, which he uses to virtually infiltrate O'Neill's life, including inviting himself and his bible-thumping wife Bonnie (Kathleen Quinlan) to dinner with Eric and his wife Juliana (Caroline Dhavernas), making a close social tie part of a basis for trust.

This sets in motion ample steps forward and backward for the sustainment of suspense by director Billy Ray ("Flightplan," "Suspect Zero," "Shattered Glass") who works from

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