MovieChat Forums > Breach (2007) Discussion > Eric O'Neill

Eric O'Neill

posted 10 years ago by CromeRose
1 reply | jump to latest

I know this was based on true events and such, but was Eric O'Neill even necessary in the entire scheme? The FBI were already after Hanssen, already knew he was giving secrets away, and in the end they follow him to his final drop and arrest him. If all they needed to do was follow him and arrest him, why even bring O'Neill into it? O'Neill didn't know where the drop would be or anything about it, Hanssen would probably not have become suspicious if O'Neill hadn't been put on him and would have made his last drop anyway, and the FBI were following him anyway... so why O'Neill? Granted he got the info off Hanssen's Palm Pilot, but did they need that to arrest him? It didn't appear to be the case. And I think Phillipe's performance in the park near the end, when Hanssen starts shooting at him, was horrible, lousy, unconvincing acting. I felt that he was yelling because the director told him to deliver his lines that way, not because the character was pi$$ed off or anything.

[–] EJverh 9 years ago

And there you are...it never really happened. This guy was an assistant to what he later learned with the rest of the world, to a double agent and wrote a book about it after he couldnt make a cut to becoming an agent. He saw he could make some money with his 'inside information' and of course all of it was even more so exaggerated for the movie. The guy is a liar and the FBI or the CIA doesn't get involved with any such publications after the agents or assistants have left the organization unless it reveals any classified info.