Breach and Iris

THE VIPER

Lions Gates Films

CHRIS COOPER and RYAN Phillippe in “Breach.”

Two fact-driven films worth seeing

JIM BROADBENT and Judi Dench in “Iris."

They didn’t exactly heat up the box office.
But two recent films, based on true stories, are really worth seeing. Trust me.
“Iris” is a smart story about free-spirited author Iris Murdoch. Early in life she is played by Kate Winslet. Her dutiful but bumbling husband is played by a heavily made up Jim Broadbent and in his young days by Hugh Bonneville. Those two look like father and son, a very good choice because of their similarities.
The young Iris was this beautiful author who had relationships with both men and women, who loved to joke and have fun, but took a serious look at life, literature and philosophy.
While they seemed like different people, the intellect of a fellow professor, John Bayley, brought them together.
It hurt him when he saw her with other people, but she made it clear she wasn’t going to change. He stuck with her anyway.
The film switches between early years and more recent times. Events early on give us insights into more recent times.
Slowly her world clouds. She repeats the same phrase, catches herself, then seems surprised at herself.
Iris writes in longhand but finds she can’t spell. “That’s a puzzle,” she says. Then she writes the word ‘puzzle.’ She jots it down three times, satisfied she is OK.
But it’s clear she is not and after awhile aging John must chase after her as she leaves the house and walks in traffic, oblivious to the danger.
He dreams of her indiscretions which still rattle him years later. He wakes up and screams in anger at what is left of his dear Iris. Somehow, she musters some coherency and soothes him. It is a moving scene.
It’s a film that champions the victims of Alzheimer’s and their families.
It also questions the belief that people who keep active and intellectually stimulated are less likely to get the disease. Iris was still a much-in-demand author and writer who traded literary quips with her husband at the grocery store shortly before the illness was discovered.
Something else I need to point out. These are real people in real situations. Iris died of her disease in 1999.
We see their home, cluttered and messy, get progressively worse when she is helpless and he spends his time looking after her.
Another excellent film shares a few common aspects to “Iris.”
“Breach” is based on a true story and it’s a one-word title, too.
After that, there’s few similarities.
Chris Cooper plays the creepy, straight-arrow Robert Hanssen. Hanssen is a far-to-the-right FBI agent who happens to be a devout Catholic, likes to mail off videotapes of himself and his wife having sex and is also a spy.
Ryan Phillippe is Eric O’Neill, a new agent who wants to make a name for himself. He is placed under Hannsen’s tutelage
His job is to get the goods on the boss while appearing loyal and do his bidding, despite routinely being called “idiot” and “imbecile.”
Boss and his submissive wife, played by Kathleen Quinlan, show up at Eric and his wife’s doorstep and prepare dinner, while Boss makes cracks about her needing to provide lots of babies. The perplexed wife is played by Juliana O’Neil.
When Hannssen fears the job is too much for Eric, Hannssen counsels him to pray more.
This is a rich, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat espionage drama, even though it is mostly dialogue-driven.
Films like “Mission Impossible” deal with espionage through an array of gunfights and explosions and special effects. Within 10 minutes, I was totally lost. What the heck is going on here?
But “Breach,” perhaps because it is based on fact, flows effortlessly.
Acting is top notch. Cooper deserves a best actor nomination.
But this film was released in February and the Academy is apt to forget.
Two diverse films, two different themes but well worth seeking out.

IRIS
• Directed by Richard Eyre
• Runtime 91 minutes
• Rated R for sex, nudity and profanity
• 3 1/2 stars out of 4
BREACH
• Directed by Billy Ray
• Runtime 110 minutes
• Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language
• 3 1/2 stars out of four