"A smartly talky, subtly tense and superbly staged espionage
drama.”
Tom Hanks teams up with director Steven Spielberg for the
fourth time in Bridge of Spies, a
feel-good melodramatic true-life espionage tale set in the Cold War. During
this historical stand-off between the United States and the Soviet Union, a
principled American attorney triumphantly bargains a high-level Soviet Union
spy caught in New York for two American captives in communist grounds.
James B. Donovan (Hanks) is a New York-based insurance
attorney with a comfortable job in a prosperous law firm, a beautiful wife (Amy Ryan) and three kids. Meanwhile, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) is a plain-faced
and ordinary Russian in Brooklyn who is expertly good in painting, particularly
portraits. The fate of this two men crosses in 1957 when the FBI arrest and
charge Abel as a Russian spy. Called into the office of his boss (Alan Alda),
Donovan is selected to represent Abel in court. Donovan willingly accepts the
job and actually tries to put up a strong argument for Abel, despite everyone
branding him a traitor and giving him an evil eye or cold shoulder. He
eventually loses the case but somehow prevents sending Abel to the electric
chair. Donovan surprisingly persuades the case’s judge (Dakin Matthews) to
simply incarcerate Abel, holding him as some sort of insurance at some future
moment.
In the other part of the world, Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is a typical all-American pilot who trained with others to fly in the
U-2 spy plane program. Stationed in Pakistan, they are to commit suicide if
shot down in enemy territories. Powers found himself in such unlucky situation
but a mishap thwarts him from following the instruction. Instead, he survives
the crash and becomes a top-level prisoner in the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Frederic
Pryor (Will Rogers) is an American student in Germany who finds himself at the
wrong place and at the wrong time. While trying to take his girlfriend to
safety from the wall that will soon divide Germany, East German soldiers arrest
and held him without charge.
Donovan’s words come true and the Soviet Union offers to
swap Powers for Abel. Donovan flies to Berlin for the negotiation but the
bargain is complicated when he insists on trading Abel for both Powers and Pryor.
But Donovan already knows how to play the game and on the Glienicke Bridge in
1962, a prisoner swap is successfully conducted.
Steven Spielberg has been credited for many fantasy sci-fi
thrillers like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park and A.I. Artificial but he has likewise directed a number of
historical dramas like Munich, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln and Schindler’s List. Once again, Spielberg has created a movie that
excels in all aspects – Bridge of Spies
has a provocative gritty material, its characters are well-developed and its
cinematic presentation is outstanding and mesmerizing. It is one of his more
subdued and subtler productions but is no less absorbing and uplifting.
The film is a mannered depiction of a true event. It is set
during the Cold Wars, a time when information is a powerful weapon between two
competing countries. This is where the movie draws out drama and tension. The
first half spends more courtroom time as a significant historical conflict is
resolved in the jury. Conversations are excessive but dialogues are
intelligently and wittily written that they are interesting to hear.
Eventually, Donovan learns the act of deal-making, a proven and tested
ingredient in the world of espionage. The drama heightens when the feature
moves to Berlin where physical threats are more likely to succeed. A different level of complexity is also
achieved when Donovan wants to strike an impossible trade. The entire story
plays out over a period of five years but the film gracefully compresses it into its two-hour running time.
In an uncomfortable but satisfying manner, the movie
convinces us that both Donovan and Abel are honorable men. Abel is the epitome
of patriotism and loyalty, an unnerving man in the face of immediate
persecution. He never breaks a sweat and quiver; yet, he is a compassionate
friend and true to his words. Similarly, Donovan is committed to his ideals. He
is a proper and decent family man, professionally dedicated, and an outstanding
citizen who abides to the principles of the US Constitution. Yet, he is also
shrewd and intuitive. He is quick to move and he knows how to twists things to
his advantage. They may be standing on different sides of the line but both are
brave and respectable men whose personal integrity never wavers in the midst of
corruption, madness and inescapable ultimatums.
The realism of the narrative is also reflected on its
breathtaking production design. Images are vivid and inspiring and details of
various set pieces are solid and credible. Old Brooklyn and the New York subway
system come alive with a different hum. Color palette is also striking,
distinguishable between the United States and the European settings. Such
locations also become a backdrop for some harrowing scenes like when Donovan,
aboard an elevated train, witnesses how East German guards gun down those who
hustle over the famed wall.
The entire cast is impressively engaging but it is Hanks and
Rylance who carry the film throughout. Hanks, the Hollywood everyman as always,
channels the humor and intelligence of Donovan in a charming fashion without
overplaying his heroism. Rylance’s Abel is a sad-sack and bland character but
the actor infuses his timid magnetism into the person.
Bridge of Spies is
one of the best films of the year. It is grand and successful at all levels.
Once again, Spielberg offers us a delightful and inspiring human story.
Production: DreamWorks Pictures, Fox 2000
Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment, Marc Platt Productions
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Scott
Shepherd, Amy Ryan, Sebastian Koch, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell, Mikhail Gorevoy,
Will Rogers, Eve Hewson, Peter McRobbie, Billy Magnussen, Domenick Lombardozzi,
Marko Caka, Noah Schnapp, Dakin Matthews, Ashlie Atkinson
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriters: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen,
Joel Coen
Producers: Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt,
Kristie Macosko Krieger
Executive producers: Adam Somner, Daniel
Lupi, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King
Director of photography: Janusz Kaminski
Production designer: Adam Stockhausen
Costume designer: Kasia Walicka Maimone
Editor: Michael Kahn
Music: Thomas Newman
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