Bridge of Spies (2015)

• Year: 2015
• Released: 16 Oct 2015
• Country: United States, Germany, India
• Adwords: Won 1 Oscar. 30 wins & 103 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bridge-of-spies
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, German, Russian
• MPA Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
• Runtime: 142 min
• Writer: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda
• Keywords: spy, lawyer, cia, cold war, pilot,

	7.6/10
	81/100
	91% – Critics
	87% – Audience

Bridge of Spies Storyline

In 1957, during the Cold War, the insurance lawyer James B. Donovan is assigned by the Bar association to defend in court the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, who was captured by the FBI. Donovan is successful and Rudolf is sentenced to life imprisonment instead of death penalty. Meanwhile the American pilot and spy Francis Gary Powers is arrested by the Soviet government while taking photos from a spy plane that crashed. The CIA summons Donovan to help in the negotiation to exchange the two spies. When Donovan learns that the American student Frederic Pryor was arrested in the border of East Berlin while trying to bring his German girlfriend to the West Berlin, he decides to include the student in the negotiation. However his proposal is not supported by the CIA that is interested in Powers only. Further, Powers is prisoner of the soviet government and Pryor is prisoner of the GDR (German Democratic Republic). Will Donovan succeed in his intent?

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Bridge of Spies Movie Reviews

Excellent and often very absorbing film, without being one of Spielberg’s finest

‘Bridge of Spies’ had much going for it, mainly that it’s based on a very interesting story, Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance are talented actors with some very noteworthy performances and when in his prime Steven Spielberg directed some of the most relentlessly entertaining and entertaining films in cinema.

While ‘Bridge of Spies’ is not one of Spielberg’s finest films, in the way ‘Schindler’s List’, ‘Jaws’, ‘ET’, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘Empire of the Sun’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ are, for me despite its flaws along with ‘Lincoln’ and ‘War Horse’ (remember liking ‘Munich’ a lot too, though it needs a re-watch) it’s one of his better ones since ‘AI’.

There is not an awful lot wrong with ‘Bridge of Spies’, though due to the subject matter it’s not going to appeal to all tastebuds. To me, it’s biggest problem was pacing. By all means not a continuous problem, because there was enough in the film that was really engaging, but parts do drag and not every scene felt like it was needed. The beginning is notably draggy and the film could easily have ended after the climactic scene on the bridge, because the ending did feel unnecessarily stretched and was particularly guilty of the sappiness and over-sentimentality that Spielberg is often criticised for. Similarly Donovan’s family scenes could have been excised with no problem, they add very little and their cloying nature did feel too much and misplaced within the rest of the film. The only other problem was Thomas Newman’s score, it’s nicely composed and it fits at least (to have it used sparingly was also a good move in order to not distract from the atmosphere and dialogue) but there is nothing hugely memorable or anything to go wow over or that evokes any strong emotions. Not bad as such, just bland.

However, ‘Bridge of Spies’, as always with Spielberg is incredibly well-made, as well as directed with a lot of class. It is sumptuously shot and the period detail is elegant, atmospheric and positively eye catching, especially the scenes in Berlin where you actually feel the cold, austerity and tension. While there is a lot of talk in ‘Bridge of Spies’, the script is thought-provoking and tightly structured, not making the mistake of being rambling, using complicated jargon or being too wordy. There is even some nice knowing witty humour that gives the film some freshness and is well-incorporated when it appears, while the political and patriotic elements avoid being preachy. While the pace is not completely secure and not every scene felt necessary, the story is very absorbing and is told with intelligence, tension and emotion. While there is perhaps not enough on the trial, that part is very intriguingly done, while the Berlin scenes that dominate the film have a lot of tension and suspense. The shift from America to Berlin is handled well and not too crudely, a very easy thing to do when visually and atmospherically their scenes are so different.

The characters are engagingly written on the most part, with the exception of Donovan’s family (his wife in particular is the typical nurturing but frustrated cliché with little variation on it). Donovan is one of those characters that holds the narrative together as strong as a rock and is easily rootable, while Abel comes close to being the most sympathetic character while at the same time evoking some chills. The chemistry between the two characters is very strongly done. All the acting is very good (though Amy Ryan barely registers in the role that gives her very little to work with), with Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance being outstanding. Hanks is effortlessly commanding and has such a great cool charisma, essential for a lead role that is on screen for almost the whole duration. Despite his screen time being much less, Rylance portrays Abel with quiet understated dignity, with his expressions and eyes speaking every bit as much as when he’s delivering his lines, that comes over both chillingly and heart-wrenchingly.

All in all, excellent and often very absorbing. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

well-made