Bridge of Spies (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

My Take – There are certain combination of film makers & actors that make you confident, before watching a film, that you are not going to be disappointed. With Steven Spielberg directing; Tom Hanks taking the lead (worked together on Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can) & written by the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Burn After Reading, No Country for Old Men), such a combination was without doubt destined to succeed. And guess what? They do, marvelously! By presenting an absolutely riveting and edge-of-your seat Cold War story. While there are no car chases and no gun-fire exchanges, the story is as compelling and suspenseful as any by Spielberg and the Coen brothers. They are masters of the well-paced scene in which we the audience are never sure how the events will resolve. Even during the final climactic event of the film, which is largely understated, not much actually happens, but our anticipation of what might and might not occur keeps us glued to every gesture and expression & remains utterly captivating. Working from a screenplay by Matt Charman, rewritten by Joel and Ethan Coen, Spielberg makes largely minor departures from the actual occurrences as they unfolded and recreates history with atmospheric spontaneity. While it may seem anachronistic to make a film about the Cold War, the points made in Steven Spielberg‘s film are just as relevant today. Like Spielberg‘s Lincoln, it is a film about values, about standing up for what you know to be right instead of succumbing to your fears, not an examination of the rights and wrongs of international intrigue or the merits or demerits of the Cold War. The Cold War is of course the perfect time period for any political thriller story (a real one at that). There are moments of manipulations, lies, and deceit. Yet through all that a trust has to be built to have any movement in the talks.

How the characters try to build that relation for mutual benefit is what intrigued me the most. The story follows Brooklyn insurance claims attorney James Donovan (Tom Hanks), who is selected by the New York Bar Association wants him to serve as a defense attorney to Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) so nobody can impugn the American justice. Abel had maintained a low-profile as one of the top Soviet spies in America. Masquerading as an artist, he collected sensitive information without calling attention to himself. The Soviets relied on what are known as dead letter mail boxes. Information could be stashed and retrieved, without it being apparent to most people, in innocuous places. Even Donovan’s wife, Mary (Amy Ryan), nor his children share his principles of going about by the book & representing the ‘Most Hated Man’ of America. Even though everyone is convinced Abel is going to receive the death penalty, Donovan convinces Judge Byers (Dakin Matthews) to display some compassion and sentence the Soviet to prison rather than the electric chair. Byers heeds Donovan’s advice despite frenzied public opinion after he delivers his verdict. In the meantime, the CIA recruits U.S.A.F. pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) to fly a high altitude jet to conduct aerial reconnaissance over the U.S.S.R. A Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missile cripples Power’s plane. He bails out, but fails to obliterate his U2 plane. Of course, the Soviet capture Powers, convict him as a spy, and sentence him to prison. Not long afterward, Donovan receives a letter from the Soviets and finds himself flying to Berlin as a private citizen to negotiate a prisoner exchange: Abel for Powers. Donovan gets the royal runaround between the Soviets as well as the East Berlin authorities. Nonetheless, he proves himself to be a shrewd man with a bargain, and he pits the Soviets against East Berlin. Ultimately, he never gives ground during these complicated negotiations. The catch is he must negotiate between the superpowers as a private individual rather than an official American envoy. However, as events play out, the two men’s destinies will become intertwined. Eventually, Donovan travels to Berlin where he’ll see first-hand the creation of the infamous Berlin Wall. While the first half is a legal drama, the second half is a political thriller & director Spielberg does an exceptional job of condensing and cross-cutting these events with utmost consistency. The film also looks authentic with its multiple locations in American and Europe. Steven Spielberg is the type of director you never know what you’re going to get and I’m talking about the type of film making he uses. Steven Spielberg‘s direction here is absolutely superb, because every scene is so perfectly crafted and Spielberg knows when to cut to a emotional reaction with the characters. The Coen brothers, I think brought a sense of realism to things, but also a certain style; the way characters talk at times there’s a lot of things where people try to figure the other person out, which is fascinating to watch.

When Donovan arrives at the first part of the mission he’s given in the second part of the film, to do this exchange of the Russian for an American pilot caught by the enemy, he goes to the Russians and doesn’t talk to the lawyer (who he thought to talk to) but some other official. Spielberg covers this expertly, going in on Hanks and other actors at just the right moments to emphasize things getting tenser – another young American, a student caught up in the mix of things (it IS East Berlin, after all) – but the script dictates a lot of the momentum here. And at the same time the Coens aren’t necessarily making it ‘Coens-y’, in a manner of speaking; they serve their filmmaker extremely well, giving a light air to a good number of scenes in a way that keeps the tension and suspense in a good balance. In terms of the performances, everybody was flawless. Tom Hanks is one of the most lovable and respected actors of are times, as in every role he dose, he never disappoints. This is he’s fourth collaboration with Spielberg & Hanks once again deliverers a magnificent and believable performance. This is an Oscar worthy performance as he made his character so relatable, funny and very likable. The character Donovan is unwavering when it comes to his duty as a lawyer, even when he has to defend an enemy of his country. He believes in the importance of unbiased justice, so strongly that at first it may come off as naive. However, there are understated moments where we can see clearly his resolve being tested to the limits. Mark Rylance as the Soviet spy, is a man of few words but with that limitation he is able to convey so much about the character. He is defeated and fearful for his life, but when Donovan shows that there is still hope he will crack a joke. The key here is subtlety, that brings the power into the more dramatic moments without it feeling forced. I didn’t feel like I was watching actors, I felt like I was watching real people. Amy Ryan & Austin Stowell play their parts well. On the whole, ‘Bridge of Spies‘ is a well crafted espionage drama with excellent performances, fantastic direction and great writing. Bridge of Spies is the best Cold War thriller I’ve ever seen & is one of the best films of the year!