*This is a very late review for Bridge of Spies, so I guess I’m just going to keep it short.
Bridge of Spies is another Steven Spielberg workmanlike outings that he likes to churn out once in a while in between movies about dinosaurs or aliens. He definitely has a thing for the heroic actions of the ordinary man, and this time he’s got the perfect actor to play it: Tom Hanks, the guy who you wished could be your (second) father, (another) uncle, neighbour, teacher, boss or just simply a friend. In the movie he plays real life James B. Donovan, an insurance attorney who’s been given a sure-to-lose client to defend: A Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (magnetically played by Mark Rylance) is captured and, due to the mandatory justice must be served for all, he’s been given a day in court even though it’s just a formality as everyone—including the judge—wants to see him executed. But, alas, being a good ol’ sport that he is, Donovan insisted on Abel getting a fair trial much to the chagrin of his boss (Alan Alda), his wife (Amy Ryan), and pretty much all of the American citizen. His perseverance bore fruit when a US U-2 pilot (Austin Stowell) is captured by the Soviets and now he found himself in freezing Berlin to negotiate a release.
Bridge of Spies is definitely a movie geared more towards adults, and we’re very grateful for that: in an era of short attention span I for one relish a movie that takes its time, doled up with human drama (with a screenplay courtesy of Matt Charman and the Coen Brothers based on Donovan's book titled Strangers on a Bridge: The Case of Colonel Abel and Francis Gary Powers) that are peppered with timely escalated tension. It also offers a brief glimpse of American history, specifically during the will-they-or-won’t-they back and forth of the Cold War era, and from all of the convolutedness stood out one man who simply has one thing in mind, which is everyone should be treated in a fair manner and respectfully regardless of their background. The real life event may not turn out to be as heroic as this movie depicted, but if the fictional version aims to inspire, I say Bridge of Spies has accomplished that perfectly.
Bridge of Spies is another Steven Spielberg workmanlike outings that he likes to churn out once in a while in between movies about dinosaurs or aliens. He definitely has a thing for the heroic actions of the ordinary man, and this time he’s got the perfect actor to play it: Tom Hanks, the guy who you wished could be your (second) father, (another) uncle, neighbour, teacher, boss or just simply a friend. In the movie he plays real life James B. Donovan, an insurance attorney who’s been given a sure-to-lose client to defend: A Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (magnetically played by Mark Rylance) is captured and, due to the mandatory justice must be served for all, he’s been given a day in court even though it’s just a formality as everyone—including the judge—wants to see him executed. But, alas, being a good ol’ sport that he is, Donovan insisted on Abel getting a fair trial much to the chagrin of his boss (Alan Alda), his wife (Amy Ryan), and pretty much all of the American citizen. His perseverance bore fruit when a US U-2 pilot (Austin Stowell) is captured by the Soviets and now he found himself in freezing Berlin to negotiate a release.
Bridge of Spies is definitely a movie geared more towards adults, and we’re very grateful for that: in an era of short attention span I for one relish a movie that takes its time, doled up with human drama (with a screenplay courtesy of Matt Charman and the Coen Brothers based on Donovan's book titled Strangers on a Bridge: The Case of Colonel Abel and Francis Gary Powers) that are peppered with timely escalated tension. It also offers a brief glimpse of American history, specifically during the will-they-or-won’t-they back and forth of the Cold War era, and from all of the convolutedness stood out one man who simply has one thing in mind, which is everyone should be treated in a fair manner and respectfully regardless of their background. The real life event may not turn out to be as heroic as this movie depicted, but if the fictional version aims to inspire, I say Bridge of Spies has accomplished that perfectly.