Bridge of Spies, which has 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, wasn’t a priority on my watch list, but I decided I want to at least see all the Oscar Best Picture nominations before the awards on Sunday. I’d heard mixed reviews about how good this film was on my usual channels, and I wasn’t sure if the story would pull me in or not.
James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is an insurance lawyer that gets selected to defend Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) who is accused of being a Soviet spy during the Cold War. An American pilot is shot down in Russia not long after the trial and Donovan is tapped to go and negotiate the exchange.
The movie is gorgeous. Spielberg, as always, is the master of the visual medium and there are so many moments where I reacted audible how impressed I was with aspects. There is a pair of scenes with Hanks on a train at two separate times that remind me of Schindler’s List visual motifs. I’ve become to really appreciate the difficult nature of a period film. Modern films can be set at any locale, but a period piece requires much more effort to make look authentic. This film nails it and the scenes shot in East Berlin as the wall is being built is really impressive.
Hanks is spectacular as usual. He plays Donovan in a way that makes him a hero even though all he really does is stand there and speak for what he believes to be right. I connect to this character trait deeply and I found the story of Donovan to be extremely compelling and honorable.
Mark Rylance has a great showing and probably my favorite exchange of dialogue. Hanks says, “You don’t look worried,” and Rylance responds, “Would it help?” It’s such a powerful line in the film and sets the standard for the conversations that we see.
The story, which is based on actual events, is extremely compelling. The Coen’s were brought in to help write the screenplay, I believe as a rewrite, and is nominated for Writing. The idea of espionage is always intriguing, but unlike Bond and Hunt, this battle takes place over a drink at a desk or table. Who will back down? Who will raise the stakes? It’s a type of battle that could be extremely boring, but I was never I felt bored.
I really enjoyed this film. It was one that I didn’t think I would really get into, and yet found myself remembering how big of a fan I am of both Hanks and Spielberg. All the performances are well done, but Hanks is the show. I give Bridge of Spies 9 out of 10 jars of marmalade.
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