Bridge of Spies
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Joshua Harto, Alan Alda, John Rue, Amy Ryan, Jillian Lebling, Noah Schnapp, Eve Hewson, Austin Stowell, Dakin Matthews, Stephen Kunken, Scott Shepherd, Sebastian Koch, Will Rogers, Michael Gaston
Rating: B+
Most of us have never heard the name James B. Donovan and have no idea the impact an unknown insurance lawyer made wheeling and dealing with international heavy hitters during the cold-war. The set up for Bridge of Spies, Steven Spielberg’s latest film endeavor, uses the climate of the 1960s to explore the paranoia, tension, and delicacy of relations between America and the Soviet Union with Germany nipping at the heels of both countries’. Spielberg, along with Oscar-winning writers Joel and Ethan Coen, slowly and methodically take us on an intriguing journey into the complexities of international politics during the 1960s. This is not going to be a James Bond type of spy thriller with all the fancy gadgets, impossible stunts, and fashionable women strutting across the screen. This movie will be more like a slow-moving history lesson as we discover and appreciate the efforts of the film’s hero and what he did on this country’s behalf.
There are actually two stories going on in Bridge of Spies. The film opens with the capture of Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) by FBI agents. John Donovan (Tom Hanks) is an insurance lawyer called upon to take on the task no one wants – defending Rudolf Abel. The tall stoic lawyer is determined to give the Russian captive the best possible defense despite the consequences to himself. Knowing he will probably be the most unpopular person in America, Donovan still pushes forward and defends Abel to the best of his ability. A court room drama unfolds and despite the lawyer’s best efforts, Abel is found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Convincing the judge on the case that the death penalty for the Russian would not be in the country’s best interests was the one thing Donovan did accomplish, and this will be a trump card for the second half of the story.
In part two of the movie Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers), a graduate student studying in Germany, is mistaken for a foreign conspirator and taken into custody. Over the Russian countryside, U2 military pilot Francis Powers (Austin Stowell) crash lands and is arrested by authorities once they discover he was taking photos from 70,000 feet above. It is Powers’ arrest that causes an international incident. The CIA approaches Donovan about going to Germany and negotiating a trade – Abel for Powers. The clever attorney agrees to the task but is so confident that he has the winning prize that he goes for the gusto and demands that the college student also be included in the exchange. He has no problem in a two for one deal and manages to explain his logic clearly to those who would oppose him.
Tom Hanks is earnest and likable playing the lawyer with a bad cold sniffling his way through Germany who just wants to get the job done so he can go home and crawl into his own bed. The supporting cast made up of Alan Alda as Donovan’s unyielding boss, Amy Ryan as the concerned wife with the voice of reason, and Sebastian Koen as the controlling German middleman all are very convincing but none of them get enough screen time. Mark Rylance gives a surprise performance as the captured secret agent and evokes empathy for an aging patriot with heart and soul. The weakest performance is by the handsome Austin Stowell and this could just be because he was not given anything to do. Not developing Stowell’s character was a missed opportunity in the storyline.
There are lots of twists and turns as the story shifts from a courtroom drama to international espionage. The filmmakers do a great job of setting the mood for all the different time periods. The polished look of Donovan’s law office, the gray streets of Germany depicting a nation in turmoil, and the dark shadows behind closed doors where complex negotiations and strategies set the wheels in motion for nations to work together, are just a few the scenes that beautifully stage Bridge of Spies.
The world of Television has produced some amazing and powerful spy dramas like The Americans and Homeland. Moviegoers that follow some of the highly intense and suspenseful TV shows about international intelligence may find that this Spielberg production lacks the impact and spark they seek. Bridge of Spies is a film that runs just a bit too long and moves a bit too slowly. This is a well-made production that could have been made a little better by just ramping up the intensity. There are some great verbal exchanges between the characters that lead to strange alliances and uncertain outcomes that keep the story loosely based on history engaging despite the slow pace. With Oscar season just beginning, it will be interesting to see just how Bridge of Spies holds up against its competition.
