Bridge of Spies
(2015)Steven Spielberg directs this Cold War spy drama, co-written by the Coen brothers. Tom Hanks is a Brooklyn lawyer recruited by the CIA for a near-impossible task: negotiating the release of an American pilot detained by the Soviet Union. Based on the 1960 U-2 incident in which pilot Francis Gary Powers - who was shot down over Soviet land - was released in exchange for a captive KGB spy held under the custody of the United States.
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Best Supporting Actor (Rylance) at the 2016 Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards
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Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Tom Hanks, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Eve Hewson, Mark Rylance, Billy Magnussen
Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Matt Charman
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Bridge of Spies
BY Hugo-Burns superstar
BY Gaspardation superstar
Very Academy and very Spielberg. I just wonder that kind of patriotism is too much of a biase by itself.
BY Geronimo superstar
I really enjoyed this it is a good historical spy drama. I have found it worth going to each Spielberg movie as he generally delivers. If you are looking for explosions and lots of gunfire you will be disappointed. If you enjoy good suspenseful drama that is well acted and directed (with a good narrative) then go see this.
BY Mel superstar
Kudos also to Tom... More Hanks - it's not a showy part, but this is easily his best performance since Captain Phillips. He brings all the wit, charm and integrity we all know and love, but it's often the quieter moments that really shine - witness his reaction when viewing a item he's been given on his trip home... beautiful.Hide
BY yorkedm nobody
Spielberg is so great at creating the look and feel of other times and places, in this case the US and East Germany at the height of the Cpld War. A thoroughly absorbing script, and great actors make his one of his best.
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The Press Reviews
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Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Has a brassy and justified confidence in its own narrative flair. Full Review
A handsome and mature entertainment, rich with novelistic intrigue, that asks for very little in exchange for its rewards. Full Review
A deeply satisfying Cold War spy thriller that feels more subdued than usual for the director... Full Review
An absorbing true-life espionage tale very smoothly handled by old pros who know what they're doing. Full Review
While the helmer’s myth-making approach makes for great Capra-esque entertainment, younger auds may find it terribly old-fashioned... Full Review
May be a snooze to the ADD crowd allergic to historical drama, but it's dished out by experts. Full Review
A consummate professional's tribute to a gifted amateur, a smooth entertainment with a strong but subtle political subtext that's both potent and unexpected. Full Review
Like most of Mr. Spielberg's films, a consummate entertainment that sweeps you up with pure cinema. Full Review
Entertaining and thought provoking... gives real historical events a human face, and rates as a surprising crowd pleaser in the process. Full Review
BY Dominic Corry Flicks Writer
The prospect of seeing Steven Spielberg sink his teeth into the Cold War is an enticing one indeed, but although Bridge of Spies contains a couple of tense set-pieces, it is much more focused on being a character drama than a period thriller.... More
Bifurcated almost exactly in two, the first half of the film follows Hanks' civilian lawyer James Donovan as he is assigned to defend accused Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). The second half follows Donovan to East Berlin, where he attempts to negotiate the exchange of Abel for a downed American airman.
Although handsomely mounted (the muted '50s technicolour aesthetic is particularly appealing) and populated by subtle performances, both sections of the film suffer from Spielberg's characters' tendency to repeatedly articulate the themes explored by the film.
Lacking any discernible shades of grey, Donovan is as pure a picture of Hanksian decency as there has ever been. Rylance's intense stillness renders Abel somewhat unknowable, but he affects tangible chemistry with Donovan.
A noticeably male-centric film, the female characters here have very little to do. As Donovan's wife, Amy Ryan serves up food and furrows her brow. Eve Hewson (Bono's daughter!) commands the camera as Donovan's teenage daughter, but only has about three scenes.
Although there's a broadness to the proceedings betrayed by the painfully generic title, Spielberg's fundamental skills as a director keep Bridge of Spies afloat.Hide
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