Review 369: Bridge of Spies
Bridge of Spies is a remarkable historical thriller and a great example of how Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks bring out the best in each other.In 1960s, New York, during the Cold War, lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is entrusted with negotiating the release of Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), a U.S. Air Force pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in exchange for Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), a convicted Soviet KGB spy who was arrested 3 years prior in 1957 and is under the custody of the United States, whom he represented at the trial.
The plot is a beautiful work, it's starts almost immediately and you're instantly thrust back in time to a world where people were on the edge and had to be ready in case the current conflict went south.
Spielberg beautifully impresses on us as an audience how serious the tension between America and the Soviet Union were at that time. It was a very dangerous time to get into the headlines for standing up for a spy when if you mention the Soviet Union in the wrong way, you could be accused of complicity.
Nobody wanted to take on
You didn't have to be in America to know that the Cold War was happening. No one was safe in those days.
At its core, the central theme of Bridge of Spies is about moral fortitude and standing up for what you know is right:
Steven Spielberg's direction is simply sublime, letting the 141 min narrative slowly unravel at a deliberate
The cinematography is beautiful and captures the beauty of late 50s New York, the production design (creating New York in the 50's) is brilliant and filled with immaculate detail, the score by Thomas Newman is magnificent and the closest thing Spielberg gets us to John Williams (who was unavalible to score the film due to a minor health issue), the costumes are wonderful, the lighting is superb, the locations are fabulously outstanding, the make up is rich and beautifully detailed and the effect of the closing scene is
The acting is stupendous, Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance both bring their A-Game to this film playing James B. Donvan and Rudolf Abel respectively. Donvan was approached by the Bar association and they convinced him to take on the defence of Rudolf Abel. He's a man who stands up for what he believes in which is justice for all. He took on a case that nobody else wanted because they would be defending what was considered Enemy No. 1 of America at the time, knowing that if he lost, he would loose by the books
At its core, the central theme of Bridge of Spies is about moral fortitude and standing up for what you know is right:
Steven Spielberg's direction is simply sublime, letting the 141 min narrative slowly unravel at a deliberate
The cinematography is beautiful and captures the beauty of late 50s New York, the production design (creating New York in the 50's) is brilliant and filled with immaculate detail, the score by Thomas Newman is magnificent and the closest thing Spielberg gets us to John Williams (who was unavalible to score the film due to a minor health issue), the costumes are wonderful, the lighting is superb, the locations are fabulously outstanding, the make up is rich and beautifully detailed and the effect of the closing scene is
The acting is stupendous, Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance both bring their A-Game to this film playing James B. Donvan and Rudolf Abel respectively. Donvan was approached by the Bar association and they convinced him to take on the defence of Rudolf Abel. He's a man who stands up for what he believes in which is justice for all. He took on a case that nobody else wanted because they would be defending what was considered Enemy No. 1 of America at the time, knowing that if he lost, he would loose by the books
What's intriguing about Rudolf Abel as both a person and a historical figure is how little we actually know about him.
Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Billy Magnussen, Scott Shepherd and Sebastian Koch round out the cast with exceptional performances
5/5.
The Anonymous Critic
5/5.
The Anonymous Critic
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