Bridge of Spies

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan, Victor Verhaeghe, Austin Stowell, Jesse Plemons, Michael Gaston, Dakin Matthews, Will Rogers, Sebastian Koch
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An American lawyer (Tom Hanks) travels to Berlin to negotiate the exchange of a Russian spy (Mark Rylance) for two kidnapped Americans.

Review:

Tim: Within the first five minutes of Bridge of Spies, I was reminded that Steven Spielberg is a master director. He immediately hooks you into the story- every scene is important and his ability to tell an engaging story is amazing. Here, he takes a very interesting (but never fascinating) story and delivers a very, very strong movie. There's not quite enough to get the movie to greatness, but it gets awfully close. Throughout the movie, I continually thought to myself, "This is a really, really good movie."

The true life story is very interesting, but it's not one of those shocking human achievements that almost feels like fiction. James B. Donovan is an interesting character and went above and beyond to try and save American lives. However, I never got the sense that his life was in real peril and the stakes were relatively minor- yes, lives were at stake, but arguably only two. His actions weren't about to start a world war. For that reason, some of the power of the film is mitigated. It's still an incredible story, but it's not one that will blow you out of your seat. It's an intellectual, slow boiling film.

I have to admit the way Donovan negotiated with the U.S.S.R. and the East Germans was masterful. That's one of the highlights of the film- his ability to find the best solution when faced with great challenges was astounding. Spielberg handles these scenes with a deft touch, at various points, making me want to jump out of my seat and cheer. A less experienced or talented director would have botched those scenes- Spielberg turns them into the best moments of the film.

Tom Hanks is very good as Donovan. This won't even be considered one of his best roles- truthfully, it's a fairly safe role. It doesn't require a great deal of strenuous work on his part. Not to denigrate his effort or talent, but it's a role that doesn't require him to stretch too much. He's obviously very, very good and I had no complaints about his performance- it's just a role firmly in his wheelhouse. I love seeing Hanks and Spielberg collaborate, though. Mark Rylance was very strong as Rudolf Abel. I'd only seen Rylance in one film before this one, but I was very impressed with his performance. It's a relatively small part- he bookends the film. But, he makes a very big impact. He's able to make a Soviet spy sympathetic. His delivery of the "would it help?" lines were perfect and brought great levity to the film. I'm a little surprised he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor since he disappears for a long stretch of the film. Still, he is perhaps the most memorable part of the movie, so I won't complain about his win. The supporting cast is good- Amy Ryan and Alan Alda are always good to see.

It really feels like Bridge of Spies was a good movie made significantly better by Spielberg's direction. At 142 minutes, the film is quite long. It never feels boring or drawn out, though. Spielberg uses his scenes appropriately and keeps the film moving. It's engaging and entertaining. I think he did everything he could have done with the story. I personally would have liked a little more suspense and tension. Spielberg did all he could, but the story is fairly predictable.

While I wouldn't put Bridge of Spies on my top 10 of 2015 list, this is still an exceptionally crafted, entertaining film that tells an important story. It features the great Tom Hanks in a very good role and an award-winning performance by Mark Rylance. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This is a very, very good movie and one undoubtedly worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, Captain Phillips, Charlie Wilson's War