Bridge
of Spies
Are we, as Americans, allowed to dislike a Tom Hanks movie? It would be
like hating bald eagles or refusing ice cream while watching fireworks
on the Fourth of July. He is our modern version of the Statue of
Liberty.
Based on the mostly true story, Hanks stars as James Donovan - an
insurance lawyer in Brooklyn drafted for a task no one else wants or
has the guts to take.
A suspected Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), has been arrested,
and he likely is to be found guilty and executed by a biased court and
a public in a fervor over the Cold War brewing between the USA and the
USSR. However, Donovan is dedicated to his job, and the Constitution,
which determines Rudolf will get a vigorous defense.
While Donovan earns the scorn of almost all, his efforts lead to an
opportunity. A young American pilot, Francis Gary Powers (Austin
Stowell), has been shot down while flying a spy plane over the Soviet
Union. Convicted and held in a Soviet prison, much like Abel on this
side of the ocean, Powers is someone the US would like to retrieve.
When called upon by the CIA can Donovan travel to East Germany and make
a deal to trade Abel for Powers?
Bridge of Spies is a good movie, but not the
great movie I was hoping it to be.
While director Steven Spielberg and the writing team (Joel & Ethan
Coen and Matt Charman) attempt to deliver as much of the story as
possible, the movie is best when it is focused on those tense
negotiations in East Berlin.
We watch Donovan face a very palpable danger everyone in the audience
can feel and understand, even those young ones who didn't live through
the Cold War and only know the Berlin Wall through history books (or
accidentally switching to The History Channel). Spielberg and the team
make it easy to understand the guns and gangs and threats Donovan faces
as he navigates a city out of control.
We also understand The Art of the Deal (I hope Trump doesn't sue me for
using the phrase). Watching Donovan’s mind in motion, playing the
angles, and gambling with his decisions shows Hanks at his best. You
will want him to negotiate your next pay increase at this year's
performance review. Your boss doesn't stand a chance against Tom Hanks!
Most of all, Hanks is in his full Tom Hanks Mode as the righteous
lawyer fighting injustice and trying to hold true to what is correct,
even if it is unpopular. He does it with an ease, picking just the
right moment to let us see the character sweat, have a brief moment of
doubt, or worry about making the right move.
Bridge of Spies gets off to a slow start, and
no one will confuse Stowell with being the next Tom Hanks. I understand
Spielberg wants to establish the facts and the entire scenario Donovan
faces, but it feels drawn out as he clings to a linear storytelling
fashion, when, maybe, non-linear could have brought the tension and
most interesting moments to the foreground more immediately.
Bridge
of Spies is rated PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language.
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