'It is a bloody good story' (quoted by Spielberg), but alas not told from the much more urgent present times

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2016)

I gave this movie an 8 for how it showed simply a good cold war thriller. It had the cold war tension between the US and USSR, played out in the divided Berlin, both East and West. Beautifully filmed as a British costume drama, I also liked how Tom Hanks's character provided some inner tension in how his look on justice for all, even for spies, had consequences for both himself as his family. What is surprising though is that Spielberg confirmed in a BBC interview he had no political message in this one. That is curious to say the least, with all the abundant contemporary parallels like Snowden for Abel in the story, or drones for the U2 back then. His reply was 'it is just a bloody good story'. Sure, but a story that makes America look good, in 2015, a time when he could have made a political thriller that could have given us a much more balanced view of reality we see today, with the US spying on everyone. The result would then have been much more powerful and less preachy. His choice is all the more peculiar, since he did not shy away showing us uncompromising battle scenes in Saving Private Ryan, but perhaps it was also helping us realize that was indeed a deserved accolade for what America has done for the world. Spielberg is, as IMDb says, indeed one of the most influential figures of cinema, and he deserves this for his many film making qualities as also this movie shows us again. I just wish with aging he would also have the guts to be like Shakespeare, to allow the arguable greatness of the US to shine through all the flaws it surely has like any country. But, to stick with Spielberg, if you just go for the story alone, and you don't mind the propaganda of the US being the ultimate example of the Good of the Free World, then this beautifully adapted film is entertaining enough.