Pretty boring in places! 5/10

Rating: 5/10 (30 August 2016)

Review: It's not very often that I can say a bad word about a Spielberg/Hanks collaboration but in this case, I have to say that I found this movie pretty boring. Although the subject matter was deep and emotional, I found the pace of the film, extremely slow and it just seemed to be going round in circles most of the time. Tom Hanks (James B. Donovan) and Mark Rylance (Rudolf Abel) played there roles extremely well and they made the movie slightly watchable but I still struggled to keep my eyes open, through the negotiating scenes between Hanks, the Germans and the Russians. On the plus side, the whole look and feel of the film is top class and the period was filmed well by one of the best directors of all time but after the disappointing movie, War Horse, I was expecting more from this movie. The whole "Russian Spy" concept wasn't really shocking, even though it was based on true events, and the outcome of Donovan's actions was more interesting than the film. The fact that Abel was actually a spy, seemed to be overlooked and you don't get to see what problems his actions had caused in the past. Anyway, although the movie looked top class, I didn't really find it that entertaining and I won't be rushing to watch the movie again. Average!
Round-Up: Steven Spielberg, 69, is one of those directors that people will flock to the cinemas to watch his movies, and when he teams up with Hanks, in movies like the Terminal, Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can, the collaboration usually works. To date, Spielbergs new movie, the BFG, has made $153million but it cost $140million to make so it has just about broken even. Its been a long time since this brilliant director has pulled off anything amazing but he will always be remembered for movies like Jaws, Close Encounters, the Indiana franchise, E.T., the Colour Purple, Jurassic Park etc. With another Indiana Jones and West Side Story, rumoured to be his next projects, I still find it quite surprising that he has only won 3 Oscars, 2 for Schindler's List and one for Saving Private Ryan but I'm sure he will get a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to cinema. His vision and amazing storytelling skills are truly unique but this film definitely wasn't one of his best. Tom Hanks has also gone a bit downhill lately but that is mostly due to the movies that he has chosen, and not his superb acting skills. Anyway, although I found this movie pretty boring, I'm sure that there is a market for this subject matter and it must have touched many hearts.
Budget: $40million Worldwide Gross: $165million
I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/history/thrillers, starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Brian Hutchison, Alan Alda and Amy Ryan. 5/10