A great work despite lacking suspense

Rating: 7/10 (17 October 2015)

1957. Rudolph Abel is being followed as he retrieves a "dead drop". Back on his place, FBI agents soon storm in and arrest him. Insurance lawyer James Donovan is a skilled negotiator. He gets tasked to defend Abel despite it's been long since he handled a crime case. He accepts anyways. His family questions him about defending an enemy spy, but he insists on his professional code, even advising Abel not to tell anything to the government. Meanwhile, an Air Force lieutenant Francis Gary Powers and a few colleagues get handpicked by the CIA. A CIA agent Hoffman approaches Jim about Abel but he divulges nothing. Jim argues about the legality of the search at Abel's place as there's no warrant; but he meets a dead end. Abel is found guilty of espionage, but the judge holds the sentence for another day. Visited in jail, Abel tells Jim that he looks like his father's friend who stood even after severe beatings. Jim visited the judge with his view of for Abel's sentence; that the judge shouldn't sentence Abel to die so he can be exchanged if suddenly a US spy gets captured in Russia. The judge decides to put Abel incarcerated, to public disagreement.
Gary gets explained about the poison should he get shot down, which he eventually does over Russia. Jim gets a letter from Leipzig supposedly from Abel's family, so he brings it to him. Abel says it's a Russian way to contact him. In Russia, Gary's trial concludes The CIA summons Jim saying he's entrusted to negotiate an exchange of Abel for Gary. He has to act on his own, with no official government support. As Jim arrives in Berlin, complications take place as a US student Frederic Pryor is captured in East Berlin. Hoffman, now Jim's handler, tells him the Russians may switch Powers with Pryor. Jim goes to the Russian embassy in East Berlin supposedly to meet Abel's family lawyer, Mr. Vogel. Instead he meets Ivan Schischkin. He tries everything at Jim; sweet-talking to smoothly threatening; to get Abel and delay Gary's release. But Jim doesn't flinch; he even asks for both Gary and Pryor for Abel, though Schischkin insisted that Pryor is under East German authority. Next Jim meets Vogel who brings the East Germans voice, which demands the US parlays with them about Pryor, acknowledging them as a sovereign state. Hoffman tells Jim to sideline Pryor.
Jim and Schischkin agree on the exchange place in Glienicke Bridge. Vogel backs down, saying Jim's selling the same thing to two parties. As Jim hitches a ride in his car, Vogel tricks him into spending a night in an East German jail. Hoffman accidentally tells Jim that the East German attorney general wants to meet him. But when they meet there's no agreement as Jim insists on his proposal; Abel for both Gary and Pryor. Hoffman gets angry with this, but as they wait eventually confirmation come from other side that Jim gets his way, although the East Germans want to exchange in Checkpoint Charlie. As they wait on the bridge, Jim keeps asking about Checkpoint Charlie. When the Russians arrive and both parties confirm identities, Jim asks to halt the exchange as he realizes the East Germans stall to see if the Americans go through while forgetting Pryor. At last the East Germans arrive and Pryor gets secured, so the Gary and Abel gets exchanged. Jim goes home and his family sees his name credited for Gary's release.
The story contains great potential. A lawyer fervently defends his client despite obvious bias weighing the case, turning into a story of how a civilian managed to negotiate two-for-one prisoner exchange; this movie has its two major acts brimming with things to focus more on. Unfortunately, for me this movie feels like it lacks something. As a story about spies, the movie's first act looks more like a courtroom flick. It tries making it up on the second act, showing great visuals of Berlin on the early Wall era. But still the movie lacks much in suspense, a feat any real spy movie should have.
The technicals in this movie work great wonders. The sets and props look very convincing. I very much enjoy the Berlin Wall train view as great never-been-done visuals. The scoring is also great as it supports in creating great mood for its scenes. The sequence when Pryor gets arrested is also great since as far as I know this movie is the first to show the Berlin Wall as it's being erected. The U2 shooting scene is also a great work as Gary's perspective view from his chute looks very beautiful.
The movie did great in building up its mood and depicting the common anxiety in the Cold War era, particularly with the side scenes. Still, the lack of suspense really undermines the good things in this movie, particularly since this is a Steven Spielberg movie, who did great job in building the suspense in movies like Saving Private Ryan and Munich. The movie could also give more screen time for the second act to emphasize more on the spy aspect of the story, instead of balancing the courtroom drama and the Berlin negotiations.
Acting-wise, the movie is a great work. As the main focus, Tom Hanks nicely measured his performance to be believable and yet still portraying Jim's persistence on his terms of the negotiation. Mark Rylance did well in balancing the performance as in one frame with Hanks. Austin Stowell and Scott Shepherd added nicely to the story angles. Sebastian Koch also did adequately to the story.
My view for Bridge of Spies (2015) is it deserves a 7 out of 10 score. A recommendation is a so-so say from me since although it's a piece of great film work, still the movie lacks the suspense that the audience looks for in a spy movie.