Spielberg being Spielberg, which is great

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2016)

When Spielberg is behind the cameras you know you're going to watch a movie which is at least correct. Luckily, Bridge of Spies is more than correct: it's a remarkable film from start to finish.
Its strenghts are the great staging, the dark and cold photography and the rock-solid acting. There is nothing more to be said about Tom Hanks, he is able to make crappy films like Da Vinci Code entertaining, so in a good movie like this one, it's obvious he nails it. I've loved the other main character, Mark Rylance as the Russian spy. He transmits composure no matter what is going around him. The ties that bind his character to Hanks' one trascend the main plot and send a bright message: people have essentially the same values, and if we are confronted is just because of the part of the board we started from when we were born.
Its weaknesses, well... no risks taken. The plot is predictable and based in values overused in cinema like friendship, loyalty and honesty. Even the cinematography: after so many movies Spielberg knows himself too well, and his way of managing the resources seems obvious. Don't get me wrong, that is great because with an interesting story we have an interesting movie, but far from that feeling of novelty that makes a film special. To be precise: there are shots which feel like copy-paste from other of his movies (those scenes with headlights in backlighting, those slow chases, those cars moving and braking to stop in front of the camera...) and the pace is sometimes quite slow (there are scenes in which Spielberg shows the exact same thing from different angles, adding really nothing to the movie but redundant information). But anyway, it's an enjoyable movie. In fact the best from Spielberg lately.