Explaining The Cold War Era

Rating: 8/10 (27 February 2017)

The combination of director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks is almost certain to produce a quality product at the cinema. That's exactly what happens (again) with "Bridge of Spies". It probably won't be your favorite effort from either of those two film luminaries, but it is instead a quite, brooding tale about life and espionage during the Cold War.
For a basic plot summary, "Bridge of Spies" tells the adapted-from-true-events story of James B. Donovan (Hanks), an insurance lawyer tapped to defend one of the most hated men in America, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), who is convicted of spying in our homeland for the Soviet Union. Donovan first fights for Abel's rights (when no one else will seem to, even in full breach of the law), then is sent to Russia in order to facilitate an espionage-laden exchange mission.
The area in which "Bridge of Spies" works best is when it can relate the themes of the Cold War to everyday life, showing that the events around the world may change over time, but people's reactions to them are usually more predictable. The overwhelmingly negative and hateful response to Abel's more presence in the country is startlingly familiar to the country's response to people of Islamic faith after 9/11. Seemingly all rule of law (and even some of decency) was thrown out the window in favor of "patriotic justice". Early in the film, there is also a poignant angle dealing with how children are reacting to Cold War tensions. At school, they are taught to "duck and cover" in case of an Atomic explosion (right after reciting the pledge of allegiance, of course), and at home Donovan's children are all very conflicted about how he could possibly defend the "Commie traitor".
Bolstering those themes is the expected brilliance from Hanks in the leading role. Here, he is very much akin to, say, Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird", or the typical Jimmy Stewart "defend peace and law at all costs" type role. In a world turned upside-down with misinformation about the Communists and hatred about something that isn't probably understood, Hanks's Donovan is able to keep a level head and pursue the tasks that really seem to make a difference, such as diplomacy and preserving the rule of law.
The only reason "Bridge of Spies" probably isn't even better is that the "espionage stuff" over in Russia, while still rather entertaining in general, isn't the highlight of this film. The themes in the first half or so of the movie, feating Donovan's interactions with his family and the Abel case, just work on a deeper level. It still turns out to be a pretty emotional and satisfying ending, but the time spent in Russia is where things tend to get a little formulaic or draggy. Again, nothing terrible, but enough for me to drop this to four stars instead of an all-out five.
Overall, I enjoyed the deep themes and powerful messages of "Bridge of Spies", as well as the notable acting performances given. It is a movie that can really be enjoyed by anyone teenaged years and up, as it touches on so many distinct avenues to get its message across. That Cold War era is one that often doesn't get its "fair shake" in history books or curriculums, so it is nice to see Spielberg bring it to the masses.