Living Up to Hype

Rating: 7/10 (5 November 2015)

Movie buffs pegged Bridge of Spies as one of the premier films of 2015 simply by looking at the credits. Spielberg at the helm along with his main man, the Cohen Brothers script might not have been necessary to generate the early Oscar buzz. Were expectations met? Well I don't think I would stir up to much controversy by saying that Bridge was not one of Spielberg's best. Hanks is still playing Hanks. And I bet that third writer nobody ever heard of actually wrote the script. Still, Bridge of Spies should leave moviegoers satisfied if not inspired. Bridge of Spies covers lawyer James B. Donovan involvement in the events before and after the 1960 U2 spy plane incident. Donovan is played by America's leading man Tom Hanks. Thus he possesses all those fundamental Hanksian values we have learned to love. Donovan has been serendipitously thrust into international covert hostage exchange. Still, this is no cloak and dagger spy thriller. Donovan primarily perseveres by being courageous and amiable. The Cohen Brothers are best sensed in eloquent spats of dialogue between the straight foreword Donovan and his more clandestine adversaries. These sequences highlight the madness of the Cold War and how men like Donovan even in perilous situations are infinitely more valuable than an army of 007s. Sure, the account is largely fictitious, but I appreciate the clear thesis in historical dramas. Spielberg is still a master. Take the opening. A bit of camera movement turns a bystander into a suspicious character. Three men walking in one direction suggest a conspiracy. Finally, the tension breaks, a flustered pair reunite with their equally miffed compatriots, and we have a blown operation. The film might slow a tad too much after the first act, but the craftsmanship evaporates any notion of boring. Bridge of Spies might not be the product of the dream team we were hoping for, but I doubt more than a dozen films well hit theaters this year that could possibly be better.