A somewhat exciting but rather bland story of Americans helping each other

Rating: 6/10 (8 April 2016)

Bridge of Spies is about a simple American lawyer, played by Tom Hanks, who during the 60's Cold War defends a Soviet spy, played by Mark Rylance. Hanks eventually end up in the middle of East Berlin to negotiate a trade, the Soviet spy for an American pilot. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg which means that the two heavyweights are reunited once again, the last time being in 2004 when they collaborated on The Terminal. Bridge of Spies was nominated for an Oscar, among others in the category for best picture. Mark Rylance won surprisingly for best supporting role.
Bridge of Spies is a very skillfully crafted film but with such a competent director as Steven Spielberg, I wasn't expecting anything else. What really stands out with Bridge of Spies is how great they've recreated East Berlin in the 60's. The production design, the costumes and the music is indeed top class. I was curious about the story itself, but at the same time I sort of suspected it to be a pretty one-sided tale of American heroism. I was right.
The fact that Bridge of Spies is told from an American perspective is not a problem, there are tons of great films told that way. The thing that bothers me is the liberties they take with the truth, just for dramatic effect. Everything can of course not be true in a film based on real events, but this film steps over the line a couple of times. An example of this is the portrayal of how the Soviet treats their prisoners just to make them look worse. The other thing that bothers me is the pacing of the film and the fact that it never really takes off. It's sort of like watching a motion picture combined with a documentary where they twist and turn the truth. Hanks spends a lot of time in East Berlin without ever really finding out anything new and vital. With its 2 hours and 20 minutes, Bridge of Spies is simply too long and could have been made on or below 2 hours. The story is however interesting and the film looks good, 6 out of 10.
David Lindahl - www.filmografen.se