Triumph of Spies!!!

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2015)

Historians have chronicled the events during the intervening fifty-three years in director Steven Spielberg's gripping Cold War thriller "Bridge of Spies," so little comes as a complete surprise. Despite the conspicuous absence of suspense, this lavishly produced, persuasively acted, and thoroughly engrossing film remains utterly captivating. Working from a screenplay by Matt Charman, rewritten by Joel and Ethan Cohen of "Fargo" fame, Spielberg makes largely minor departures from the actual occurrences as they unfolded and recreates history with atmospheric spontaneity. Tom Hanks plays the congenial central character in this literate chess game of international espionage that opens with the arrest of a Soviet spy in America and culminates on a lonely Berlin bridge at dawn with rival world superpowers swapping the spy for captured U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. Spielberg doesn't squander a second in this literate narrative and shoehorns a plethora of action into 135 minutes without resorting to glamorous heroics and gratuitous pyrotechnics. Everybody always raves about the magnitude of story above all else, and "Bridge of Spies" exemplifies why a good, solid story—even one that has been well-documented in the international press at the time—can still yield an immensely entertaining film. Each character stands out dramatically, and each has been etched with sympathy so we are concerned about their situation. At the heart of the matter, "Bridge of Spies" emerges as a realistic, bona fide "Mission Impossible" outing when you consider all the variables that the unseen hand of fate brought to the table. What makes it doubly interesting is that only a singular incident like this could have ushered these individuals into each other's company.
"Bridge of Spies" unfolds with the FBI arresting Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance of "Prospero's Books") in Brooklyn during 1957. Abel had maintained a low-profile as one of the top Soviet spies in America. Masquerading as an artist, he collected sensitive information without calling attention to himself. The Soviets relied on what are known as dead letter mail boxes. Information could be stashed and retrieved, without it being apparent to most people, in innocuous places. Abel sat on a bench one day to paint a picture of a bridge. As he adjusted his easel, he felt under the bench and found a hollowed coin containing a coded message. Later, after the Feds raided his studio apartment, Abel destroyed the message under their noses while they ransacked his premises for incriminating evidence. At this point, Brooklyn insurance claims attorney James Donovan (Tom Hanks of "Forrest Gump") enters the arena. The corporate law firm where he is a partner informs him that the New York Bar Association wants him to serve as Abel's pro-bono counsel so nobody can impugn American justice. Mind you, everybody but Donovan considers Abel's conviction a foregone conclusion. Of course, he concedes he has been chosen to defend the most hated man in America. "Everyone will hate me," Donovan laments, "but at least I'll lose." Neither Donovan's wife, Mary (Amy Ryan of "Capote"), nor his children share his principles. Nevertheless, Donovan goes into court swinging with everything that he has, and he discovers the deck has been stacked against him. Judge Byers (Dakin Matthews of "Thirteen Days") refuses to grant Donovan adequate time to prepare Abel's defense. Later, when Donovan advises Byers that the FBI had no search warrant so all the evidence should be banned, the judge ignores him. Inevitably, despite his noble efforts, Donovan cannot clear Abel. Later, Donovan visits the judge at his honor's residence and persuades the crusty old jurist to display some compassion and sentence the Soviet to prison rather than the electric chair. Byers heeds Donovan's advice despite frenzied public opinion after he delivers his verdict.
In the meantime, the CIA recruits U.S.A.F. pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell of "Whiplash") to fly a high altitude jet to conduct aerial reconnaissance over the U.S.S.R. A Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missile cripples Power's plane. He bails out, but fails to obliterate his U2 plane. Of course, the Soviet capture Powers, convict him as a spy, and sentence him to prison. Not long afterward, Donovan receives a letter from the Soviets and finds himself flying to Berlin as a private citizen to negotiate a prisoner exchange: Abel for Powers. Donovan gets the royal runaround between the Soviets as well as the East Berlin authorities. Nonetheless, he proves himself to be a shrewd man with a bargain, and he pits the Soviets against East Berlin. Ultimately, he never gives ground during these complicated negotiations. The catch is he must negotiate between the superpowers as a private individual rather than an official American envoy. Read Donovan's insightful memoir "Strangers on the Bridge," and you'll acquire a new appreciation for this crafty attorney.
Hanks brings a jovial, 'aw shucks' Jimmy Stewart charm to his portrayal of Donovan. Literally, "Bridge of Spies" could be seen as "Mr. Smith Goes to Berlin." Hanks looks like a paunchy, unassuming figure without a clue, but he emerges as the sharpest tack in the box. Donovan's history is pretty amazing when you think about what he accomplished. Meantime, Mark Rylance distinguishes himself as Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and he overshadows Hanks with a 'less is more' performance. Repeatedly, Donovan makes comments about Abel's apparent lack of anxiety. Facing certain death, the imperturbable Abel refuses to let the pressure affect him. "Would it help?" he queries Donovan to worry about his fate. Austin Stowell reminded me of cub reporter Jimmy Olsen from the 1950s' "Superman" TV show. He embodies the wholesome, clean-cut, but ambitious American who refuses to commit suicide and struggles to make the best of a dreadful predicament.
Spielberg does an exceptional job of condensing and cross-cutting these events. Budgeted at $40 million, "Bridge of Spies" looks authentic with its multiple locations in American and Europe. Indisputably, "Bridge of Spies" couldn't have been produced during the Cold War because objectivity would have been harshly compromised. Spielberg's historical reenactment is relevant because contemporary American democracy faces similar challenges.