As Gripping and Smart as Any Spy Thriller Made

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2016)

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
With "Bridge of Spies", Steven Spielberg infuses new life in Hollywood's all-but-forgotten Cold War espionage thrillers from the 70s and 80s. He goes about creating an arresting, sometimes haunting milieu in the midst of a mission of wits and high-intensity at the height of the Cold War, where American attorney James B. Donovan is recruited by the CIA to negotiate the release of a US spy-plane pilot - shot down and captured in Soviet territory - in exchange of a KGB spy, Rudolf Abel, who was arrested for espionage in the US.
Spielberg enters full-blown Stanley Kramer mode, and triumphantly delivers (like he has on numerous times in his distinguished career) a socially conscious tale of back-and-forth diplomacy and behind- closed-doors politics at home, at the office, and on the global stage. At the same time, he doesn't let up the tension for a moment in this richly-detailed narrative where the interactions between smart and unpredictable characters is the main focus of the Director and his writers (the maverick Coen Brothers; avant-garde filmmakers in their own right). And, eventually, it's these interactions that are the core foundation of "Bridge of Spies", with its real strength lying in the bond developed between its two main characters - unwitting negotiator Donovan (Tom Hanks in fine form) and incarcerated Soviet spy Abel (Mark Rylance deservedly an Oscar nominee). The warm portrait of a highly unlikely friendship is perhaps the movie's greatest achievement, even more than its sublime Direction, crisp writing, lasting cinematography, and exemplary performances.
Steven Spielberg and the Coen Brothers take on the Cold War and spy world with a visually stunning, tension-filled, and surprisingly feel-good thriller that slithers along with gripping intensity and tantalizing uncertainty.