Modern American Propaganda

Rating: 7/10 (28 November 2015)

'Bridge of Spies' looks at the peak of the Cold War tensions between two global superpowers as part of a political three-way negotiation drama. The movie is a good one and is well directed by Steven Spielberg and of course brilliantly acted by Tom Hanks, but it has one fundamental flaw: We are blatantly given the impression that America is loving and caring while the Soviet Union is cold and unsentimental. This becomes especially clear in the end parts of the movie. The characters involved in the swap are well-played and well develop through the film. The Soviet 'spy' (and very talented artist) is on one side of the deal while the Economics student studying Communism in Fascist/Capitalist Germany (whoever does that...) is on the other side of the table alongside Francis Gary Powers. The film in more than one way is therefore unbalanced and does not excitingly exceed expectations, as previous Hanks/Spielberg productions have such as 'Band of Brothers' and 'Saving Private Ryan'. A decent - good film overall nevertheless which manages to keep a good level of suspense throughout. 7.0/10