A Strong and Bright Light, James B. Donovan, Trying to Make the Difference in a World, the Cold War, Full of Darkness

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2015)

Bridge of Spies is the fourth collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. This particular one is much more focused on persuasive and intense dialogues and not on big action scenes, but due to the beauty and consistency of the conversations, the film doesn't become boring.It has a captivating and inspiring plot and is based on a true story that took place during the Cold War. As presume, the direction is spectacular, Steven Spielberg once again proves to be one of the best. With the help of Janusz Kaminski, movie cinematographer, they manage capture the minutiae and subtleties in each scene, making the picture having an amazing aesthetic, besides the setting and scenery being very well-constructed and provide a higher truthfulness to the movie. Considering the portrayed event and troubled time that happened, the film could have brought a higher tension, the lack is mostly felt around Tom Hanks' character, James B. Donovan, as he's doing something so outrageous in the Americans' perspective. The hostility is there,it's perceptible but it's not high as it might be. A aspect which could help fulfill this need is the soundtrack, which didn't show up as expected, instead was restrained and discreet.
Tom Hanks is the highlight among the cast, he delivers a great performance. The character is fantastic, his power of rhetoric and persuasion are astonishing as a result his speeches are just jaw-dropping. Another good acting was Mark Rylance being Rudolf Abel. He transmits such serenity and wisdom due to his personality, and when he and Tom Hanks are in the same scene, you just sit back and enjoy their chemistry creating some impressive discussions.