In "Bridge of Spies", Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks bring us a 1st Class historical drama.

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2015)

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that his daughter had asked him who played the character called Hawkeye. "Alan Alda," was my friend's reply, thinking of the surgeon on TV's "M*A*S*H". But my friend's daughter was asking about the Marvel Comics character in the "Avengers" films (played by Jeremy Renner). Besides amusing me, that little story got me thinking about how I was going to write my review of Steven Spielberg's historical drama "Bridge of Spies" (PG-13, 2:21). If I'm going to discuss a movie in which "The U-2 Incident" plays such a big part, it might be a good idea to point out that this reference has nothing to do with ticket scalping at a rock concert or anything of the sort. In fact, to better appreciate this review and, more importantly, Spielberg's film, you might want to do what I just did – reinforce and add to your historical knowledge of the aforementioned Cold War crisis, the Hollow Nickel Case and Rudolf Abel, Francis Gary Powers and James Donovan. Or you could just read my review and then go to the film, not just for a great cinematic history lesson but to see one terrific movie.
Tom Hanks stars as James Donovan, a New York insurance lawyer in the 1950s. Donovan is smart, honest, hard-working and, most importantly, he has principles and integrity – especially when it comes to the law. He has also served his country in uniform and assisted in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials. Donovan's law firm's senior partner (played, coincidentally, by the same Alan Alda mentioned in my previous paragraph) asks him to accept the thankless task of defending accused Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (multiple Tony Award winner Mark Rylance).
Donovan is understandably less than enthusiastic about all of this, but his sincere belief that "everyone deserves a defense" leads him to take the case. In spite of (and because of) his patriotism, he represents this obviously guilty spy as zealously and ethically as he represents all his clients. In the vehement and almost universal anti-communism of 1950s America, Donovan runs down every ground ball, making him one of the most hated men in America – and even endangering his family. His wife (Amy Ryan) supports him throughout the case, but she has some trouble understanding the lengths that he goes to for Abel.
Fast-forward a few years. Abel is still in prison, and Donovan brings him a letter supposedly from his wife in the U.S.S.R. The letter amounts to a back-channel proposal from the Soviets to discuss trading Abel for recently captured U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). C.I.A. director Allen Dulles personally asks Donovan to negotiate the swap – but as a private citizen, NOT as a representative of the U.S. government. Telling his wife he's going on a business trip to London, Donovan heads to East Berlin, just as the politically divided city is being physically divided by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
With a C.I.A. employee (Scott Shepherd) briefing and supporting him, but needing to otherwise keep his distance, Donovan begins his dangerous mission. Navigating check points and a street gang, he walks alone from West to East Berlin for an appointment inside the Soviet embassy. He meets unofficially with another man to, as Donovan says, "have the conversation that our governments can't". Further complicating an already tenuous negotiation is Donovan's personal decision to insist that the prisoner swap include an innocent American university student recently detained by East German authorities. Clearly, it's going to take every ounce of Donovan's intelligence, skill and nerve to accomplish his objectives, not the least of which is avoiding getting shot or even detained and put on trial himself.
"Bridge of Spies" is that rare movie that can make history come to life and give it the immediacy of a first-class cinematic drama/thriller. Of course, there are those (as two people behind me in the theater seemed to do) who will walk out of a movie if it isn't very quickly filled with explosions, murders or at least a good chase scene, but short-sighted individuals like that miss an opportunity to enjoy the artistry of well-crafted stories that, sadly, are not as common as they used to be. This entire cast is exceptional, especially Hanks, who is as at the top of his game in full-on thinking man's "boy scout" mode, and Mark Rylance who deserves significant awards season recognition and, of course, the always impressive Ryan.
I should mention that the Cold War intrigue highlighted in the film's trailers is all in the second half of the film, but the script, co-written by Matt Charman and none other than Ethan and Joel Coen, is smart and compelling throughout. That story, coupled with Spielberg's expert touch, impressively recalls a time and tone that few Americans still remember, while giving us the twin dramas of a Soviet spy in the U.S. and a downed U.S. pilot in the Soviet Union. These two tales are seamlessly woven together and perfectly edited. The film also reminds us that what makes all of us Americans are not the political or religious beliefs we hold, but the principles we all stand for. "Bridge of Spies" is as American as apple pie and about as rewarding an experience as anyone, regardless of nationality, could hope a film to be. "A"