Review of Bridge of Spies (2015) by Amy-Lauren B — 09 Aug 2016

Set during the Cold War, Spielberg's latest period offering follows the true story of James B. Donovan (Hanks), an American insurance lawyer who is tasked with providing the legal defence of Rudolf Abel (Rylance), a suspected Russian spy. The case forces Donovan out of his comfort zone; he must question who to trust, how to best serve his client, and consider his actions for the greater good. The already tense situation escalates when Donovan must travel to Eastern Germany and broker a trade between the two governments; Abel for an American POW.

First off, there's a lot to like. If "Spielberg" wasn't enough, whenever I see Hank's name on the billing, I breathe a sigh of relief. What the man can communicate in a look or the tone of his voice is pure magic. Here, he gets to play off against the sombre and understated performance of Mark Rylance, who works a lot with pauses and keeping silent. The pair are in fine form and bring life to the story.

Note: next sentence contains spoilers (how the film starts).

It's opening scenes are interesting, but could have proved slight problematic - we know from the opening sequence that Abel is in fact a spy, which removes some of the mystery and suspense. Giving the audience this vital information from the start removes what could have been an underlying thread of enigma for the rest of the film. This allows the film to focus on the real nitty-gritty details and context, rather than going down the questioning route - does this man really deserve to be convicted of his crimes?

There's a great deal of noticeable, visual symbolism. Much of the scenes Donovan experiences during his stay in Berlin are reoccur when back on home soil. His brief time in the ruins of a not so distant war leave a lasting impression, and appear to haunt him - and perhaps for the audience too. Now, it doesn't have quite the visceral, emotional strength of Spielberg's superior Schindler's List, which has a bigger emotional impact. But it's still deserving of the ticket price if you're a historical fan. It takes the tensions and suspicions of a generation, and boils down the story to one specific instance between a small group of people.