MOVIE OF THE WEEK (10/16/15): BRIDGE OF SPIES
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| "Why no, I don't plan on signing and who is this Kelly fellow you speak of?!" Brooklyn insurance lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) finds himself being followed by a man he doesn't know in a scene from director Steven Spielberg's Cold War drama BRIDGE OF SPIES. Credit: Jaap Buitendijk © DreamWorks II Distribution Co,. LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Austin Stowell, Mikhail Gorevoy, Dakin Matthews, Scott Shepherd, Will Rogers, Sebastian Koch and Alan Alda
WRITER(S): Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
DIRECTOR(S): Steven Spielberg
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Set in the height of America's Cold War fears in the late 1950s, Bridge of Spies stars Tom Hanks as James Donovan, a mild-mannered, family-minded Brooklyn insurance lawyer. Donovan finds his life turned upside down when the boss at his firm (Alan Alda) asks him to take on a criminal case – but this is not just any ordinary criminal case.
You see, Donovan – much to the chagrin of his wife Mary (Amy Ryan) – is being asked to defend Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), a man suspected of being a spy for the Soviet Union, who could face death if he is convicted. While the powers that be want Donovan to provide Abel to a defense to show Russia that America is all about justice, it's needless to say his client's fate – especially given Judge Mortimer Byers (Dakin Matthews) feelings about the case – is a foregone conclusion.
Fast-forward a little while later and Donovan (who has become one of the most hated people in the country for taking up Abel's case) finds himself in a new precarious pickle: Being followed by Hoffman (Scott Shepherd), a CIA agent who recruits him to do something even far more dangerous than defend Abel: Negotiate the exchange of an American spy pilot (Austin Stowell) who is shot down across enemy lines in Russia ... In Berlin ... As the infamous wall that would come to stand as a symbol of oppression for nearly 30 years is being built.
Just another day at the office ...
You see, Donovan – much to the chagrin of his wife Mary (Amy Ryan) – is being asked to defend Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), a man suspected of being a spy for the Soviet Union, who could face death if he is convicted. While the powers that be want Donovan to provide Abel to a defense to show Russia that America is all about justice, it's needless to say his client's fate – especially given Judge Mortimer Byers (Dakin Matthews) feelings about the case – is a foregone conclusion.
Fast-forward a little while later and Donovan (who has become one of the most hated people in the country for taking up Abel's case) finds himself in a new precarious pickle: Being followed by Hoffman (Scott Shepherd), a CIA agent who recruits him to do something even far more dangerous than defend Abel: Negotiate the exchange of an American spy pilot (Austin Stowell) who is shot down across enemy lines in Russia ... In Berlin ... As the infamous wall that would come to stand as a symbol of oppression for nearly 30 years is being built.
Just another day at the office ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Tom Hanks fans; Cold War history buffs; fans of understated acting performances; those who revel in Spielberg's method of storytelling
WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who don't like sanitized-feeling history films; most people under the age of 35 who could care less about Cold War politics; those who would rather see a documentary than a fictionalized historical take about James Donovan
SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Bridge of Spies is one of those simple-yet-effective-even-though-it-doesn't-break-any-new-ground historical pieces that succeeds thanks to a mix of solid storytelling and a committed performance by its lead actor.
No one quite plays an everyman trying to simply do the right thing as well as Hanks, who has maintained his boyish charm well while now fully exuding the mature-beyond-his-years, Atticus Finch-like (prior to the release of Go Set a Watchman) demeanor on screen. This makes him extremely effective as Donovan, a man who never asked to be thrown into the situations he now finds himself in, only to realize the only person who wants him to do the right thing is himself. Bridge of Spies finds him at his best as a man trying to do his best even when no one else wants him to. Noticing a theme here? That's really what the film is about at its core ... Well that and Cold War paranoia and how a man who can be viewed as a villain to some can also be viewed as a dedicated patriot depending on how you look at things – but I digress ...
While the supporting cast proves capable in setting the stage for all the events to play out – Russian actor Mikhail Gorevoy is quite entertaining as Soviet official Schischkin while Hoffman is entertaining as the man who thinks he's in charge but more often than not ends up as the butt of Hanks' character's heroism. While the film attempts to capture the paranoia and fear that existed during the Cold War between both America and Russia, it's much more a story in exploring people, the art of negotiation and the humanity/respect that exists even when you're on opposite sides of the line.
And while it may see a bit too much like a history class come to life for anyone who has grown up in a world where the first HDTVs are "old" technology, Bridge of Spies does its best to connect with everyone else who knows the source material quite well.
No one quite plays an everyman trying to simply do the right thing as well as Hanks, who has maintained his boyish charm well while now fully exuding the mature-beyond-his-years, Atticus Finch-like (prior to the release of Go Set a Watchman) demeanor on screen. This makes him extremely effective as Donovan, a man who never asked to be thrown into the situations he now finds himself in, only to realize the only person who wants him to do the right thing is himself. Bridge of Spies finds him at his best as a man trying to do his best even when no one else wants him to. Noticing a theme here? That's really what the film is about at its core ... Well that and Cold War paranoia and how a man who can be viewed as a villain to some can also be viewed as a dedicated patriot depending on how you look at things – but I digress ...
While the supporting cast proves capable in setting the stage for all the events to play out – Russian actor Mikhail Gorevoy is quite entertaining as Soviet official Schischkin while Hoffman is entertaining as the man who thinks he's in charge but more often than not ends up as the butt of Hanks' character's heroism. While the film attempts to capture the paranoia and fear that existed during the Cold War between both America and Russia, it's much more a story in exploring people, the art of negotiation and the humanity/respect that exists even when you're on opposite sides of the line.
And while it may see a bit too much like a history class come to life for anyone who has grown up in a world where the first HDTVs are "old" technology, Bridge of Spies does its best to connect with everyone else who knows the source material quite well.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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