Stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Michael Gaston, Scott Shepard, Austin Stowell, Amy Ryan with Dakin Matthews and Alan Alda Directed by Steven Spielberg Director Steven Spielberg continues his stretch of historic based films (since Munich, War Horse, and Lincoln), retiming with star Tom Hanks for a fourth time (Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can being the previous efforts). Although the crusading lawyer fighting an unpopular battle bit has been done numerous time, this might be the first time it’s been tackled by Spielberg. True to form, Spielberg’s direction is impeccable with some beautifully designed shots crafted to his particular storytelling style, slowly building the tension within the story as it rolls along. Given that the movie is “Inspired by True Events”, the conclusion may be a given, but that never stops Spielberg, nor his any of his stars from delivering the goods as one would expect. Set during the cold war of the fifties, Insurance lawyer Jim Donovan (Hanks) is given the unpopular task of defending suspected Russian Spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) in a trial that everyone knows is a simple show-trial; to show that even a spy is given a supposed fair shake. Donovan holds true to his belief rather than the court of popular opinion and ends up forming a respectable friendship with his client, Abel. The interplay between these two in the first half of the movie becomes the foundation for Donovan’s efforts in the second half when he asked to negotiate a trade after an American spy plane and its pilot, Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), is shot down over the Soviet Union. The drama is in line with such period thrillers such as Thirteen Days or even JFK, where the words used are the weapons being handled. For Donovan, clarity is key even when double-speak is in play, especially in the second half when he has to negotiate with both the Russians and the East Germans. In all that, the dialogue crackle alongs, so anyone expecting some shooting action may be severely disappointed. As with his previous historical films, Spielberg does appear to indulge the story a little too much, but unlike with Munich or Lincoln, Bridge of Spies doesn’t feel overly bloated. Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography is beautifully stark, with elegant staging. Thomas Newman fills in John Williams’ considerable shoes well enough but he is missed. Hanks is solid, but it’s Mark Rylance who steals the movie as Rudolf Abel. His performance is fairly quiet, but the stoic nature and realist outlook of his character affords Rylance some opportunities to steal the scenes from Hanks. In all, this is another solid production from Spielberg and his team, with strong performances from his cast of excellent character actors. The pacing barely drags and there are the typical light touches that are part of Spielberg’s storytelling and directorial techniques; a showcase for why Spielberg is still a respectable filmmaker. Rating: ****/5 Please support by buying or recommending to others. Thank you. - b
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