Le Pont des espions

Don't be fooled by the title. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into when you watch this film. Bridge of Spies is literally about the Cold War Bridge of Spies, where Soviet/US spies were exchanged through negotiations. This is nothing like "The Americans" (FX TV drama - for some high unrealistic and over-sexualized espionage action - redirect here) and the most action-packed scene you will see is Francis Gary Powers getting shot out of his U2 plane during his mission.

Bridge of Spies is really a historical/legal drama. And based on my preliminary research, they seem to be getting most of their facts right. Obviously a little bit embellished for Hollywood's sake, Bridge of Spies does a fine job as a historical docudrama. There is a lot of talking, but it's meaningful talking. At times, the film can be a little slow {opening scene, especially}, but give it a chance and you might enjoy it. History buffs like myself will definitely enjoy it. But thrill-seekers, you're better off to see the new James Bond movie instead.

This movie hit me really strangely.

I was expecting a political drama about the cold war, and while indeed it was that, I was not expecting to have so much fun and for Bridge of Spies to be so humorous.

The Coen brothers writing a movie Steven Spielberg would direct just sounds like a winning combination and it really was. Sealing the deal, was a great performance by Tom Hanks.

Tom Hanks does what he does best, by playing an everyday man in an average life. James Donovan was just an insurance lawyer who gets caught up in the middle of the Cold War. Bridge of Spies, starts him off so normal and then turns his life into quite an adventure.

And I do mean adventure. In the hands of Spielberg, the movie's visuals were large and epic. I was expecting this movie to feel more like his last flick, Lincoln. Instead it feels more like Indiana Jones, as James Donovan travels to Berlin at the time when the wall was being completed.

Watching Hanks play Donovan who is just swept into an overwhelming situation and just keeps his cool and his charm is just highly enjoyable.

Totally loved Bridge of Spies, It's one of the best team ups between Hanks and Spielberg and even though Lincoln was a great movie, Bridge of Spies is everything Spielberg is capable of. So entertaining.

In 1957, during the Cold War, the insurance lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is assigned by the Bar association to defend in court the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), who was captured by the FBI. Donovan is successful and Rudolf is sentenced to life imprisonment instead of death penalty. Meanwhile the American pilot and spy Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is arrested by the Soviet government while taking photos from a spy plane that crashed. The CIA summons Donovan to help in the negotiation to exchange the two spies. When Donovan learns that the American student Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers) was arrested in the border of East Berlin while trying to bring his German girlfriend to the West Berlin, he decides to include the student in the negotiation. However his proposal is not supported by the CIA that is interested in Powers only. Further, Powers is prisoner of the soviet government and Pryor is prisoner of the GDR (German Democratic Republic). Will Donovan succeed in his intent?

"Bridge of Spies" is a great spy thriller based on a true story in the period of the Cold War. The plot is engaging and the cinematography, costume design and art direction are amazing. It is unnecessary to comment the direction of Steven Spielberg and the performance of Tom Hanks, perfect as usual, but it is impressive the capacity of negotiation of James B. Donovan. This American lawyer is shown as an impressive negotiator, having cold blood to make tough decisions. The credits informs that Donovan has been also successful negotiating later in Cuba the release of prisoners. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Ponte dos Espiões" ("Bridge of Spies")

Bridge of Spies (2015)

*** (out of 4)

Attorney James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is given the thankless job of defending suspected Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). Donovan accepts the job but soon finds himself defending his client a bit too good for some, which leads to him being the main negotiator between America and Russia when it comes time for a prisoner swap.

Steven Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES isn't one of the director's greatest works but it's certainly a very well-made film that manages to hold your attention throughout the rather long running time. I must admit that the trailer for the film really left me cold so I wasn't sure what to expect from the film but overall it's another good movie from the director, although the ending falls into that cringe-worthy, over-sentimental stuff that the director does quite often.

With that said, there's no doubt that there's a highly good story being told here that grabs your attention and doesn't let it go. The screenplay by Joel & Ethan Coen and Matt Charman does a very good job at capturing the spirit of the period and even if you're not familiar with the Cold War the film does a nice job at bringing you up to speed on the various fears. Spielberg perfectly handles the material and milks it for some nice drama as well as some political points that are certainly meant to be taken into consideration on some current issues.

Hanks, as you'd expect, turns in an excellent performance and is certainly believable in the role of the attorney who finds his life spinning out of control from not only his wife but strangers who feels he is helping a spy. Hanks is such a calm grace that it really was entertaining just seeing him negotiate. Rylance also deserves a lot of credit for the way he played this character and I really loved the laid back approach to where the character never tips his cap in regards to what and who he really is. Technically speaking the film is quite good and of high standards.

BRIDGE OF SPIES could have been a bit tougher on the political aspects but it's goal was to aim for the mainstream and in the end it's an entertaining film.

"Everyone deserves a defense. Everyone matters." James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks)

In Bridge of Spies, Steven Spielberg once again masterfully goes to the historical drama with a righteous man's theme (think Schindler and Lincoln for starters). This time lawyer James B. Donovan is asked to defend an accused Soviet spy, Rudolf Able (Mark Rylance, superb), in order to show the world the American justice system is democratic.

The story is "inspired by true events" with the outline of the exchange of Able for U-2 downed pilot Gary Powers historically accurate. As usual, Spielberg recreates the times with the atmosphere, cars, and film noir aspect of a spy thriller in the figurative and literal Cold War. He said, "I always wanted to tell the stories that really interested me in my personal life—which are stories about things that actually happened."

Hanks is central to Spielberg's vision of the lone hero defying the odds and supporting the highest ideals of the American Constitution and the individually virtuous man. Never does Hanks overplay the good-guy card; he's just very adept at playing an everyman not always right but always righteous.

The dialogue is crisp, a no fooling around typical of Spielberg and Hanks but a charming bad guy as well: James Donovan: "Aren't you worried?" Rudolf Abel: "Would it help?" As producer Kristie Macosko Krieger commented about Spielberg, "He's got a childlike sense of wonder. He never gets tired of hearing stories . . . . " Bridge of Spies is vintage Spielberg with a Lincoln-like atmosphere, righteous hero, and intriguing multi-plot, an entertaining spy story brimming with humanity.

As the director says, "This is more about very smart people in conversation with each other, and the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads is that, if they make the wrong decisions, it's the end of the world."