The Cold War saw the world on the brink of World War 3. While no armed conflict was underway, relations between the United States and Russia remained on a knife’s edge.
Both sides sent spies in to secure information about the enemy, with the highest stakes facing those who were captured.
Bridge of Spies tells the tale of one such event. Meek and unflappable Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) is caught in the act by US intelligence. As an enemy of the nation Abel faces a dire fate, but even the most fait accompli culminations must follow a process…
Jim Donovan (Tom Hanks) isn’t even a criminal lawyer, but he is told to take one for the team, put on a brave face, and make Abel’s conviction as painless as possible. I should now point out that Jim Donovan is the man tasked to defend Abel.
For his part Abel never denies his culpability. He remains stoic and calm throughout, even with demands that he be executed for his sins.
But Donovan refuses to turn a process into a farce. He decides to defend Abel fiercely and fairly, even while his allies, the public and even his own family plead with him to let Abel find his inevitable fate quickly.
When Donovan proves too adept for the system he finds himself a liaison *slash* pawn between three nations; Germany, Russia and the United States, each with a hostage they hope to recover. Donovan finds himself on the wrong side of the newly built Berlin Wall with precious little support and no idea of who his allies truly are.
In the way as always are the politicians and ambassadors who demand everything but refuse to yield anything. Not only do they not see eye to eye but they cannot seem to even tell their own personnel the truth.
Hanks is typically excellent as the steely eyed and determined Donovan, a man who simply wants fairness to prevail. He can, and often does, make films like this in his sleep. While the film is continually compelling it is seldom captivating, like the Cold War itself focusing more on the process than any action. That said Jim Donovan has all the hallmarks of a franchise character, a clever and resourceful Everyman who refuses to take short cuts.
Bridge of Spies is the film you can watch with your folks with no fear of being embarrassed. It is a technically proficient film though that is a little dry to fall in love with. Only fans of superior acting or history buffs will revisit a flick like this. It is that accountant of the film world, where even excellence is sometimes not enough to stand out.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. And one last thing; stupid title.
