Bridge of Spies was one of my favorite movies of last year. I always get excited when Steven Spielberg has another movie being released, and this film was no different. Among a plethora of masterpieces, Bridge of Spies is one Spielberg's best.
Bridge of Spies is the story of an American insurance lawyer who defends an arrested Soviet spy, and then goes on to negotiate an exchange of the spy for a captured American spy plane pilot. This movie may go down as one of my favorite films of all time. Like so many films that I love, this story follows an ordinary man who is thrust into an extraordinary situation. It also focuses on a controversial topic: everyone, no matter if they are innocent or guilty, deserves a defense. James Donovan (Tom Hanks) defends Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) because it is his job. He does this even though it puts his family and his reputation at risk, and he does it because it is the right thing to do. Even after Abel is found guilty, Donovan suggests that he remain alive just in case an American spy gets captured so that a swap can be negotiated. When that point in the movie comes, things start to pick up dramatically. The lengths that Donovan goes to are enormous, and you really fear what might happen if things go sour. This is a powerful film that wields multiple emotions, and will leave you breathless until the end.
Tom Hanks, in probably the most wholesome performance of his career, plays James B. Donovan. Donovan is a man who remains relatively calm throughout this entire ordeal, no matter how dire it seems. Hanks also brings hints of wit and charm to his performance which shine brilliantly throughout the film, particularly in his scenes with Mark Rylance. Hanks can do so much by doing so little. There is a scene in the movie where Donovan watches people get shot, and the emotion in Hanks' eyes is one of pain, shock and disbelief. This scene alone shows why Hanks is the kind of actor that he is.
In my opinion, Steven Spielberg is the greatest filmmaker of our time. He is also my personal hero. No matter what is going on in my life, his movies can always calm me down. He is the director of Bridge of Spies. When this movie was in theaters, there was some criticism that it did not have that typical Spielberg magic. However, I never saw that as a bad thing. This feels like a passion project that is boldly directed by the greatest who ever lived. Every single frame of this movie is important to the storytelling. The scene on the bridge at the climax of the film, in particular, is well-paced and is quite the white-knuckler. The dialogue scenes are fresh to watch because instead of just cutting back and forth between the actors, there are many wide shots that help us see how differently the characters behave in certain situations. There is also a brief torture sequence in the film which is quite jarring to watch because we are not used to seeing that in Spielberg movies, and he films it in a way that is MEANT to be just so. The use of slightly muted colors in the film also help in visually describing how grim the situation is, while at the same time giving us hope for the outcome. This movie is masterfully crafted, and gives you everything you would want from a Spielberg/Hanks movie and more.
Bridge of Spies is an extraordinary film, and is one that makes you think about what is going on in this country today. There is a certain humanity about the movie that shows that one person can indeed make a difference. As a Spielberg fan, as a fan of movies, and as a fan of good stories in general, I highly recommend this movie to everyone.
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