“Bridge of Spies” is the true story of insurance lawyer James Donovan, who’s given the nearly impossible task of defending Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in an American court at the height of the Cold War. The feds capture Abel and, as the American public clamors for his head and a treason charge, it falls on Donovan to ensure Abel receives due process. And an already tense situation becomes explosive when the Russians capture an American fighter pilot and the East Germans nab an American student studying abroad.
Donovan heads to Europe to broker an exchange with the fates of three prisoners and, to some degree three nations, hanging in the balance.
It’s a Steven Spielberg film so it’s directed impeccably. The acting is superb; particularly the scenes between Tom Hanks (Donovan) and Mark Rylance (Abel). If we had one criticism it would be that the film takes a while to get going and doesn’t have as much action as you might expect. It’s somewhere between “Saving Private Ryan” and “Lincoln” … probably closer to “Lincoln.” A good film; maybe not great; but definitely worth seeing.
