BRIDGE OF SPIES

 

Turning in another one of his incredibly strong performances, Tom Hank’s portrayal of lawyer Jim Donovan in ‘Bridge of Spies’ is another master class in acting. Co-staring alongside Mark Rylance who’s easy almost laconic representation of Russian spy Rudolph Able, Hank’s perfectly timed delivery, relaxed on screen presence and years of experience shines through.

Based on a true story, Hank’s character is the unwilling attorney appointed by the US Government and the CIA to defend Able in what is ostensibly a sham trail, the outcome a foregone conclusion. But with Able now behind bars instead of the more usual death sentence, the shooting down of Gary Powers and his U2 spy plane combined with the East German arrest of an unwitting American student see Hank’s handle the exchange negotiations. Portraying the paranoia of Cold War 50’s America, the building of the Berlin Wall, the bleakness of communism, KGB hierarchy and corrupt officialdom, from the soft lighting, the set dressing even down to the Speed Graphic cameras and courthouse strewn flash bulbs, ‘Bridge of Spies’ transports the viewer back to an era when fear abounded.

 

 

Successfully exchanging two Americans for one Russian, Donovan and his family’s initial vilification by his fellow citizens eventually becomes genuine admiration. Equally, the film goes on to highlight the quietly spoken lawyer’s eventual international involvement in and around numerous global, the real Jim Donovan’s skill in negotiation averting the nuclear devastation that would have been WWIII.

A film that Hanks, Rylance, director Steven Spielberg and the rest of the cast should be justly proud, Bridge of Spies is not only an excellent, carefully thought out and crafted thriller, it’s a valuable lesson in how things were and how they could have been. Whether you appreciate a superbly shot and crafted film or have an interest in this oft overlooked period of history, to describe Bridge of Spies as a multi-faceted masterpiece wouldn’t be an overstatement.