Spielberg has done it again in his new Cold War drama "Bridge of Spies," where an insurance lawyer must try and exchange a soviet spy for two American citizens caught behind enemy lines.
The story centers on James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn, as he tries to make a deal with Soviets and Germans to try and acquire two Americans who are currently being held hostage by the aforementioned parties. All the while, Donovan must follow his own country’s constitution when it comes to how to deal with a Soviet spy who he happens to be defending.
The film has a star-studded cast headed by Hanks. Other great cast members range anywhere from Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Jesse Plemons, and even a great role from Mark Rylance who plays the Soviet spy.
The film also includes a great performance from Austin Stowell, who plays the part of an American pilot who gets shot down over enemy territory and must wait to be rescued in a Soviet prison.
"Bridge of Spies" does a lot of things extremely well. For a 141 minute movie, it is paced really well; it even sets up perfectly in a three act structure. The story is well told so that you can follow along with all of the intertwining stories so that at the end of the film where the story resolves, you aren’t left with any plot holes.
However, there is just one gaping fact that I could not get over the whole time.
And it was this...
This film was almost uncannily close to Frank Capra’s "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939). If you’ve never seen the film, you need to do so immediately.
In Capra’s film, Jimmy Stewart plays the part of a country boy who gets summoned by a money and power hungry Congress to take the seat of a representative who has recently passed away. Yet they only elect him because they think that they’ll be able to control him like a puppet. Stewart chooses a route that is more patriotic than what the Congressmen want him to choose, and thus conflict ensues.
I won’t spoil the ending because it’s a great film, but there is a case to be made here.
While Hanks isn’t going around and punching all of the CIA agents in the face (Capra reference), he is only chosen to be the defender in the Soviet spy case because the CIA thinks that Donovan will just throw the case. However, Donovan follows the Constitution and gives the spy his required Due Process.
While there are many more cases like this in the film, I’ll let you see the movie and have you be the judge.
Besides the fact that it is hiding behind the façade of Capra, "Bridge of Spies" is an absolute hit. Spielberg has managed again to entertain both the crowd and cinephiles alike.
Not only that, but let us go back to the last film that Spielberg directed which was "Lincoln" in 2012. Not only did it get nominated for Best Picture, but Daniel Day Lewis also took home the Oscar for his performance.
I’m not saying that Hanks is a shoe-in for the award (stay tuned for my review of "Steve Jobs"), but I am confidently saying that we should all expect Tom Hanks to be nominated for his performance.
GRADE: A
