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Bridge of Spies (2015)

Bridge of Spies review.

written by Souranath Banerjee

My Ratings: 3.8/5.

It’s definitely a good Spielberg film but certainly not one of his best.

2015 must have been a difficult year for all the espionage agencies because no matter how hard the spies try to hide, their covers are repeatedly been blown in the numerous spy-films made on them.

From the Kingsmen to 007, Tom Cruise to U.N.C.L.E – this year Hollywood has been obsessed with Spy movies. And now Steven Spielberg decides to join the party.

After a gap of 10 years actor Tom Hanks and director Steven bridge-of-spies-poster2Spielberg join hands, this being their fourth collaboration (previous ones being Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal); and this time they come up with a historical spy-thriller (based on true events) called Bridge of Spies.

The film is set in 1960, when the Cold War was at it’s peak.

Bridge of Spies is actually a biopic on American insurance-attorney James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) who agreed to risk his reputation and his safety (as well as his family’s), in order to serve his country in the most righteous manner possible.

Firstly, he had to defend a captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) in the American court of justice and then, he was recruited by the CIA and sent to the-then hostile Germany (Berlin being partitioned) to negotiate a spy-exchange mission between the two rival countries – America and Russia.

Rudolf Abel being the Russian spy who was exchanged with Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), the American pilot whose aircraft was shot down over the Soviet borders (the U-2 incident).

Now, Bridge of Spies not only successfully depicts the moral obligation of Donovan’s character and his constant quest for justice
bridge-of-spies-poster1but the film also manages to create the tension of that particular era,
the desperate attempt of the two super powers trying to topple each other by any means possible.

But then, don’t expect too much dramatization of events.

Bridge of Spies faithfully clings to the pages of history, not much of a suspense element created anywhere in the movie, pretty much gives away the basic story line from the start and also it’s more of a dialogue based spy film.

Written by Matt Charman and the famous Coen brothers ( Ethan Coen and Joel Coen), and with Spielberg’s direction and some brilliant performances, the film surely deserves attention.

If you like authentic historical espionage cinema more than the thrilling fast-paced fictional spy films – this one is tailor made for you.

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