By Al Kessel
I'm sure that most of you reading this review have no clue who Francis Gary Powers is. You MAY have heard of the U2 Spy Plane (and no, it's not the plane that Bono and company use to sneak to concerts). And I'd bet my favorite bottle of Scotch that you've never heard of Rudolf Abel. This is history. Real history. Not exactly super exciting history, but interesting history. This is the story of a few little remembered people who came close to changing the entire world. This is Bridge Of Spies. Well, the movie anyway.
Way back in ancient times, the late 1950's, an accused Soviet spy (Russia was once called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - USSR) was caught and thrown in prison. Believing they needed a 'show' trial to prevent the USSR from using his arrest for their own propaganda. So, they enlist the help of attorney James B. Donovan (played brilliantly by Tom Hanks) to 'defend' him. But what they didn't count on was the fact that Donovan's devout love for justice and his unwillingness to 'play ball' with the U.S. Government in a farce. Events eventually lead Donovan to Germany, just after the construction of the Berlin Wall, to negotiate a prisoner exchange when the aforementioned Francis Gary Powers is shot down over the USSR in his super cool spy plane. Yes, I glossed over a lot of details, but this is a review, not a book report! You'll have to watch the movie to fill in these blanks.
To be completely honest, I thought Bridge Of Spies was going to be more 'action oriented', kind of like a Jason Bourne movie. But it's not. And a good thing it's not. I love Tom Hanks, he's a superb actor, but I can't exactly see him running around, beating the bad guys down, Bourne style. But Hanks does what he does best. He brings complete life to his character. And, he makes history something very interesting to see. In fact, although I knew about the events depicted in Bridge Of Spies, I learned about them in history class in school, so they were really just semi-boring historical events for me. But director Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast and crew, brought these event to full color life and actually made them...interesting. I know, right? From the dialog, to the sets (they actually filmed a great deal in the actual settings), to the look and feel of the film, down to the music, Bridge of Spies is a movie that deserves all the critical acclaim it has garnered.
If you're looking for an action packed, kill the bad guy in spectacular ways movie, wait for the new Jason Bourne movie coming out. BUT...WHILE you're waiting, do yourself a huge favor and see Bridge of Spies. Get a glimpse at how real spy work happens, and how the real world of politics operates.
Bridge of Spies comes in at about two hours twenty minutes, but there's really no slow parts to the movie. Each scene builds on the next.
Bonus Content:
- A Case Of The Cold War: Bridge Of Spies - The story of James Donovan, Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and the threat of nuclear war. This piece explores the characters and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across generations and is relevant in today’s political climate.
- U-2 Spy Plane: Beale Air Force Base - The story of James Donovan, Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and the threat of nuclear war. This piece explores the characters and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across generations and is relevant in today’s political climate.
- Spy Swap: Looking Back On The Final Act - The story of James Donovan, Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and the threat of nuclear war. This piece explores the characters and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across generations and is relevant in today’s political climate.
- Berlin 1961: Recreating The Divide - A mix of behind-the-scenes footage with iconic archival imagery transports viewers to another place and time as the filmmakers construct the Berlin Wall, envision what it was like to cross through Checkpoint Charlie, and recreate the divide. On set in Berlin just days after the 25th anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a historian who lived through the experience describes what being there means to her. In Poland, where the Wall was recreated for the film, tanks, hundreds of extras and powerful sequences make the setting feel epic and surreal.
Joyce and I both liked Bridge of Spies very much. It presents historical events in a powerfully believable way, and is actually very entertaining. On a scale of 1-5, we give it a 4.9.
