Bridge of Spies

Tom Hanks stars in this Steven Spielberg directed true tale of cold war espionage, politicking and brinkmanship. In 1957 soviet spy Rudolf Abel (played here by Mark Rylance) is arrested and sent for trial. The man asked to represent him at trial is lawyer James B Donovan an insurance specialist who helped prosecute war criminals in Nuremburg. Reluctant to take the case on he remarks that representing a soviet spy will make him one of the most despised men in the country, and what’s more is, he is going to lose. But does he? What follows is a story of persecution, redemption and heroism.

Bridge of spies is really is a film of three parts, and all three are as exciting and thrilling as each other. The first is the story of the underdog against the establishment when Tom Hanks playing lawyer James B Donovan refuses to give one of the most hated men in America anything less than the best defence he can and fight against the populist agenda that the spy should be executed.

The second part is the downing of U2 spy plane and capture of its pilot Gary Powers plus the building of the Berlin wall and imprisonment of student Frederic Pryor in East Berlin. The third sees Hanks character Donovan navigating his way through the fog of subterfuge and misinformation, not to mention nights in a local Police station and getting mugged in East Germany in order to negotiate a prisoner exchange. Spielberg has lost none of his story telling prowess and Hanks just gets better with age. This is an excellent example of what can happen when a highly talented troupe of artists make not only a commercially appealing film but one with a message and something real to tell.