Contact CU Independent News Staff Writer Danny Anderson at Daniel.R.Anderson@colorado.edu
Steven Spielberg will go down as one of the greatest American filmmakers of all time. But we already knew that. The patriotic “Bridge of Spies,” featuring a gripping performance from Tom Hanks, is yet film another to add to Spielberg’s canon of movie gold along with classics like “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “E.T.”
This Cold War-era film, which is based on a true story, follows James Donovan, (Hanks) an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn tasked with defending Russian spy Rudolph Abel, who is amazingly portrayed by Mark Rylance. The chemistry between Hanks and Rylance is brilliant and surprisingly funny throughout the film.
When a U.S. U-2 spy plane is shot down over Russia, and pilot Francis Powers (Austin Stowell) is taken as a POW, Donovan must negotiate with Russia for a prisoner exchange.
The pivotal scene is complete with Russian interrogators towering over the American pilot, in a classic Spielberg shot, with tall shadows cast on the wall, while the interrogators wait for the phone to ring. Simultaneously, death threats arrive in the form of letters and bullets through the window in Donovan’s living room.
If you’re looking for more of a James Bond-esque movie with chase scenes, gunfights and explosions, “Bridge of Spies” doesn’t quite fit the bill. This is a slow-burn spy thriller navigated expertly by Spielberg and Hanks.
The film was released everywhere on Friday, Oct. 16. If you’re looking for a great night at the theaters and the opportunity to catch a film with real Oscar-nomination potential, “Bridge of Spies” will not disappoint.
