Review: BRIDGE OF SPIES Is Great, But Simple

It's 1957, the U.S. is about a decade into the coldest of wars, and an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn is unanimously chosen by his peers to defend an accused Soviet spy.

Why was James B. Donovan selected to represent one Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, you ask? Well, the answer is simple. It was necessary to choose a competent, upstanding lawyer to give the appearance of a fair trial - and no one else wanted the job.

Though Donovan lost the case (and no, that's not a spoiler - it's history), he did succeed in keeping Abel out of the electric chair, convincing the judge to spare Abel's life in the event that one day he might be swapped for a captured American spy. So not only was Donovan competent and upstanding, he was also prescient, because meanwhile a group of square-jawed military men were being recruited by the CIA to do some recon over Soviet airspace. One of whom was pilot Francis Gary Powers.

By the way, if none of these names ring a bell, then you missed a pretty good episode of Days That Shook the World. Or a day in history class. Either way, Steven Spielberg's got your back with his first film in three years, BRIDGE OF SPIES.

Powers was shot down and captured by the Soviets, and Donovan was brought in to negotiate the exchange of the young pilot and his client Abel. It's a tall order for an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn that grows to Jack and the Beanstalk proportions when a young American graduate student, Frederic Pryor, is captured by the East Germans. Despite all kinds of gamesmanship and pressure from the Soviets, the East Germans, and the U.S. government to leave it alone and focus on Powers, Donovan isn't the kind of man to leave an innocent kid behind, making for an interesting third act.

BRIDGE OF SPIES, like Spielberg's last "inspired by true events" film LINCOLN, is a good movie. Better than good really. Spielberg is great, BRIDGE OF SPIES is visually dynamic, the script from Matt Charman and Ethan and Joel Coen is well-paced, dramatic and humorous. Tom Hanks (James Donovan) and Mark Rylance (Rudolf Abel) are excellent. There are no weak links acting-wise. The resulting film is quite satisfying, and will (deservedly) end up on an Oscar ballot in February, no question.

So why does the film seem so ... simple, so on the nose?

The film lacks complexity, partly because Donovan, as a character, is a man above reproach, honest and principled in a remarkably black-and-white shadowy world. Hanks brings that affable Tom Hanks charm to the role of Donovan, a man who believes in truth, justice, and the American way even more than Superman (only his superpowers involve being scrupulously aboveboard, doggedly persistent, and righteously indignant - even when he has a cold.) But, to be fair, real life Donovan might have just been that kind of guy. The kind of guy to say things like: "Our principles are engraved in the history and the law of this land. If the free world is not faithful to its own moral code, there remains no society for which others may hunger."

Really, it's a credit to director, writers, and actor that overwhelmingly earnest lines like "every person deserves a fair trial" or "every person matters" don't elicit an eye roll. BRIDGE OF SPIES literally harkens back to a simpler time, and it's nice while it lasts. But once the credits roll, even acknowledging how well made the film is, this is not one that will stick with you years from now. Heck, it might last until you walk out of the theater. But it is one that, if you come across it on tv one quiet Sunday afternoon, you'll put the remote down and watch it. And there's nothing wrong with that.

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BRIDGE OF SPIES, directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Scott Shepherd, Amy Ryan, Sebastian Koch, and Alan Alda. It is rated PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language.

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

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