Review: Bridge of Spies

Hello everybody! This week, I’m reviewing Steven Speilberg’s latest film, Bridge of Spies! Please remember that these thoughts are my opinion and my opinion alone.

Bridge of Spies is biopic that takes place during the Cold War. The story starts off with a Soviet spy (Mark Rylance) being captured, and as with the laws of our country, the spy is given a right to a lawyer and that lawyer is James Donovan (Tom Hanks). Later on in the film, an American pilot gets captured after his plane gets shot down over the Soviet Union. Donovan is chosen to then negotiate the exchange between the pilot and the spy. This takes Donovan to East Germany, where things are getting heated and hostile.

First off, there is a lot of good things to say about this movie. The performances were great, especially Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. Their characters felt genuine and the writing really helped bring that out. This movie was also well shot. There’s some interesting ways that imagery and camera movement is used at several moments in the film. An example is Tom Hanks taking a train form East Berlin back to West Berlin. That’s all I’ll say. This movie also does a great job of creating the Cold War setting. The world felt authentic, with the exception of one part at the beginning.

What I really enjoyed about this movie was the ideology of Donovan’s character. When it came to defending a Soviet spy, a person that most would say is a traitor, Donovan would do what it takes to show that every person deserves a chance to have their case be heard. Donovan will do what it takes to get the job and it shows throughout the entire film.

There are some negatives. First, I thought the movie dragged in several places. A person in the theater even fell asleep at one point, if that proves anything. Perhaps some trimming could have been done. Also, I felt like there were two movies combined into one. There is a certain point when you can notice that divide. My final thing I want to point out is that there wasn’t too much..tension. The exchange itself was tense, but the negotiations just seemed like casual conversation. I’m not saying I want a melodrama, but at least put some more range of emotion in it, especially with what was at stake back then.

Bridge of Spies isn’t for everybody. If you think there’s going to be a lot of action. You’re not going to get that. There’s a lot of talking, but the talking is done well. It’s a solid biopic. It’s not Speilberg’s best film, but it’s certainly one to put on your list to see in the future.

Recommendation: Wait For DVD/Netflix

Those are my thoughts on Bridge of Spies. Have you seen the film? What did you think of it? Let me know. Thanks for reading everyone and I’ll be posting a review next week.