Bridge of Spies (2015) [+]
Apr 17 2024
Bridge of Spies is a Cold War spy drama based on historical events.
In 1957 Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) is arrested as a Soviet spy and to show the fairness of the American justice system a competent attorney, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), is asked to represent Abel. Although his expertise is insurance law, Donovan was a prosecuting attorney at the Nuremberg Trials and besides nobody else wants the job since it'll make Donovan and his family quite hated by their neighbors.
Donovan tries his best even though the judge, and a friend of Donovan mind you, is quite fine with bending the rules to stymie his efforts to assemble a credible defense. Naturally they lose, though Donovan does convince the judge to not impart the death sentence; but Donovan persists in appealing and willing to appeal to the Supreme Court even though he has no obligation and nobody wants him to do it. It's his personal honor and his high regard for Abel's character.
Throughout the above we get occasional scenes of Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), hotshot US Air Force pilot who, along with a few others, are assigned to work with the CIA flying the U2 plane over the USSR taking photos. On his first mission, in 1960, Powers is shot down and captured by the Russians (and the scene is apparently somewhat accurate to what happened).
Through some machinations the CIA realizes that the USSR wants to trade Abel for Powers but the US government can't be officially involved in such talks so they turn to Donovan who accepts. He's taken to West Berlin and with CIA guidance is sent across the newly built Berlin Wall to make contact at the Soviet Embassy; East Germany being a sovereign country hence the embassy.
Oh, almost forgot. US student Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers) was arrested in East Berlin as the wall was being completed and he was charged with espionage. Donovan's negotiations are complicated by the fact that he wants to also bring back Pryor which the East German government wants but the East Germans have their own goals not quite in sync with the USSR so Donovan has to somehow get the East Germans to release Pryor for essentially nothing.
The last scene is the actual exchange which is a bit tense. Abel and Powers are to be exchanged at one crossing point and Pryor will be released at another crossing point. There is a bit of drama when the East Germans are late and Abel returns a bit of friendship by refusing to cross for a few minutes, long enough for Pryor to be released...
This was a surprisingly interesting film. Tom Hanks does a great job. It's a character drama and both Donovan and Abel are interesting characters. The story has lots of drama with practically like no violence. Definitely worth watching.
In 1957 Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) is arrested as a Soviet spy and to show the fairness of the American justice system a competent attorney, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), is asked to represent Abel. Although his expertise is insurance law, Donovan was a prosecuting attorney at the Nuremberg Trials and besides nobody else wants the job since it'll make Donovan and his family quite hated by their neighbors.
Donovan tries his best even though the judge, and a friend of Donovan mind you, is quite fine with bending the rules to stymie his efforts to assemble a credible defense. Naturally they lose, though Donovan does convince the judge to not impart the death sentence; but Donovan persists in appealing and willing to appeal to the Supreme Court even though he has no obligation and nobody wants him to do it. It's his personal honor and his high regard for Abel's character.
Throughout the above we get occasional scenes of Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), hotshot US Air Force pilot who, along with a few others, are assigned to work with the CIA flying the U2 plane over the USSR taking photos. On his first mission, in 1960, Powers is shot down and captured by the Russians (and the scene is apparently somewhat accurate to what happened).
Through some machinations the CIA realizes that the USSR wants to trade Abel for Powers but the US government can't be officially involved in such talks so they turn to Donovan who accepts. He's taken to West Berlin and with CIA guidance is sent across the newly built Berlin Wall to make contact at the Soviet Embassy; East Germany being a sovereign country hence the embassy.
Oh, almost forgot. US student Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers) was arrested in East Berlin as the wall was being completed and he was charged with espionage. Donovan's negotiations are complicated by the fact that he wants to also bring back Pryor which the East German government wants but the East Germans have their own goals not quite in sync with the USSR so Donovan has to somehow get the East Germans to release Pryor for essentially nothing.
The last scene is the actual exchange which is a bit tense. Abel and Powers are to be exchanged at one crossing point and Pryor will be released at another crossing point. There is a bit of drama when the East Germans are late and Abel returns a bit of friendship by refusing to cross for a few minutes, long enough for Pryor to be released...
This was a surprisingly interesting film. Tom Hanks does a great job. It's a character drama and both Donovan and Abel are interesting characters. The story has lots of drama with practically like no violence. Definitely worth watching.