Bridge of Spies
Go! Another Spielberg Classic
Smooth, suspenseful spy thriller.
Rather than a winter-time battle fought with weapons of mass de-congestion; history (read: Wikipedia) suggests that the Cold War was a huffy, passive-aggressive, hair-flicking barney between the US and its buddies, and the Soviet Union and its comrades. "Passive" because it amounted to a long-distance staring competition, but "aggressive" because if anyone blinked then the whole planet would probably have been destroyed by things that look like lovely, fluffy mushrooms on TV, but that are actually horrific, inhuman, biblical incinerators. Next year will be 25 years since the Soviet Union fell - an event that caused the two sides to warm things up, probably with lots hugging, vodka and back-slapping. That said, given current geopolitics (with Russia tiptoeing its way into the Ukraine; indulging us in the jolly, old-fashioned game of "who are you actually bombing?" in Syria; and getting its fighter jets shot down by Turkey), we might actually be heading back to another grandiose, global pissing contest where a bunch of little boys stand in a circle and unzip their suit trousers, but instead of getting it out and having a piddle, they just stand there and stare creepily at each other until someone finally wets themselves and runs away crying.
In life, as with pissing contests, timing is everything. Bridge of Spies - Steven Spielberg's latest film, based on a true tale of Cold War era espionage and clandestine diplomacy is released this week at a fantastically topical time. It tells the story of the USA's 1957 arrest, trial and incarceration of Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance, The Other Boleyn Girl); and the work of his attorney, James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks, Captain Philips) in five years of defending him and negotiating his eventual release. The pair became the hinge of international relations in the early 60s when US surveillance pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell, Whiplash) was shot down over Russia and imprisoned and Abel became the Americans' make-weight in a potential exchange deal to retrieve their fallen soldier.
In many ways, Bridge of Spies looks like your typical, mid-century espionage story. There are long raincoats, multiple trilbies, fake coins containing spy stuff, horn-rimmed glasses, and the requisite number of middle-aged white men saying important and strained things while drinking whisky. What makes this film different is entirely down to Spielberg, Hanks and Rylance. Between the three of them (and backed by Matt Charman (Suite Francaise) and the Coen Brothers' (Inside Llewyn Davis) strong script), we are given a real masterpiece of American storytelling - all the more impressive given how much truth sits behind the story.
In many ways, Bridge of Spies looks like your typical, mid-century espionage story. There are long raincoats, multiple trilbies, fake coins containing spy stuff, horn-rimmed glasses, and the requisite number of middle-aged white men saying important and strained things while drinking whisky. What makes this film different is entirely down to Spielberg, Hanks and Rylance. Between the three of them (and backed by Matt Charman (Suite Francaise) and the Coen Brothers' (Inside Llewyn Davis) strong script), we are given a real masterpiece of American storytelling - all the more impressive given how much truth sits behind the story.
This is perhaps unsurprising, particularly given Spielberg's involvement. The director is a mountain of cinema, churning out classics since his first big hit - Jaws - in 1975. His expertise lies in identifying the root of what makes a story compelling, then using the characters and scenarios to dig it up; here, for a very balanced and captivating 2 hours and 20 minutes. Bridge of Spies is therefore not really a story about what happened to Abel, Donovan and Powers. It amounts to a story about the principles of justice, fairness and the competing desire for retribution in a democratic society. This is told with a simplicity, subtlety and clarity of purpose that is rare because it is so difficult to achieve. Never does the film yield to the temptation of straying into sensationalism and hot-headed drama. We are kept in an exciting tension throughout a compact and powerful story that needs only to press lightly on the sharp end of a needle to have its effect, rather than pummelling us in the face with a dull mallet.
As a lawyer defending a foreign enemy in the face of social censure and CIA interference, Hanks is equally masterful (and practised) in playing a man bearing the weight and pressure of remaining honourable and level-headed. Rylance is even more impressive in a supporting performance that carries an incredible intensity and portrays a steady stoicism in each of his moments on screen. Such male characters are hugely interesting, particularly at this fragile political time in the world and in other hands, this could have been an opportunity missed. Together, the performances embody the rarely glorified idea that we don't all need to be hawkish, insular militants. Their calm pull and release of tension in a tug-of-war against their fascinating and challenging circumstances is a joy to watch. There is only a short phase in the middle where the rope is left sagging for a little too long, but otherwise, Bridge of Spies knows only how to stride along with pace and composure.
So go. A terrific, clean story; told with absolute skill, that couldn't have come at a more relevant time. Gentlemen - learn how to keep those trousers zipped.
So go. A terrific, clean story; told with absolute skill, that couldn't have come at a more relevant time. Gentlemen - learn how to keep those trousers zipped.