by Ryan Lewellen
In 1957, Brooklyn insurance lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is put-upon by his respected firm’s superiors for a definitively thankless task. The FBI has caught Rudolf Abel (the brilliant Mark Rylance), a man who is undoubtedly a Soviet spy, but rather than immediately sentence him to death, the government believes he must publicly stand a fair trial to save face. Unanimously voted for the job, Donovan takes his duty more seriously than anyone had hoped. Even the presiding judge is disturbed by the defense attorney treating this case as anything more than a mere procedural obligation. The trial goes on, and though Abel is found guilty, Donovan has succeeded in saving him from the death sentence. Thanks to his efforts, when an American spy is captured by Soviet forces some time later, the CIA can use Abel as a bargaining chip, and has chosen Donovan to negotiate the exchange in Berlin (both Berlins). Even more a fish-out-of-water scenario than before, the clever American lawyer must keep his wits about him as he navigates a conflict of espionage and manipulation by way of his impermeable moral compass.
Spielberg’s latest film is not a story of America triumphing over evil. Bridge Of Spies is about one man, perhaps we might call him a “rugged individual”, standing between two warring tribes. In this regard, and a few others, one can think of this film as a Western with an Eastern setting. He isn’t armed with a gun, but with an objective righteousness — an unwavering determination to find the right thing, and do it. Who better to play such a role than Tom Hanks? The veteran leading man is as appealing as ever in this role, and he makes for a perfectly sympathetic and inspiring protagonist. His regular screen partner, Rylance, might have stolen the show had he only been featured in a larger portion of it. As Abel, his calm silence is at first, unsettling, but as his character slowly becomes more recognizably human, that creepy quiet is replaced with prudent wisdom. The excellent work doesn’t end with them, however, all the characters are finely written and fully realized by the wonderful cast.
Now, this is Spielberg we’re talking about, here. Even Schindler’s List has a surprising amount of pep and humor, and the comedy is in no short supply in his vision of this short act in The Cold War. The movie is quite funny, thanks I’m sure to screenwriter Marc Charman’s collaborators, The Coen Brothers. That being said, is isn’t all heartfelt warmth and giggles that form this narrative, and the filmmakers don’t shy away from glimpses of the dimmest corners of these dark days. The Berlin Wall has just been constructed when Donovan begins his negotiations, and we are often reminded the divided city/country is a grim and violent place.
The gracefully shifting tone takes us smoothly through this completely entertaining and astonishing story. Donovan’s commitment to his mission is beyond admirable, and every scene, no matter how free of action, overflows with enthralling guile. It’s the kind of movie, like A Man For All Seasons, which should inspire its audience in the most important way. Rather than focusing on our own personal gain, we should all be learning, and growing wiser, and giving those gifts back to the world in an effort to make it a better place.
All of that being said, I wish I could say this is a perfect movie. Although moving and uplifting without much schmaltz, this is very much a mainstream film, and it often feels overwritten. So many lines brim with subtext, but just as you are having a thought about the meaning behind the words, the screenplay takes your thought and dumps it right in the dialogue. It feels like the script taking you firmly by the hand and saying, “this way”, and begins leading you down the path you were already on. It’s irritating, and more importantly, it takes you out this world you were so enjoying.
For all the film lacks in subtlety, it gains in humility, however. Bridge Of Spies has no misgivings about just what might or might not have been accomplished in this event. Without saying too much, the final moments remind Donovan, and us, this is only one small struggle in an insurmountably large battle humanity fights to save itself from its own oppression. Riding on the commuter rail back in Brooklyn, he sees a gang of neighborhood kids storming a fence, reminiscent of an earlier scene at The Berlin Wall. In a wider shot, the full train is carrying only a single non-Caucasian person. This African American woman isn’t exactly centered in the frame, but the image is composed in such a way that she should be easily noticed. It all calls attention to those arbitrary divisions we have placed between each other, then, and now, but hopefully not forever, if we could all be a bit more like the film’s hero.
