BRIDGE OF SPIES

Very well done, well cast, well-acted and nicely paced historical drama about two connected real life events, one the story of private lawyer James B. Donovan (played by Tom Hanks) negotiating the release of two prisoners during the Cold War, that of Francis Gary Powers (the U.S. Air Force U-2 pilot whose plane was shot down in 1960 when it was flying over the Soviet Union) from the KBG, and of American student Frederic Pryor (in the wrong place at the wrong time) from East Germany. The name of the film is in homage to the Glienicke Bridge where part of the prisoner exchange occurs. As part of that exchange Donovan is supposed to exchange a Soviet spy caught in New York City and arrested, a man prior to the exchange the government approached Donovan about representing in court as a defense attorney, a spy named Rudolf Abel (played by Mark Rylance, a role he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor). Really the film was at first a courtroom drama, of Donovan trying to get the best trial, put forth the best case for his client despite a doubtful family, a meddling CIA, an unsupportive judge, and a rather hostile American public. That alone could have been a good movie, but then we get the Cold War intrigue in East Berlin, with Donovan acting in the best interests of his new client, Powers (and despite government objections, doing what he can for both Abel and for Pryor, the latter a person barely on the government’s radar). The film did a good job of really having two entirely different films, a court room drama and Cold War spy intrigue, but they were linked by Tom Hank’s performance, of his character’s shrewd negotiation skills, great ability to read people, and his unwavering dedication to his clients, whomever they are. Skills that got the best trial possible for Abel also served to help Donovan get the best deal possible for the two Americans held in captivity. Great ensemble cast, excellent cinematography (especially the East Berlin scenes), really great late 1950s, early 1960s feel, there was good tension, some great emotional performances, light touches of humor, just all around an excellent historical drama.

“Bridge of Spies” is a Steven Spielberg-directed spy thriller that stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Austin Stowell, and Will Rogers. It tells the true story of how an obscure New York lawyer is recruited to negotiate an exchange of spies between the United States and the Soviet Union. Four men are at the center of this fascinating and well-told story. Rudolf Abel (Rylance) is a Soviet intelligence agent working in New York City. In 1957, the FBI arrests Abel for espionage. He is quickly tried and convicted of the charges. Abel’s defense lawyer is James Donovan (Hanks), who previously had been requested for the job. Donovan reluctantly agrees to defend Abel. With all the anti-communist hysteria surrounding the case, he knows that it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Abel will be convicted. About the best Donovan can hope for is to convince the hard-nosed trial judge not to give his client a death sentence. The third and fourth men in this story are Francis Gary Powers (Stowell) and Frederic Pryor (Rogers), two Americans serving time in separate prisons behind the Iron Curtain. Powers is a U-2 pilot working for the CIA. He had been shot down while flying over the Soviet Union. Pryor is a graduate student studying in Berlin, who just happens to be on the wrong side of the infamous wall then under construction. Their cases are about to become linked in a high stakes game of power politics between the world’s greatest superpowers… Re-enter James Donovan. The CIA recruits him to go into Berlin – by himself, and with no government backing – to negotiate an exchange of prisoners. The CIA wants an Abel for Powers-only swap. But on his own, Donovan decides to negotiate a two-for-one exchange: Abel for Powers AND Pryor… How will the CIA and the governments of the Soviet Union and East Germany react? What will be the outcome? And what dangers does Donovan face while scurrying about in Berlin in search of a deal? Watch this great film to find out… I really enjoyed “Bridge of Spies.” The film had just the right amount of tension to make it a first-rate spy thriller. As one might expect, all the actors are at the top of their game – especially Mark Rylance, who won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his superb acting. Tom Hanks turns in another in a long line of outstanding, polished performances as James Donovan. “Bridge of Spies” is one of the best films of 2015, and one of my new favorites.. Highly recommended.

I didn't get to see this movie in the theater, and I only buy movies on DVD if I'm pretty sure I'll want to watch it more than once. This movie is even better than I'd hoped! Five stars! I affirm everything the other 5-star reviews say. Superb storytelling, superb acting, an excellent history lesson about this particular time in history (I was only a toddler during the time in which this movie is set). It has relatively little "action" in terms of chases, fight scenes, etc., but it is deeply emotionally engaging and often both tense and intense (I was seriously biting my nails for various characters in some scenes). It is also very thought-provoking from beginning to end (and after the end, when I and the people who had watched it with me launched into literally hours of discussion). I was constantly thinking that I thought Donovan (Tom Hanks) was right about most of his decisions, wrong about a few, but I always liked him because in every decision he was highly principled and certainly brave and heroic, and most of the time I agreed with him (1000% after he agreed to negotiate the prisoner swap with the Soviets and East Germans -- he was at his most heroic then). The kind of man I'd want as a close friend for life, and debates/discussions with him would have been epic and fascinating. Donovan seemed so ordinary on the surface, but scratch the surface and you discovered a man of rare intelligence, human insight, moral and ethical principle, cleverness, and courage. The movie deeply engaged my emotions and really made me think. I cared very much indeed for Donovan and both American men he struggled to save. I even cared about Mr. Abel, the enemy spy he had to defend at trial. This movie isn't relevant only in a historical context. The emotional, moral, ethical, and political questions raised in this movie are forever relevant, especially in our modern times. I and many of my family and friends will re-watch this movie many times.

Wow! The movie was a little slower than I had expected but somehow... I just couldn't stop watching it because the story line gripped me and Tom Hanks is such an incredible actor who did a phenomenal job here. I love movies that are based on true stories, so that definitely helps, and I think that maybe the slowness of this particular movie actually helped add to the depression that was felt in the time of the cold war, especially behind the iron curtain, but also here in the US with the constant fear of a pending nuclear war. Having said that, I would have liked to see a little bit more action and a few more details surrounding the Powers case - for example, when his plane crashed, what happened? We didn't see him being captured or why he didn't use the scratch pin. The next scene after his plane diving from the sky was a very short trial, which was very unlike any Soviet trial in its cordiality and fairness. It would have been good to have the huge gap filled in. Also, in the US at the time we were denying the existence of the plane and Powers with newspaper headlines, and the Soviets responding that they had the whole plane. It was a fiasco. I'm curious why absolutely none of that was in the movie; for me, that was a glaring silence and disappointing. It was a leap from that silence to Powers being "the most hated man in America" as Hanks said later on. These are the reasons I'm only giving the movie four stars. However, I would highly recommend anyone to watch this. It's really a great movie despite these lacks, and for someone like me who didn't know much about the Powers situation, it was a learning situation, and also fascinating to see a visual portrayal of the Berlin Wall being built, together with the desperation that accompanied it at that time.

So much to love about this movie: Rylance/Hanks pairing of exquisitely balanced temperaments and the sets which include German Democratic Republic messengers bicycling through embassy hallways, wooden and chrome interior of the public train, and horrors of wintry Eastern Germany with gangs, wild dogs and citizens beings shot like dogs for attempting to cross over the newly erected Berlin Wall. This is in contrast to swell, sunny Fifties Cold War Brooklyn -- you know, back when everybody was white and the Russians were scheming? All of the groups of white men in various office settings, agendas flying, characters unfolding. We witness Hanks and Rylance act according to principles without expectation of decency in return. Hanks, an impassioned defender of the Constitution, gets nothing but grief from his wife (the unrelentingly excellent Amy Ryan), his boss, the CIA and an assortment of wack diplomats. A man true to his word he stays solid and grounded in the face of drama, preening and pretense. Getting neither respect, acknowledgement, nor support he persists in a string of melodramatic exchanges as exactly who and what he is: the reliable insurance guy who acts and communicates clearly, consistently, firmly and calmly. Rylance embodies a drier, more detached persona. His character understands all and expects nothing. When confronted with his lawyer's honorable practices he communicates the perfect parable to illustrate simultaneously his true appreciation in tandem with his awareness that much is outside of either of their control. He utters such truisms as "I'm not afraid to die, Mr. Donovan, although it is not my first choice." This brings me to the screenplay which was written by - - - the Coen brothers! and some other guy. Props to Scott Shepherd, the dickless Agency guyunburdened by subtlety or empathy, the perfect foil, or fool, to Hanks' Donovan who will not suffer him gladly. As with Lincoln, and Schindler, Spielberg is depicting another ubermensch who keeps his head as the surrounding crowd morphs into a mob. There are so many elegant details, including a nickel extracted from a spy cache that neatly separates for the transmission of coded messages. Spielberg's cinematographer embraces extremes of climate from slick black umbrellas in the darkest, densest downpour to copious flurries among bombed out buildings, soldiers, guns and gangs. And in the midst of all the hullaballoo two smart, solid, stolid characters acknowledging their shared qualities across a binary cultural divide.

Loved this movie, it brought me back to the actual bridge where Gary was exchanged. And Tom is no matter what an American icon in acting.

Tom Hanks plays the role of James Donovan an insurance lawyer who had previously been an American prosecutor during the Nuremberg Trials. He is tapped by the American Government to defend a recently captured, long time, deep cover Soviet spy named Rudolf Abel in order that the world should see that American justice is fair and impartial. Hanks defends his client too well. He does not get him off but he does prevent Abel from being executed when he points out that keeping him alive may prove useful in a potential spy swap with the Soviet Union. Prophetic. Shortly thereafter, Francis Gary Powers is shot down over Soviet Russia piloting a U-2 spy plane. Powers is unable to destroy the plane or commit suicide so the Soviets now have the plane (badly damaged) and Powers. The opportunity now exists to arrange a swap between of the convicted Soviet spy Abel for the captured spy plane pilot Powers. But wait, then comes a wrinkle. In a completely unrelated event an American university student travels into East Berlin just as the Soviets are closing their sector (East Berlin) to all traffic in or out except through specific check points. The American student is arrested by the East Germans as a spy. Now, the American government taps Hanks again. This time to arrange a swap of Abel for Powers. This is the basis for the rest of this remarkable well told story. And, it is true. In my opinion this is one of the best roles Hanks has played.

Great movie. Older movie but still a great thriller if one hasn’t seen it. Tom Hanks was exceptional.

Trasig

A fantastic watch for history lovers.

I myself recommend this movie very much cause i experienced it myself in imax, and i loved, bcoz it shown the dealings and negototians in exhange of their spies and he himself defending a traitor, its a very good exceptional spy film But at the same time its not a movie where americans are won, they're great stuff like that, propaganda all, This movie is about a humanity, and prosperous relationship b/w countries. It all ties really well with this true event. And that is a great feat. I mean hanks and tom gave us another exceptional film on spies propaganda and all, but i won't recommended this in blu ray cause why to waste that much money on a blu ray which is mainly focuses on true story, I'll only recommend blu ray for great cgi effects and action ones, so I'll recommend cause guys its a quality thats more than enough for a true event story, and dvd is a very fair deal. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Una muy buena producción como la mayoría de la películas en las que actúa Tom Hanks, muy bien lograda y con un tema muy interesante.

Steven Spielberg has done it again. I went to see Bridge of Spies recently and it is nothing short of brilliant. Centred on the trial of accused Russian spy Rudolph Abel in New York City, and the subsequent spy swap for U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers, this movie is full of suspense as it carefully unfolds the story of the surveillance of alleged spy Abel, his capture, trial, the fear within America of nuclear attack, the preparations for American U-2 spy flights in Soviet airspace, the downing of Powers' plane, his arrest and sentencing in a Russian court, and, eventually, the mission of New York lawyer James Donovan (who had been recruited by the U.S. government to defend Rudolph Abel so that the U.S. is perceived to be effecting due justice) to arrange a prisoner exchange — Russian spy Abel for American spy Powers — in East Berlin where a wall had just been erected to stem the flow of civilian flight from east to west. Spielberg deftly intersperses the U-2 flight training and preparation in between scenes of Donovan (Tom Hanks) doing his best for his client despite the opposition of the majority of U.S. citizens. Donovan refers at one point to Powers as being the most hated man in America after Abel, and himself. His family endures threats and violence because of his defence of the stoic Col. Abel, who is portrayed beautifully by British actor Mark Rylance. Donovan argues to Judge Byers against the death penalty, that there may come a time when they need to redeem a spy of their own. Byers (played by Dakin Matthews) agrees and sentences him to 30 years — an extremely unpopular decision which unleashes a lot of hatred toward Donovan and his family. Sure enough, along comes Francis Gary Powers (played by Austin Stowell). We see a unique view of the Russians building the wall in 1961 and the bitterness of west Berliners for the devastation of their city by the Russians. Here Spielberg inserts an interesting sidebar that didn't get a lot of press at the time. A young university student, Frederick Pryor (played by Will Rogers) is in Berlin working on his thesis on communist economics. As he tries to rescue his professor and the professor's daughter, he is detained at the wall, then imprisoned as a spy. CIA operative Gamber (played by Victor Verhaeghe), ‘Bridge of Spies’ by DreamWorks Studios.coaching Donovan behind the scenes through the exchange negotiations, couldn't care less about Pryor but Donovan is determined the exchange will not happen unless they get this young man as well as Powers. The tension on the bridge as Donovan waits for confirmation that Pryor is being released at Checkpoint Charlie is palpable as Agent Gamber keeps trying to get Abel to cross for the exchange and he sides with Donovan and waits. BRIDGE OF SPIES, directed by Steven Spielberg, is the story of James Donovan, an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA enlists his support to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot.y, I wrote a review of the classic movie Thirteen Days, a movie which gives a glimpse into what life was like back in the early 60s with two super powers threatening nuclear war. This movie, also, gives a retro-look at the fear the cold war instilled in Americans (and their neighbours), and also, to a lesser extent, at life in Berlin — a divided city where most people on the eastern side lived with fear, deprivation, and loss of civil liberties. Even with knowledge of the basic story — which is, afterall, history — this movie resonates with tension, suspense, and empathy for a lawyer trying to thread a moral way through a labyrinth of political contradictions, jealousies, and government disinvolvement. Several statements over the end visuals tell what happened to the various main characters which brings closure to the events. You can learn more about this major part of American history at numerous sites around the web. As different parts of US documentation becomes declassified, there are more questions than answers about some of the events portrayed in what is, beginning to end, another magnificent movie from Spielberg and Hanks.