Bridge of Spies (2015) Film Review

Within the long career and filmography of the legendary Steven Spielberg, the gradings of his productions can be ranked across a standard America grading policy, with sure-fire classics such as Jaws, Saving Private Ryan and Raiders of the Lost Ark known as being his A-Grade material. However, his more recent creations have lead to splits between the critical alumni and the audience, as Lincoln dazzled and bored its wide audience while Tintin failed to spark audience interest despite its Indiana Jones elements which made the director a household name. But with Bridge of Spies comes his fourth collaboration with Tom Hanks which often comes with success, alongside a dramatic retelling of a Cold War-era debacle, and of course critics have been eating it up, and financially it hasn't done too badly either. But is the hype strong enough to warrant potential awards buzz? 
In the mid 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, both sides are on edge over the potential threat of spies from each side seeking secrets. One such reported spy was Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), who in 1957 was captured by the FBI under the belief that he was the Russian spy who was leaking secrets to the motherland. As a way to prove how fair the American law system is, insurance lawyer James Donovan (Hanks) is hired to take the heavy task of proving that a man known by all (bar Abel) to be guilty that he's in fact innocent. Thus follows not only the heavy task of helping a KGB spy which has put James and his family's lives in jeopardy for being the only people in America willing to commit a level of treason. Meanwhile a US plane goes down and the Soviet Union takes Francis Powers (Austin Stowell) captive to gain US secrets, so Donovan now has the prospect of organising a switch; a difficult task for someone who deals with insurance issues. 

Like I said before, Spielberg tends to have a higher barrier to tackle to create what most would call classic material, and as such is the reason why so few films tend to be remarked as 'the best', and in the case of Bridge of Spies it's sad to reveal that it doesn't fit in with the pantheon of career highlights. Certainly, it remains a good film with a serviceable storyline which rarely halts for unnecessary reasonings, and the occasionally witty one-liners as part of Hanks and Rylance's characters do lend themselves to memorable moments in an otherwise serious picture, but as a film as a whole it doesn't exactly expand into anything  other than a straight-up retelling with plenty of intentionally funny moments. And of course, Spielberg's direction remains as strong as it's been since his earliest days; while nothing quite as bold nor bombastic as say Jurassic Park, but what appears is still strong stuff from the legendary director.

Still, at least we have the immensely charismatic Tom Hanks on hand for a strong lead performance which has been getting some level of Oscar buzz. As the everyman lawyer who stands by his morals, he does make for a strong performance which may be on the spectrum as one of his most memorable roles – although probably not as high on the list as Woody from Toy Story or Forrest Gump. By his side for a good proportion of the film is Mark Rylance in an incredibly likeable performance as the supposed spy, with his simple approach of not worried about anything while being humbled by Donovan's attempts of keeping him away from the death sentence; and as such scenes set in Berlin while he's imprisoned do tend to lack a certain level of charm to them. Also, his American equivalent in the form of Austin Stowell lacks much in terms of character, with a great chunk of his development coming at the hand of his captors. Equally, his fellow captive in the latter half in the form of Will Rogers has little to show despite being a key component in Donovan's pleas with the Soviets. Other co-stars do leave some form of impact on the film though, with Amy Ryan leaving the biggest impact in the form of Hanks' wife along with the numerous CIA operatives helping him out in the risky scenario in play.  

Bridge of Spies may not be Spielberg's strongest entry, nor his best Best Picture contender, but it is still serviceable viewing and certainly one to watch if you're interested in what the critics are eating up right now. It has strong performances from the main actors and a screenplay which rarely slows down, and its conclusion leaves plenty of tense anticipation, but otherwise it is a standard entry to the Oscar competition. Enjoyable, but a tad overlong and with some underdeveloped characters. 7/10.