[Cuatro] Spielberg uses an excellent calligraphy that reflects double realities: the painting, the mirrors, the wall that separates and the bridge that unites, East and West, two for one... The sense of patriotism depends on the point of view, while Tom Hanks uses the Constitution to demonstrate that being an American is not a matter of origin, but of integrity. There are also many scenes that are repeated, but showing two results: the looks on the train, the jump over the fence... Life is full of double meanings
Spielberg + Hanks = Amazing!
This movie is so good.
Like almost everyone, I really like the works of Steven Spielberg and the acting of Tom Hanks (oh, except for reviewers who called this a "Dad movie"...it's too bad you are limiting yourselves to missing a lot of classics based on your silly old guy filter). Together, these two guys are a can't miss duo. They have made some amazing films and "Bridge of Spies" is yet another. I don't know how I missed this. I knew it existed but it just never caught my attention.
This film looks amazing. The performances of Hanks and Mark Rylance are great. There isn't a lot of action, but the dialog and story are fantastic. The scenes near the East Berlin/West Berlin wall and the turmoil in the area was palpable. It felt as if Hanks's character was in constant danger. Spielberg's forced happy endings have bothered me at times but this one felt special and deserved.
The story is great and the acting is brilliant. However, it's extremely boring. People started leaving the cinema right after the middle of the film. In addition, the main idea that 'those bad soviet-russian-guys are not even people, they're worse than animals, they'll torture you just because they don't like' and stuff, and at the same time Americans are clearly angels. That's a stupid cliche, which I personately can't stand.
The idea that you should always do what is actually right and don't think about yourself instead is wise, so I'd recommend this film to everyone who enjoys Spielberg's films.
The very last scene on the train when he looks upon the kids jumping the fences of back gardens is so poignant, it's very clever with how it clearly is entwined with his recent memory of the man being shot for jumping a fence.
This should not have been characterized as a thriller. It was a straight-ahead depiction of a true and interesting story. The Coen brothers added a nice touch to the script.
https://IHateBadMovies.com
Ay!!!... there's some spies on that fuckin bridge over there! Dare ya to watch this again...nobody else has everrr bahahaha ppphhhffrrrrttt
Well made movie, solid acting, and decent script. Story falls a little flat but still a good balance of drama, comedy, and suspense.
Hank is the man for this roles. Superb... i would pay to view the movie about like a sequel with the negotiation in cuba.
It's a little flat but not dragging, definitely not shallow, so yeah. it's a good movie. it doesn't matter what people think, you know what you did is right.
Hanks, Cohen and Spielberg. Awesome movie. Makes you want to watch it again just in case you missed something...
The combination of Spielberg's direction, Hanks' performance and the Coen Brothers' script makes for an awesome film.
7.3/10. I think I've reached the point where I take the people involved in this film for granted. Steven Spielberg is an all-time great director, who knows how to craft compelling individual scenes and stack them, one on top of the other, until the story emerges. Tom Hanks is an effortlessly great actor, who slips into roles and wrings out the pathos and strength and humanity in anyone he plays. And the Coen Brothers are superlative screenwriters, who examine the character of a man and the way the world works like no others.
But each of these men has plied their trade for so long and so many times that I think I've grown inured to it. I never have a bad reaction to any of the elements. In Bridge of Spies I'm suitably impressed by Spielberg's intimate steadicam capturing the rubble and ruckus of Berlin, or the blinding light behind Donovan and Abel in quiet scenes where they plot their strategy. I'm always pleased to see Hanks shine with subtlety with just a look or a gesture or a quick, almost imperceptible reaction that conveys exactly how his character is feeling. I laugh at an unmistakably absurd Coen Brothers trademark comedy scene featuring Abel's fake family putting on a show for Donovan, or their darker take on the unfair randomness of life that spits us out on different sides of a wall. And yet, I'm just not wowed by it anymore. That's not a problem with anything in these filmmakers' work; it's a problem of familiarity.
In truth, much of Bridge of Spies feels familiar. The first half of the film concerns Hanks's character, insurance lawyers James Donovan, being impressed into service to defend a nigh-confessed Soviet Spy. It tells the story of how despite Donovan's initial reluctance, he starts to see the humanity, the moral equivalence between Abel's service to his country and what an American spy would do for theirs, and he struggles to get Abel due process and something approaching justice, despite threats to his family, pressure from his wife and his employer, and resistance to these ideas from the very judge who's presiding over the case.
It's a solid story, that unspools well and hits the right beats for Donovan's escalating concerns hitting pushback at every turn, but it feels of a piece with similar works of recent vintage, like the man who defended a woman alleged to be involved in Abraham Lincoln's assassination in The Conspirator and the defense of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre in Tom Hooper's John Adams. Again, it's told well enough, and the stakes and theme are crystal clear, but there's nothing especially new or different or overly compelling about it.
The film picks up a bit in the second half when Donovan is again impressed into service, this time as an unofficial (but official) negotiator, sent to Berlin by the CIA to broker the release of an American spy pilot shot down over soviet territory. The interesting monkey wrench in the negotiation is an American student captured by the East Germans, who also want to be involved with this exchange as a way to establish their legitimacy as a country by being seen to sit at the same table as the Americans.
There's an interesting story there, particularly in the way that Donovan feels his way around unfamiliar settings amid the cloak and dagger spytrade in the tatters of Berlin. There's particular intrigue in the way that Donovan juggles his various contacts in Berlin, from the smoke and mirrors of his equally unofficial (but official) Soviet representative, to the harsher, more temperamental East German negotiator that leaves him to spend a night in prison, to his own CIA handlers who gloss over rescuing the student as part of the trade. There's a sense in which the film presents Donovan as presenting the negotiating skills he developed as an insurance lawyer to bear that works in the game of shifting alliances and conflicting priorities that Donovan plays in Berlin.
The film also features are rightfully lauded performance from Mark Rylance as Abel, who carries an understated steadiness to the role. So often the performances that receive attention around awards season conflate "best" with "more." Here, Rylance has zero moments where the tenor of his performance is over the top, or even above a standard speaking voice. There were no tears or screams or physical transformation. Instead, there's just the quiet dignity of a man in impossible circumstances, with only an amusing recurring catchphrase as a hook. That in and of itself is an achievement, and it's nice to see that the performance hasn't been overlooked.
But despite that sterling performance, and the intrigue of the second half of the film, and the somewhat conventional first half of the film, I'm not entire sure what to make of Bridge of Spies. On the surface, the message seems pretty clear -- it's a story about the growth and change in Donovan's perspective when exposed to more of the world than his insurance practice, and of a certain degree of equivalency in how we treat others based on what flag they're serving under.
But when you're trying to parse through a Spielberg film, it's often useful to look at the symbols and motifs that repeat. Two of these repeating motifs implicate the personal journey of Donovan in the film. In the film's opening scene, Donovan expressly disclaims his opposing counsel's references to Donovan's client as "his guy." Donovan makes clear that it's his client, not his "guy," and that it's important to keep a professional distance. But in his negotiation to exchange Abel for two Americans, he consistently refers to each of them as his guy. It's a sign of the way that this has become much more personal to him, that there is an investment in the situation and proximity to these individuals that wasn't there when he was litigating car accidents.
Also, in that same opening scene, Donovan talks about how despite the fact that his client injured five distinct motorists, it's not five incidents, it's one. Then, during the negotiating, he's arguing the same thing, that Abel for the American pilot or Abel for the American student is not a separate series of events, but part of one overall transaction. It's a signifier not just of the many ways in which Donovan's skills as an insurance lawyer are brought to bear in his unexpected second career, but also of the way in which Donovan sees how this is all connected, in a way that gives him an advantage over the USSR, East Germany, and even the CIA, who can each only seem to see their piece of it. He becomes Abel's standing man, the one who is beaten back by that system time and time again and yet wears them down until he finds his way.
The latter two contribute more to the seeming message of the film -- a common humanity shared by individuals on all sides of these conflicts that makes the different ways we treat people based on those divisions, the different kinds of quality of life we allow people to have without care or concern in light of what hat they're wearing, seem absurd. The first is the mirrored scenes of young people climbing over walls, while Donovan looks on from a train. When he sees it Berlin, the young people are brutally shot by their army, while the kids in New York frolic freely. It's a sign not only that the stark differences of how the other half lives is still very much with him, but that these divisions are arbitrary, that we are the same kinds of people doing the same kinds of things no matter where we are or where we're from.
And that's reinforced by the ugly looks Donovan gets on the train after he defends Abel versus the approving looks he gets after brokering the exchange. In each instance, Donovan feels like he's doing the same thing, recognizing the humanity in a system where both sides treat individuals like bargaining chips, assets, and commodities, and trying to vindicate that view, but the way the vanguards of that system, and the public at large view him depends on which side they see him as working for.
At the beginning of Bridge of Spies, Donovan sets out to do his due diligence and defend one of the bad guys. But instead of a evil Soviet sympathizer, he simply finds a man--a man who did the same thing for his country that men do for ours--and he begins to empathize, to see that shared humanity on both sides of the Cold War, to see people climbing over walls on both sides of the divide, and realize how ill-founded those divisions are. There's a familiarity to the presentation, and a certain triteness to the message, but the film accomplishes what it sets out to do, and that message, hoary though it may be, comes through loud and clear.
I heard it was a great movie but the beginning was a bit slow, but I do love the Tom Hanks in this role, as usual he performed fantastically. Spielberg did a great job with it but I felt that it should have been a little bit shorter it would have been more interesting.
So, the movie popped up on AmazonPrime Recommendations. Saw him Years ago, but man, this Movie aged so well.
I am from Germany, so it gives me insights that i never noticed or knew. Yeah, some parts are a little bit overexaggerted. Sometimes it has the "ForrestGump-All-Is-beautiful"-ness. But what the hell, i liked that.
It fits and i really like the overall tone of the movie.
Man, what a nice feel-good movie.
Superb film!
I love 'Bridge of Spies'. Every angle of it, at least from my point of view, is expertly crafted. The score by Thomas Newman is outstanding, the onscreen talent bring their a-game while the story is extremely riveting. It lasts for 141 minutes, it felt like 90 minutes tops; it absolutely flies through its run time, at no moment did I feel anything close to bored.
Tom Hanks is brilliant in the lead role as Donovan, yet another great performance to add to his résumé. He rightly takes all the plaudits, but some must be left for Mark Rylance who is also brilliant as Abel. The support cast also more than pull their weight, too.
Undeniably worth your time. Not sure how much of it is historically accurate (sounds like most is?), I honestly don't really care as it's a great film - which is what we are all here for after all.
A real decent film (word count)
James Donovan: "Aren't you worried?"
Rudolf Abel: "Would it help?"
Bridge of Spies takes place during the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
So I finally just watch Bridge of Spies and it was pretty damn good. Steven Spielberg once again made a great movie, and just like I said about Ridley Scott about how great it is that we still can go to the cinema today and see a new movie directed by an icon.
Steven Spielberg is the type of director you never know what you're going to get and I'm talking about the type of film making he uses. Spielberg will always make a well directed movie even when some of his movies are not great or something you'll never watch again, it will still be well directed. Steven Spielberg's directing in Bridge of Spies was absolutely superb, because every scene is so perfectly crafted and Spielberg knows when to cut to a emotional reaction with the characters. These a couple of scenes in this movie that I didn't notice was all in one long wide take with no breaks, and that's because I was so locked in on what was going on with the characters and the scene itself. Spielberg brilliance is still present today as he's masterful style of film making is still alive today. If you love that kind of film making that's so masterful, perfect and old school, then Bridge of Spies might be the movie for you. This is one of the best directed films I've seen this year.
Tom Hanks is one of the most lovable and respected actors of are times, as in every role he dose, he never disappoints. This is he's fourth collaboration with Spielberg after: Catch Me If You Can, Saving Private Ryan and The Terminal, and in Bridge of Spies Hanks once again deliverers a magnificent and believable performance. This is an Oscar worthy performance as he made his character so relatable, funny and very likable. Without spoiling anything, there's a scene in this movie where Tom Hanks character (James Donovan) gets followed by this unknown figure and at one point Donovan goes to sit at this restaurant to confront this man and the scene itself is just amazing, because Donovan knocks this guy to the ground with no action, just dialogue. Tom Hanks was amazing in this movie.
Another performance that blow me away was Mark Rylance as the soviet spy. I have seen this actor before in the hit TV show "Wolf Hall", and he was great in that show, but he impressed the hell out of me in this movie, because Mark Rylance was absolutely fantastic. This guy deserves an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and I hope he dose, because it would be a huge sub if he doesn't get nominated. Mark Rylance was fan-freaking-tastic in this movie.
The cinematography was excellent, the score was great, the dialogue is outstanding and the story was really good.
Now for the problems: These a couple of scenes around the second act that wasn't that interesting to me.
If you don't like talky movies then you may not enjoy Bridge of Spies, because this whole movie is nothing but talking and I know some people may not find that enjoyable. I'm the kind of person who likes dialogue driven movies and that's why I enjoyed this movie, because of the movies excellent dialogue and I how locked in I was while watching it, but I know it's not going to be for everyone and if you think this movie is boring because it's a talky movie then that's fine.
Overall Bridge of Spies isn't Spielberg's greatest movie compared to his other ones, but it is a well crafted movie with excellent performances, fantastic directing and great writing. Bridge of Spies is the best Cold War thriller I've ever seen.
Hanks and Spielberg tackle a Cold War spy-exchange against the backdrop of a freshly-constructed Berlin Wall. As one might expect from these old masters, it's expertly-crafted and loaded with gravitas; a warm, motivated take on a surprisingly under-explored chapter of recent history. It does a great job of delicately re-evaluating popular sentiment and the bullish nature of post-war international relations, too, painting heroes and victims on both sides of the dispute. The plot is very linear, though, moving on a predictable set of rails from start to finish, and that can make it feel preachy when a few of the more heavy-handed themes briefly overstay their welcome.
A foundationally-strong, workmanlike offering, it's 50% desperately-uphill legal drama and 50% high stakes poker with a set of captive American souls as the ante.
This a solid movie with a great performance for Tom Hanks and Spielberg doing his thing again. Mark Rylance is really good too but it is a travesty that he beat Sylvester Stallone (Creed) for best support actor. The Coen brothers make the dialogue great. The movie really moves well. Not Spielberg's best but a solid entry in his filmography.
The true story this movie is based on is a rather bland and irrelevant affair that i suspect was pulled from hollywood's "true story" bowl at random. Still, i was hooked by its well written plot that actually kept a nice pace and never slowed down. But the biggest problem this movie had was its cinematography. It was directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg yet it feels like a movie i'd see on the SciFi channel.
The film has so much bloom during the daytime scenes and Spielberg often makes the random choice of replacing windows with giant walls of artificial light. It literally reminded me of video games when the developer cant be bothered to create a biome outside of a building level, so they just make all of the windows in the building opaque with a fake light. And worst of all, the CGI was HORRENDOUS. This is coming from the same guy that made War Of The Worlds?? What the hell happened.
Tom Hanks was great, and the overall experience was decent but i don't get why this is being treated like a masterpiece when it felt more like a popcorn flick.
Es americana y es lógico la presentación de los hechos desde su óptica, pero en conjunto es tendenciosa y eso lastra la película.
Absolutely awesome movie, Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance were superb..
With Spielberg at the helm, and the All-American charm of Tom Hanks, this true story set in the Cold War has a warm and sentimental touch that may have been missing with another director and actor. I don't know how Hollywoodised the film is compared to the truth but it is a fine film.
And why hasn't Tom Hanks become President yet? He has such a trusting face and nice persona that surely he would be the perfect candidate. Sorry Donald - he would even beat you in a game of Top Trumps!
Très belle histoire sur la guerre froide et les luttes entre les espions.
Spielberg and Hanks are still a winning ticket. Combine this with the brilliant camera of Janusz Kaminski and you get a masterpiece of filmmaking that isn´t driven by action and effect but rather by determination. I also really like Mark Rylance who played great alongside Hanks. You recognize the professionalism of those actors. Spielberg did great in capturing the feeling of the cold war era. I read here in the comments by someone who didn´t liked the portrayal of the Russians, how they are painted as the evil monsters that want to destroy America. Well, that´s how it was during the Cold War. And guess how the Russians painted Americans. So it´s period correct. I´m surprised about the Coen´s writing the script, too. Usually I´m not a fan of their work but I give them credit for what they´ve done here.
Hopefully there will be another Spielberg/Hanks movie in the future.
This is really two movies in one.
On one hand you have a principled attorney defending the equivalent of a terrorist today --- namely a soviet spy at the height of the Cold War. And this attorney does his best to uphold the principle of a fair trail, even for people intent on destroying the very way of life that affords hm such a principled defense. Then, as now, the principled argument loses out to fear. But it is most satisfying to see a man with principles standing on them, no matter the cost. I suppose we see two such men. One is the attorney. The other is the soviet spy: for he doesn't once renounce his loyalty to his country, despite the promise of getting to live in exchange for betraying his country. In fact, this soviet spy is depicted as a likeable character in this movie, precisely because he stands on principle, like his attorney.
On the other hand you have a classic spy story. The same attorney who unsuccessfully defended the spy is then charged with negotiating an exchange of this same spy for an American one shot down over Russia. The attorney sweetens the deal for the Americans when he also manages the release of an American student caught by the East Germans on the wrong side of the wall when it went up.
The first story is much better than the second one.
It is undeniably a good movie, but could be better improved since the rhythm is so slow. I felt like half of the people on the cinema slept watching this.
Really good, Tom Hank's and Spielberg equals awesome.
it's better than another Spielberg's movie --Lincon
The movie starts very slow, it's mostly a typical lawer-meets-spystuff movie with a lot of talking. Still, I enjoyed the movie. Dont expect for any big time plot changes though, it's almost a documentary.
Watching this movie for the oscars best movie nomination. It was a great story and it had strong characters some humor elements and a lot of dialog, and sometimes it was a little bit preditable. The only action in it was about people getting shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall. If you're thinking about seeing a good action movie then this is not the movie for you.
A good spy movie, I think I liked everything, the acting, the direction and the story. I'm not gonna say anything about Hanks, the guy is an excellent actor and we all know that, but about Rylance I have to, in every scene he was (and he was in very few) it was just engaging, even without saying too much, I liked it. Was dark, interesting and tense, everything that it has to have a spy movie.
Excellent movie with Tom Hanks.
"I'm not afraid to die, Mr. Donovan. Although, it wouldn't be my first choice."
Inspiring stuff. With all the hatred and suspicion in the world it's nice to see some people are just 'good people'
Material like this based on true events is always inspiring to me. Many owe their lives and freedom to Mr Donovan
Don't expect action and james bond theme, this is a long spy drama and very boring one, oscar for best picture ? oh come on!
Loved this movie, Tom Hanks and Spielberg and the spy, Mark Rylance did an amazing job. The script was tense and humorous.
a fresh take on the cold war delivered by solid performances from both Hanks and Rylance + great visuals
it was good, Tom Hanks Steven Spielberg + not disappoint, I was surprised that the screenplay is by the Cohen Brothers
The perfect blend of humor and drama in a movie that never drags like it could have. The only downside was the way they played the Berlin CIA agent as pretty much a jerk. He could be an asshole without making him jerky.
Shout by saundrewBlockedParent2015-10-24T04:05:08Z
Of course, I had to check out Spielberg's new film to see where his skills have gone. Luckily, I was able to watch a pretty excellent addition to his filmography. Tom Hanks is as great as he always is in here, but the actor I really loved in this was Mark Rylance who plays the USSR spy. He was just so engaging in every scene he's in, even though he's incredibly subtle in what he does. The whole opening sequence with him keeps you locked in despite a lack of dialogue.
Pretty much everything about the movie is done well, but I do have just a bit of an issue with the length being pretty long. It kind of feels like there could have been two separate films from this, or that it would have been perfect for a two parter TV film or something. No biggie though, because everything packed in there is certainly worth your extra time.