Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) hears, calmly, as his lawyer explains that he’s facing the death penalty because he’s accused of being a Soviet spy in the U.S. Shocked by his client’s reaction, James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) asks: “Aren’t you worried?”. Abel, not showing any kind of exasperation whatsoever, replies “Would it help?”. That dialogue alone, which is repeated a couple of times thorough the movie, was enough to make me love Bridge of Spies. But, of course, there are many more reasons.

Inspired by true events, the story takes place in 1957 and the Cold War causes a wave of Americans and Soviet spies to be deployed to the other country. Rudolf Abel is captured by the FBI in New York and James Donovan is appointed to be his lawyer, since no one else wants to defend an alleged Soviet spy. At the same time, an American spy is captured in Russia and a negotiation begins to trade them. Of course I’m simplifying the plot and not telling everything that happens, but that’s the general idea.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies had me from the first sequence, where we get a glimpse of Rudolf Abel in New York. He’s so calm, painting his portrait while the FBI gets to his apartment, that you can’t help but wonder what he’s planning.

I realize I’ve been mentioning Abel a lot of times, but he’s the best character in this film. Mark Rylance gives such a great performance that I was actually rooting for him. Moreover, his interaction with Tom Hanks is just brilliant. Hanks, by the same token, doesn’t disappoint and plays beautifully the role of an insurance lawyer who’s dragged into this mess.

There are also very strong sequences, such as the one when the Berlin wall is being built and we see the desperation of people trying to run from the East side to the West. Or when James Donovan is being hostilized by everyone for defending a spy. And all those sequences have a beautiful and powerful score by Thomas Newman, one of my favorite composers (he also wrote the score for Saving Mr. Banks, Skyfall, Wall-E, etc.). Also, since it’s the 1950s, the costumes are beautiful and the men are wearing hats and fancy suits.

I do hope this movie gets the recognition it deserves during the awards season, because I strongly believe it’s a true contender and definitely worth watching.

Related posts:

Review: The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) Review: Spy (2015) Review: The D Train (2015) Review: Max (2015)

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