Spielberg and Hanks Bring Back the All-American Hero
Steven Spielberg long wanted to make a James Bond film early in his career (he hasn't said whether or not he would now), but longtime Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli always said "no." With the Cold War-set Bridge of Spies, Spielberg seems to have scratched a little bit of that itch. Though a film filled with spies and intrigue, it finds a unique approach by being part legal drama and part spy thriller.
The film tells the true story of James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), a Brooklyn insurance lawyer tasked with defending a captured Soviet spy. Following that defense, Donovan is then given the job of negotiating in East Berlin with the Soviets for an exchange of the captured spy for downed U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. A wrinkle arises when Donovan is told that another American, a college student, has been captured in East Berlin. The question arises of whether or not both Americans be had for the price of one.
What makes Bridge of Spies standout in Steven Spielberg's filmography is the same thing that made Lincoln standout: this film is a smart, talky drama with a hearty dose of humor for good measure. There's something smart about all of Spielberg's films, most notably his placement of the camera and choreography of set pieces, be they Indiana Jones chasing a Nazi convoy through the desert or a long speech about the legality and necessity of the Emancipation Proclamation. Where Lincoln was smart in not devolving into either hagiography or dry speechifying, Bridge of Spies is smart about its American patriotism by not devolving into simple chest-beating.
The screenplay by Matt Charman and Ethan and Joel Coen provides Tom Hanks with a good and decent American hero-type that he plays to perfection with his everyman quality. The film's courtroom-based first half can easily be imagined with Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch in the shoes of Donovan. Where the screenwriters and Hanks avoid making Donovan a speechifying mouthpiece for idealism is in his evident intelligence and affable humor. Though he's an insurance lawyer far from his usual comforts and cases when in East Berlin, he never appears truly out of his depth. His spycraft is in reading his opponents and calling their bluff.
As for the real spycraft, Spielberg stages a terrific opening sequence following Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), the captured Soviet, living his everyday life. The blending of the mundane and the clandestine in this man's life has just the right level of suspense. Rylance, like Hanks, has an excellent character to play with, as Abel is an amiable fellow. His relationship with Donovan is particularly nice as there's no vitriol between the men of opposing nations. Hanks easily steals the film, but Rylance is close behind him with his wonderfully understated performance.
As with all Spielberg films, the production values are top-notch, including the score from Thomas Newman. Spielberg's usual musical collaborator, John Williams, had a health procedure that required rest during the window Spielberg needed a score (and Williams had to return to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens after his break), so Newman was called in as a replacement. Though sounding notably and rightly more like a Newman score than a Williams one, the music fits the film perfectly.
Bridge of Spies may be forgotten with time, at least next to more daring Spielberg period films like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, and if that's the case it should live on as a truly under appreciated gem. The film breaks no new ground, but tells its fascinating story exceedingly well. James B. Donovan is the kind of cinematic hero we don't see much anymore, and he's the kind we deserve more of. Making a patriotic film about an upstanding person that doesn't come off as one-note or overly saccharine can be a difficult task, but it's one Spielberg and Hanks have accomplished with ease.