Bridge of Spies – Der Unterhändler (2015)

Bridge of Spies – Der Unterhändler: Directed by Steven Spielberg. With Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Victor Verhaeghe, Mark Fichera. 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.

“u0026quot;Everyone deserves a defense. Everyone matters.u0026quot; James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn Bridge of Spies, Steven Spielberg once again masterfully goes to the historical drama with a righteous manu0026#39;s theme (think Schindler and Lincoln for starters). This time lawyer James B. Donovan is asked to defend an accused Soviet spy, Rudolf Able (Mark Rylance, superb), in order to show the world the American justice system is democratic. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story is u0026quot;inspired by true eventsu0026quot; with the outline of the exchange of Able for U-2 downed pilot Gary Powers historically accurate. As usual, Spielberg recreates the times with the atmosphere, cars, and film noir aspect of a spy thriller in the figurative and literal Cold War. He said, u0026quot;I always wanted to tell the stories that really interested me in my personal life—which are stories about things that actually happened.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHanks is central to Spielbergu0026#39;s vision of the lone hero defying the odds and supporting the highest ideals of the American Constitution and the individually virtuous man. Never does Hanks overplay the good-guy card; heu0026#39;s just very adept at playing an everyman not always right but always righteous. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe dialogue is crisp, a no fooling around typical of Spielberg and Hanks but a charming bad guy as well: James Donovan: u0026quot;Arenu0026#39;t you worried?u0026quot; Rudolf Abel: u0026quot;Would it help?u0026quot; As producer Kristie Macosko Krieger commented about Spielberg, u0026quot;Heu0026#39;s got a childlike sense of wonder. He never gets tired of hearing stories . . . . u0026quot; Bridge of Spies is vintage Spielberg with a Lincoln-like atmosphere, righteous hero, and intriguing multi-plot, an entertaining spy story brimming with humanity. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs the director says, u0026quot;This is more about very smart people in conversation with each other, and the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads is that, if they make the wrong decisions, itu0026#39;s the end of the world.u0026quot;”