Bridge of Spies—Movie Review

Bridge of Spies

by Peter J. O'Connell

Bridge of Spies. Released: Oct. 2015. Runtime: 141 mins. Rating: PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language.

Bridge of Spies is a (mostly) true tale of two spies (OK, a spy and the pilot of a spy plane) from the opposing powers of the Cold War—and of the lawyer who became the link between their fates. One spy was Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) of the Soviet KGB. The pilot of a CIA spy plane was Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). The lawyer was James Donovan (Tom Hanks). Bridge, directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Mark Charman and the Coen brothers, brings history to life, as Spielberg has done in other films, by the thrills of psychological and social interaction rather than the thrills of shootouts, car chases, gadgetry, special effects and sexual encounters.

In 1957 Abel is arrested in Brooklyn for espionage. After many defense attorneys turn down his case, insurance lawyer James Donovan is pressured to take it. It is, though, made clear to Donovan that he is not expected to be too energetic in his defense efforts. After all, the Cold War is in full freeze, and Soviet spies are servants of the archenemy. Donovan, however, keeps his lawyer's oath to provide a zealous defense for his client and even succeeds in taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. He is not, however, able to have Abel's conviction overturned, and the spy is imprisoned. Abel doesn't “break” and gives up no information. 

In 1960 Francis Gary Powers' U-2 is shot down over the Soviet Union. (Though the film has few action sequences, the shootdown is definitely a spectacular one.) After interrogation by the KGB for months, Power confesses to espionage  and is sentenced to hard labor. His failure to utilize a suicide device involving a coin leads him to be reviled in the U.S.--as Donovan was for defending Abel—but when indications are received that the Soviets would be willing to exchange Powers for Abel, Washington asks Donovan to arrange the swap—but to do it ostensibly as a private citizen rather than as someone connected to the government.

Donovan accepts the assignment, which involves complex negotiations in Berlin during the grim period when the notorious Wall is being erected. Tension mounts as the East German government gets into the act, making demands separate from those of the Soviets, and the fate of another American captive besides Powers becomes an issue.

In Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks again performs the kind of role that he has done so well in the past—an “ordinary American” who achieves extraordinary things by means of his ingenuity, intelligence and integrity. Hanks' performance, however, is topped by that of Mark Rylance. Rylance, dubbed by some “a master of minimalism” for his acting style, is parsimonious in gesture and expression but makes every move that he makes and every bit of dialogue that he speaks have impact, often of a darkly humorous nature. The rest of the international cast, many little known, performs quite credibly. Mercifully, the film's score is by Thomas Newman rather than John Williams. All in all, with Bridge of Spies Steven Spielberg has once again built an effective connection between the mass audience's desire for entertainment and his own desire to address serious issues, such as law and world politics. 

“Footnotes” to the film: (1) Rudolf Abel is depicted painting a self-portrait in a way reminiscent of a famous Saturday Evening Post cover by all-American artist Norman Rockwell of Rockwell painting a self-portrait. (2) Specially designed coins played a role for both Powers and Abel. Powers did not use his “suicide coin.” Abel used hollowed-out “spy coins.” Not depicted in the movie, however, is the fact that one of Abel's coins containing micro-documents was accidentally placed into general circulation by an Abel assistant. After seven months a newsboy happened to break open the coin and turned it over to the FBI, which then spent four years unsuccessfully trying to decipher the documents. (3) The Soviets accidentally shot down one of their own planes at the same time that they shot down Powers' plane. (4) Francia Gary Powers had a son who founded the Cold War Museum, was a consultant on the film, and played a bit part in it. Two museums in Russia feature exhibits on Powers and the U-2. Rudolf

Abel was a consultant on a Soviet spy film and appeared in the foreword to it. Reportedly, in his last years he became disillusioned with the Soviet Union. He died in 1971, the year after James Donovan's death.