Bridge Of Spies
Bridge Of Spies concerns James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer tasked with defending Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), who is accused of being a Russian spy in 1957. Donovan is keen to ensure a fair trial for his client. Despite being found guilty, Donovan successfully convinces the judge to hand down a prison term instead of a death sentence. When Gary Powers is shot down in a U2 plane on a suvelliance mission over the Soviet Union, Donovan is charged with negotiating an exchange (without government assistance) between the two nations in Berlin. Predictably, matters become a little complicated, not least due to the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Marc Maron interviewed James Corden recently for his WTF podcast. In it, Corden said he felt there were two types of actors. Actors who are aliens capable of shapeshifting into a role and actors who represent the common man on screen. Tom Hanks certainly falls into the second category and I've greatly enjoyed his work over the years, from Forrest Gump through the Toy Story series and Catch Me If You Can to Captain Phillips. He's on fine form here too as "The Standing Man" as Abel describes him at one point in the film, representing justice in the time of McCarthyist paranoia.
In a rare screen outing, Rylance is a compelling screen presence as Abel and demonstrates something of dry wit, "Would it help?" becoming a running catchphrase as Donovan repeatedly expresses surprise at Abel's relaxed attitute to the situation he finds himself in. The movie isn't particularly subtle in demonstrating the dividing line between Donovan's view and that of Cold War America. And some Spielberg schmaltz creeeps in towards the end of the film. But for much of its two hour twenty minute running time, it's an intriguing story that's engagingly told.
Marc Maron interviewed James Corden recently for his WTF podcast. In it, Corden said he felt there were two types of actors. Actors who are aliens capable of shapeshifting into a role and actors who represent the common man on screen. Tom Hanks certainly falls into the second category and I've greatly enjoyed his work over the years, from Forrest Gump through the Toy Story series and Catch Me If You Can to Captain Phillips. He's on fine form here too as "The Standing Man" as Abel describes him at one point in the film, representing justice in the time of McCarthyist paranoia.
In a rare screen outing, Rylance is a compelling screen presence as Abel and demonstrates something of dry wit, "Would it help?" becoming a running catchphrase as Donovan repeatedly expresses surprise at Abel's relaxed attitute to the situation he finds himself in. The movie isn't particularly subtle in demonstrating the dividing line between Donovan's view and that of Cold War America. And some Spielberg schmaltz creeeps in towards the end of the film. But for much of its two hour twenty minute running time, it's an intriguing story that's engagingly told.
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