But the film does feel heavy-handed at times. Even the most conventionally “entertaining” recent Spielberg pictures are sad and deeply disturbing at the core; the ultimately upbeat The Terminal, for example, presents an unforgiving view of the abandonment of our country’s principles as a nation of immigrants, and depicts post-9/11 Homeland Security bureaucracy with depressing accuracy. He partners with a band of top-notch pros, and the results are powerful, rousing productions like “Lincoln“, “Saving Private Ryan“, “Munich” and “Schindler’s List“.
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A sturdy, perfectly acted, crowd-pleasing period piece, Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies” also offers a dark then hopeful glimpse of the American conscience, which can bend to the moment but has a tendency to eventually straighten itself out.
You sense the hand(s) here of Joel and Ethan Coen, who share screenplay credit with Matt Charman and who reportedly took a whetstone to his original script. (It’s the most recent of the brothers’ works for hire, and more successful than last year’s “Unbroken.”) “Bridge of Spies” has a spiky, subversive wit that struggles to break free throughout and that often works at cross-purposes with more traditional themes of patriotism and American exceptionalism.
It’s not just Hanks and Spielberg for whom “Bridge of Spies” is part of an overlapping career history. Not entirely, since it’s overly drawn out, notably near the end. The ever-reliable Hanks sympathetically personifies all in America that is worth fighting for, while his British colleague’s surprisingly comic version of Rudolf Abel portrays the Russian spy as a man quietly steadfast in his loyalty to a different cause.
Donovan realizes it’s not an appealing assignment, and his wife (Amy Ryan) is none too pleased he’s leading the defense.
To no one’s surprise, Abel winds up with a guilty verdict.
Later, at the official but clandestine request of the US government, Donovan seeks the release of the Francis Gary Powers, a USA pilot who was shot down and captured by the Russians during a spying mission. He even advocates for Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers), an American student caught on the East side of the Berlin Wall, to try to gain his freedom as well, for a two-for-one trade which further complicates the already Byzantine process.
Of course that isn’t going to happen considering the political climate.
The cast is ideal.
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Interestingly, both these films were based on true stories, and directed by popular American filmmakers whose movies attract major stars and have enjoyed considerable box office success. From Spielberg’s metaphorically dense opening sequence in which his character is painting a self-portrait of his vexingly low-key responses to his attorney, Rylance creates an unforgettably unique individual. Mr. Hanks plays this paragon with stirring conviction leavened by enjoyable zest, while Mr. Rylance’s performance is a minimalist wonder. And since Spielberg does love the underdog, he turns Donovan into a virtuous character who’s all but ready to be sainted.
