Directed by:
Steven SpielbergCinematography:
Janusz KaminskiComposer:
Thomas NewmanCast:
Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Victor Verhaeghe, Brian Hutchison, Tom Hanks, Joshua Harto, Henny Russell, Alan Alda, John Rue, Billy Magnussen, Amy Ryan (more)VOD (2)
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Historical drama, set during the Cold War, directed by Steven Spielberg. When Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) sits down on a park bench in Brooklyn, New York, a secret message left for him causes the FBI to arrest him under suspicion of being a Soviet spy. When insurance lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is assigned to Abel's defence, he finds his new challenge increasingly difficult as the defendent refuses to co-operate. The cast also includes Amy Ryan, Alan Alda and Domenick Lombardozzi. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
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Bridge of Spies, or Spielberg's successful attempt to sell the Cold War to mainstream audiences. Spielberg can without exaggeration be called the uncrowned king of midcult, and I do not mean that in a derogatory way. He simply has the ability to direct a film in a highly professional manner and to process any subject matter in a way that makes it accessible to the average viewer, not just the elite festival crowd. However, this comes with a certain pleasing quality, a smoothing of edges, and the ability to squeeze out emotions and move the audience, and not always at the right moment. The touching music in Bridge of Spies really got on my nerves at times. Spielberg's characters are in the right moment at the right place and express the right words and thoughts. He presents history and events in a somewhat more noble way than how they appeared in reality. In some aspects, Bridge of Spies is similar to Schindler's List, although it does not remotely reach the manipulative distortion typical of that film. I am more drawn to the approach that Polanski chose in The Pianist. If I want to see a film without softening filters, I have to look elsewhere than in Spielberg's workshop. What can be fully appreciated is the high level of professionalism, the ability to create beautiful and impressive images (the 1950s are more vivid there than in reality), and Spielberg's mentioned ability to time scenes appropriately and work with human emotions. Spielberg is simply a storyteller who sometimes tweaks stories for the sake of effect and educational messages. From an acting perspective, I have no objections, and Tom Hanks is a representative of Hollywood's elite who is more than suited for this type of role. For informed viewers, Bridge of Spies has one more negative dimension, which is typical of similar artistic reconstructions of real events. You simply know how it turned out with Colonel Abel and Powers in reality, and the tension just doesn't happen, despite the efforts of the screenwriters. Overall impression: 80%.
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Though Bridge of Spies is certainly a little embellished and insufficiently exciting, it is still a reliably entertaining spy thriller with a gorgeous retro visual aspect. I was already overjoyed by the camera movements, taking in three people at the table in the way it would have been shot 50 years ago. A great atmospheric setting in the period, elegantly written dialogue, a great Hanks, a nice role for Mark Rylance. Global politics should be run by people like Spielberg. And only them.
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Lemonade Steven, or craft certainty. Yet even that can't deny the fact that Spielberg is stealing from himself, and as much as he wants to talk about strong ideas, he still comes out with kitsch that transgresses his "self-genre" boundaries. It's a great watch, and likely a few conservatives who will seem to step out of their conformist zone will give it a few awards, but the next day all I remember is the sheer coldness. What literally sticks out in some of the dialogue is the fact that the Coen brothers would have loved to have made it with a much greater degree of cynicism.
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Bridge of Spies is more or less a conversational drama in which the space is not limited to one room, but its pillars of are the dialogues and the performances of Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. From a technical point of view, it is also an average piece, with a successful recreation of (not only) 1950s Berlin and a brilliant scene of a plane being shot down. Afterwards, you can only watch with suspense how the different parties proceed to get their man back, and there is nothing to do but wait to see how it all turns out, whether the spies are exchanged or not. In short, a quality period drama that, apart from a decent story and actors, offered me a nostalgic return to the Glienicker Brücke, which I know all too well from my Erasmus days in Potsdam.
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A film with a testimonial value that is much more than how it actually entertains and enriches the end viewer. At the same time, though, it's typical Spielberg of the last decade. That is to say, smart, honest, with less verve than before, less original and groundbreaking, but also, nonchalantly academic, with accurately rendered period realities of Berlin and an overall magnificent production design (for that money!). It also knows how to play with characters (a reliable Hanks, a fantastic Rylance) and those wordless Kaminski details (the last scene) – something that can be called a constant for a very long time. A safe bet. It’s not bad, but nothing to write home about, either.
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