Bridge of Spies (2015) * * * 1/2

Directed by:  Steven Spielberg

Starring:  Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell

The hero of Bridge of Spies is Brooklyn attorney James Donovan (Hanks), who defends Russian spy Rudolph Abel (Rylance) in court and then negotiates the exchange between Abel and Francis Gary Powers, whose U2 plane was famously shot down over the Soviet Union.    Each country gets its spy back with no loss of face, which was probably the most important thing in the years-long staring contest between the US and the USSR.     Donovan is not a guy who stands on a soapbox making speeches about how even an accused Soviet spy deserves a fair defense.    He stands by his principles assertively and does his job to the best of his ability and mandate.    This makes him more heroic than a thousand speeches from King Leonidas ever could.

When Abel is arrested by the FBI, he is to be tried in federal court in Brooklyn.    After other attorneys pass on defending Abel, the thankless job falls into the lap of Donovan, who mostly handles insurance litigation these days.    He is expected to simply sit by Abel in court and give the appearance of representation so the US looks good in its treatment of accused Soviet spies.    Donovan actually builds a defense to the dismay of his partners and the US government.     He believes correctly that the search of Abel's apartment was unconstitutional, but this motion is quickly denied by a judge who would like nothing more than to see Abel hang.   

The scenes between Donovan and Abel are captivating.    There are no obligatory scenes in which each mistrusts the other and then form a bond over time.     Each respects the other, understands the position each is in, and form an unlikely friendship based on mutual respect.    Abel at one point asks Donovan why he never asked him if he was a spy.    Donovan's response is at the heart of American criminal law:   The state has to prove he's a spy.    It does not matter whether he actually is one.

I enjoyed the quiet demeanor Rylance brings to Abel.    He is forever calm, rational, and unflappable.   He paints portraits and sees all.    When he is arrested, his only request is to be able to put away his paints before they dry out.     He does his job as expected and keeps to himself.    Years of spying likely contributed to that.    He even understands that being a spy means he may one day be captured and imprisoned for the rest of his days.    Or executed.    Donovan wants to assure the latter doesn't happen, but Abel knew the risks of his job.     Still, we care about him because he is such a dignified professional, even if we're not "supposed" to.     Rylance's work is remarkable. 

Donovan is a man not swept up by Cold War, anti-communist fervor which swept the nation at the time.    He approaches Abel like any other criminal case.    In his eyes, whether the accused is foreign or a citizen, he deserves equal treatment by the law.   Not everyone feels that way.    He and his family are scorned and threatened by others who can't believe he is actually defending the "commie bastard."    Despite this, Donovan trudges forward, determined not to abandon his principles.

I have only been describing the first half of Bridge of Spies.     The second half involves Donovan brokering a deal to exchange Abel for American spy Powers in East Berlin.    Powers' spy plane was shot down over the USSR and he was expected to take his own life before capture.    He does not, which makes him not all that popular in the US.   A wrinkle is thrown in with the capture of an American student studying abroad accused of espionage.    Donovan wants both Americans in exchange for Abel, despite the FBI's insistence on an even swap.    East Berlin is seen by Spielberg in cold, desolate gray.    The Berlin Wall is in its infancy and Donovan is horrified to see people shot attempting to climb it to flee to West Berlin.    The FBI uses Donovan to negotiate the deal without government credentials so he can't be accused of being a spy.    But we feel the threat of danger to Donovan, which befalls many Westerners in East Berlin at that time.    Even a mugging takes on international proportions.  

Tom Hanks is an actor whose nature and everyman appeal allows us to follow him through the harshest journeys at will.    In all of his years onscreen, I don't recall if he ever played a villain.   
The closest may have been in Road To Perdition (2002), but even then we sense his decency peeking out.    Very few actors inspire empathy like Hanks does.    Bridge of Spies is the type of movie that plays every bit to his strengths.   

I was not born when the Cold War paranoia was in its heyday.   The Vietnam War put a damper on the belief that a nuclear war was imminent and crouching close to the ground will somehow ward off the effects of an explosion.    Nuclear bomb drills were common in schools, which I'm sure was the case in Soviet schools also.    When I was old enough to understand the Cold War, which was in the early 1980s, the threat of nuclear war was faint.    There was more cooperation between the nations and less unrest.    By the time the 80s drew to a close, the Cold War was but a memory.   

Bridge of Spies not only excels as a political drama, but in capturing the harrowing fear that engulfed each nation at the time.    The fear of not only bombs, but one-upmanship.    This time was a field day for the CIA and the FBI, who presented the latest technology designed to catch the Russians planning American destruction.     Years later, like on 9/11, when we really needed this type of intelligence, none was to be found.