Bridge of Spies

Inspired by true events, Bridge of Spies follows insurance lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) as he’s recruited by the government to help rescue a pilot detained in the Soviet Union – with the movie detailing the many, many complications that arise for Donovan along the way. Director Steven Spielberg, working from Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen’s screenplay, does a superb job of immediately luring the viewer into the padded-out narrative, as Bridge of Spies opens with a fascinating stretch detailing the mundane activities and eventual capture of a mild-mannered Russian spy (Mark Rylance’s Rudolph Abel). Once past that point, however, the film segues into a slow-moving and only sporadically absorbing midsection – as Spielberg, in typical fashion, imbues the proceedings with an egregiously deliberate pace that slowly-but-surely drains one’s interest and enthusiasm. It doesn’t help, certainly, that the storyline has been peppered with a whole host of somewhat interesting yet wholly needless segments, while, worse yet, the film’s second half finds itself devoted almost entirely to the minutia of Donovan’s ongoing efforts at brokering a deal for the aforementioned pilot’s release (ie the movie, past a certain point, seems to consist solely of negotiation sequences). Exacerbating the film’s hands-off feel is Janusz Kaminski’s typically inept handling of the visuals, as the cinematographer injects Bridge of Spies with a decidedly uncinematic vibe that ensures the movie’s various sets couldn’t possibly look more like sets. The end result is yet another late-career misfire from Spielberg, with the movie’s failure especially disappointing given Hanks’ engaging and thoroughly ingratiating turn as the idealistic protagonist.

** out of ****