Spielberg, Hanks, Coen Brothers. Rarely have there been so many members of the Hollywood royal family working together on a single motion picture. With this calibre of talent involved the expectations are unsurprisingly sky high; unfortunately this Cold War true story lands in the 'good, but not good enough' category and subsequently feels like a missed opportunity. At first it's difficult to pinpoint why the spark is missing as all the ingredients for an old-school espionage yarn are present, but after careful contemplation it seems to me that Spielberg may be going through the motions. His direction is purposely understated to be sure, although there is a distinct lack of oomph in his narrative propulsion that is strangely un-Spielbergian. There's also never any real sense of Hanks' American attorney being in danger, despite spending large chunks of time in war-torn Berlin liaising with shadowy Russian diplomats and volatile German soldiers. Nevertheless, this thriller predominantly satisfies thanks to another heartfelt performance from main man Hanks. His put upon lawyer is righteous but grounded, intelligent but humble, fearful but optimistic, all with a welcome dash of wit. In fact it's the Brooklyn-set first act that proves the most entertaining, when it's mostly a two-hander between Hanks and Mark Rylance's dryly-humorous Russian spy, the latter damn near stealing the show right from under Hanks' nose. With regular Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski on hand as director of photography, the movie looks utterly spectacular too, the glowing courtrooms of New York just as impressive as the snowy streets of a war-ravaged Germany. Bridge of Spies is a solid Cold War thriller with a compelling protagonist, yet with the Tinseltown heavyweights involved I can't help but think it's also somewhat of a disappointment.
Review of Bridge of Spies
