Bridge of Spies
RYAN: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are together again, collaborating on Bridge of Spies. And for this review, Chuck is joining me along with my pal Ilies Zdrafcu, with whom I enjoy talking about movies and can bring a unique perspective to this review since he is European. Welcome!
ILIES: Thank you.
RYAN: This is such a meaty movie! It’s suspenseful, good hearted, deep; a cold war film but not a violent war movie ala Saving Private Ryan. It’s a thriller than had mystery components.
CHUCK:
ILIES: It was a relatively simple story that seemed to follow the historical account of this man’s life, James Donovan. It’s unfolds slowly but I liked that there’s a parallel between the American society in the first half of the film and then the second half show the reality in Germany. And there are some clever shots with parallels between both places.
RYAN: Yes – without giving anything away, there’s a shot at the end that really hits you but is fantastic storytelling. It hits you in the gut.
CHUCK: It really does hit home for anyone living in a free country; I noticed it too. It was almost like two separate movies. You could see both on their own and even the color temperature of the film in both places differed.
RYAN: You’re right that it’s simple. At first there was a storyline I thought was a subplot but it turns out to be a through line for the main story as well. It’s an intricate script and with Spielberg at the helm, it’s woven in a way that’s multi-layered actually quite simple and straightforward. You definitely have to pay attention because there’s so much happening. It’s a very meaty movie.
CHUCK: It was written by the Coen Brothers and Matt Charman. They’re brilliant screenwriters who pick stories that are important. I didn’t expect it to have some humor.
ILIES: There were some nice humorous moments with lightness.
CHUCK: The script also helps to make you empathize with who is the typical bad guy.
RYAN: The emerging theme for the first quarter of the film is justice and raises the moral and ethical questions around who is worthy of justice? Is everyone entitled to it or should some be rightfully denied it?
CHUCK: That’s timely now too. How do we treat people in our country who are not natural citizens, when our constitution protects everybody? It’s a law of humanity.
ILIES: Tom Hanks was great. I couldn’t imagine any other actor in this role. He’s such a strong actor and he’s so confident in the role – very strong in it. He’s really the lead in this where everyone else is supporting.
RYAN: Comparing this to other roles in his career, he’s as good. I don’t know that he’ll get a nomination but he’s terrific in this.
CHUCK: He is playing an everyman American who is very shrewd. The movie is very American Pride.
RYAN: What did you think of that aspect, as a European living in America today?
ILIES: This movie really does express American patriotism. I see it a lot. It shares a love for the country and from my point of view, Tom’s character was very representative of an American ideal – fighting for rights and justice. Any American would want to fight for the same thing.
RYAN: It’s based on true events and for the sake of dramatization, there are some liberties taken but I’m not complaining. I loved Amy Ryan as Tom’s wife. She looked really great in this style – in the 60s.
CHUCK: All of the costumes and hair and every detail is to the T. Nobody crafts an era like Spielberg.
ILIES: And if you paid attention to the interiors in Germany, everything was historically accurate. The look of the Russian embassy also looked great.
RYAN: Mark Rylance was also great as the Russian spy.
CHUCK: The whole case was so good.
RYAN: I have to mention – there’s a moment in this about kids seeing images of nuclear war and becoming afraid of it. I was terrified of that in the 80s and it was kind of hard to watch that moment in the film because it took me back but it shows how universal that fear was and also – how inappropriate for kids to see.
CHUCK: There was a lot of fear in the world and there was so much propaganda from both sides to fear each other. It was a terrifying time. I remember when the wall came down. The only thing I didn’t love was the score. This is one of only two movies in Spielberg’s career that John Williams didn’t score. I could tell.
ILIES: There is a lot of dialogue you really have to pay close attention to and sometimes it was quiet, without music.
RYAN: It’s such an intricate story and we often go to the movies to see superheroes but this movie is about a real American hero. James Donovan championed human rights no matter where you were from – a criminal or not – he fought for the rights of all people, which is what Superman does but with powers. It’s very good.
