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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
James Donovan
Rudolf Abel
Thomas Watters
Mary Donovan
Jan Donovan
Allen Dulles
News & Interviews for Bridge of Spies
Critic Reviews for Bridge of Spies
All Critics (309) | Top Critics (76) | Fresh (279) | Rotten (30)
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Director Steven Spielberg gives audiences a meticulously composed espionage thriller, which establishes a tense atmosphere from the start and keeps the viewer engaged throughout. [Full review in Japanese]
December 19, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review… -
This is a filmmaker with a lifetime of skill and experience, crafting his vintage pictures with style and grace, and we're all better off for it.
May 3, 2016 | Full Review… -
Bridge of Spies is a quality film featuring loads of commendable work, but Spielberg's glossy and exceedingly upbeat take on the material might make it more of a crowdpleaser than an Oscar contender.
February 23, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review… -
Bridge of Spies is a warm portrait of a friendship, an excitingly intricate story of realistically scaled suspense, and a visually ravishing and lovingly crafted rendering of mid-century America, where how you look matters much less than what you do.
December 21, 2015 | Full Review… -
The genius of the casting is in the contrast: Hanks, the richly sympathetic screen actor, and Rylance, no less colossal a talent but one comparatively untried in cinema.
December 1, 2015 | Full Review… -
[A] solidly entertaining Cold War thriller.
December 1, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Bridge of Spies
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Mar 31, 2018Spielberg's drama about the exchange of prisoners during the early days of East germany behind the Berlin wall is no nail-biter but thoroughly entertaining. Tom Hanks is the obvious choice for the honorable lawyer negotiating the deal, but you can't fault him for being good at what he does. Rylance certainly deserved the Oscar for his supporting role as the imprisoned russian spy. The film mostly relies on its cold war atmosphere, the actors and their lines, but that works because there actually haven't really been a lot of films about this chapter in recent history yet.Jens S Super Reviewer
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Feb 26, 2018All of Spielberg's virtues are on display here, plus the added intensity of the writing of the Coen brothers. While the material has been dramatized, it appears that this movie does tell the truth about its subject. Excellent film. A must see.Morris N Super Reviewer
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Jul 22, 2017Spielberg crafts yet another all-time classic, as does Tom Hanks in the role of insurance attorney turned prisoner exchange negotiator during the Cold War in this true story adaptation. If you've wondered why a lawyer would defend someone accused of a heinous crime in the face of daunting evidence, this film will eloquently tell you all you need to know about the value of the American justice system. Although he has a much smaller role, Mark Rylance is every bit the equal to Hanks as the imprisoned Irish-born Russian spy. Janus Kaminski's photography heightens The emotional and intellectual impact of this terrific bu The emotional and intellectual impact of this beautifully written iscript from Joel & Ethan Coen and Matt Charman.Doctor S Super Reviewer
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Jul 23, 2016An American lawyer goes to Cold War era Berlin to negotiate a hostage exchange. Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, who surprisingly won Best Supporting Actor, lead this cast in a decently tense Cold War thriller. While it's true that the relationship between Donovan and Abel is underdeveloped, there's enough in this film to make their connection believable. And the plot moves slowly but surely. Spielberg, however, has no restraint in his message. The film is about American exceptionalism and the primacy of American Values (never mind the fact that several other countries share similar values). Yes, there are token "Bad Americans," but seen especially in a pair of scenes in which Germans attempting to climb a wall are killed and Americans attempting to climb a wall are safe (and not shot by police), the film pounds us over the head with just how wonderful we are. Without getting into a disagreement about the validity of Spielberg's point, we can simply say that the film lacks subtlety. Overall, there's a decent film here even if it's heavy-handed in parts.Jim H Super Reviewer
Bridge of Spies Quotes
Ivan Schischkin: | This is not an equitable trade, sir. |
James Donovan: | But what you're saying is, if Powers has given up everything he knows then Moscow would trade? Why wouldn't they? As for Abel, if he dies in an American prison, the next Russian operative who gets caught might think twice about keeping his mouth shut. And you never know, Abel might want to see the sky again and decide to trade Russian secrets for small American favours. |
Ivan Schischkin: | How can we know this? We little men. We just do our jobs. |
James Donovan: | Like Lieutenant Powers. He's just a pilot. |
Ivan Schischkin: | He was making photographs from 70,000 feet when he was shot from the sky. People in my country consider this an act of war. |
James Donovan: | We have to get off this merry-go-round, sir. The next mistake our countries make could be last one. We need to have the conversation our governments can't. |
Ivan Schischkin: | I will ask Moscow. Who knows what they will say. There are a lot of people, Mr. Donovan, who doesn't want this exchange to ever take place. |
James Donovan: | We have to have the conversations our governments can't. |
James Donovan: | Aren't you worried?... |
James Donovan: | Aren't you worried? |
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