Bridge of Spies
Published 2016-04-09
Film info
- Title Bridge of Spies
- Director Steven Spielberg
- Year 2015
- Run time 2hr 22m
- Genres Thriller, Drama
- Tagline In the shadow of war, one man showed the world what we stood for
- Cast Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance
Inspired by true events, BRIDGE OF SPIES is the remarkable story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn attorney who finds himself thrust into the centre of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American pilot. BRIDGE OF SPIES captures the essence of a man who risked everything, and vividly brings his personal journey to life.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 0:53 | Silent idents just make me think the sound has broken. Not clever. |
| 6:25 | The thing that’s ridiculous about spying is how elaborate everything has to be. |
| 12:16 | Bowling pin wisdom. |
| 14:06 | “Of course, when you put it that way, it’s an honour to be asked…” Even though he blatantly doesn’t want to do it. |
| 17:55 | Their dinner table is chaotic to say the least. |
| 21:32 | “You don’t seem alarmed.” “Would it help?” |
| 24:15 | Surely the good Lord has signed the official secrets act? |
| 31:37 | Mr C can recognise a plane from its undercarriage.. Nerd. |
| 32:22 | The ULTIMATE lens envy. |
| 36:25 | Actual duck and cover video. Amazing. |
| 55:10 | Scary to have to wear a space suit but just be in a plane. |
| 1:00:11 | Our plane went off course is such a rubbish statement now. |
| 1:03:29 | Curious, not judgemental, why Powers didn’t use his dollar. |
| 1:07:29 | Oh wow, they’re building the actual wall. |
| 1:16:57 | I like that they’re not subtitling everything. |
| 1:25:26 | “I’ll tell you the first problem, the names of your countries are too long.” |
| 1:38:14 | Horrible to have to do negotiations that could alter the course of history, with a cold. |
| 1:47:22 | The CIA guy isn’t so nice. |
| 1:56:55 | It’s like at the start of the Bond film. |
| 2:03:55 | If he’s free to go, he’s free to stand there. Bless! |
| 2:12:11 | Love the inelegance, they should have stopped it there. |
Thoughts
I knew I wanted to watch this one, it's Tom Hanks after all, but I had forgotten the trailer and didn't really know what it was about. None of that mattered because the story grabs you with a simple start, and draws you along as things get more and more complex until the dramatic conclusion.
It was perfect. Fantastic acting, particularly the scenes between Donovan and Abel; some incredible shot-making, the shots on the bridge at the end were exquisite; and just a simple great story told well. I particularly enjoyed how the different sections of the story were intertwined, and cut from one to the other so that you had to be paying attention.
It's long, but it's worth every minute.
Rating: 5 / 5