Review for Bridges of Spies (a film about The Cold War with Tom Hanks)

I recently watched a movie called Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks.  Hanks plays a lawyer who is recruited by the United States government to defend a Soviet Union spy captured within the United States territory.  While Hanks is representing the Soviet spy, an American spy plane flying over the Union is shot down and the pilot taken hostage.  Hanks is then ordered to negotiate a trade between the Soviet Union and the United States.  The deal is easy, the Soviets hand over the American spy plane pilot and the Americans hand over the Soviet spy.

The plot is simple; however, the the process and struggle Hanks' character is forced to experience is what makes this movie a great flashback to a time of critical uncertainty.  A time when school children were taught to duck and cover under their school desks in case a nuclear bomb exploded near by.   Lewis Black, a stand-up comedian, actually has a bit on this which is hilarious.  I highly recommend you watch it.

This film is full of timeless ethical and political quarrels with which Hanks' character is forced to cope.  Questions such as: are foreign spies entitled to American due process of law?  Is an American attorney justified in defending a foreign spy?  To what extent does attorney-client privilege reach when the interests of national security are at stake?  These kinds of questions and more are framed within the Cold War context throughout the film.  However, these questions, and ones of a similar fashion, are not exclusively timestamped for the Cold War era.  These questions continue to plague our society and others as well.  For example, remember the debates swirling around the handling of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay?  Similar issues, different time.

The film's title and plot summary might lead one to infer that there will be a lot of action, thrills, and intense scenes of suspense, because we have been conditioned to associate spy movies with James Bond like acrobatics and unlikely heroics.  Bridge of Spies, instead, has a slow developing story due to the nuance and attention to detail capturing the social, political, legal, and historical elements associated with the Cold War era.

The movie runs about 2 hours and 20 minutes.  So, if you do plan on watching it, then prepare yourself for a lengthy viewing.  I plan on doing a follow up article in the next few days examining a couple of the legal and ethical questions raised by this film, so check back if your interested.