Bridge of Spies

Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance

"In a World on the Brink,
the Difference between War and Peace 

was one Honest Man"

Having Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in a film is certainly a good combination and "Bridge of Spies" doesn't disappoint in any aspect. This espionage drama is an authentic narrative about the testy and frosty relationship between the USA and the USSR during the height of the Cold War. 

It specifically focuses on the behind closed doors negotiations which ensued to ensure the safe release of a US spy pilot shot down over Russia in exchange for the extradition of a suspected Russian spy caught red handed in America. In short, one spy for another spy so everyone is happy and the Cold War doesn't escalate into the 3rd World War!

The film is well made with tension filled moments combined with funny scenarios spiced with good values. The kind of values which sadly is firmly lacking nowadays in a world where terror attacks is slowly becoming the norm. 

But the film had a tendency to give this America.is.the.greatest.nation vibe. I refer to the last few scenes where Tom Hanks is back in the US on board a train and the background scenes are of children playing safely in the streets and it is interspersed with a flashback scene of Hanks in a tram in East Berlin and the prevailing shots are bleak surroundings with barbed wires on buildings. That shot right there didn't sit well with me, it wasn't really necessary. Overall though the film was an enjoyable viewing experience.