Bridge of Spies

Spielbergian contre-jour, elitism, perfect crowd scenes, liberalism, and Hanks' irritating Glabellar lines passing for acting. The comic-book differences between the Western and Eastern worlds (the snowy white-and-gray washed-out austerity of the Eastern Bloc with the leafy, vivacious sunshine of the West) unilaterally nods its head to the Statue of Liberty, as we'd expect from a Disney-Spielberg conglomerate, but the hero's opening struggle against all odds to ensure that the spy is entitled to not automatically have a rope around his neck in particular takes the patina off America's colorful godly foolishness. As you’d expect, the whole piece ultimately comes off as a heroization of the guardians of American values that must be cherished because humans alone are incapable of upholding those values. (2016-03-22)

Bridge of Spies is more or less a conversational drama in which the space is not limited to one room, but its pillars of are the dialogues and the performances of Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. From a technical point of view, it is also an average piece, with a successful recreation of (not only) 1950s Berlin and a brilliant scene of a plane being shot down. Afterwards, you can only watch with suspense how the different parties proceed to get their man back, and there is nothing to do but wait to see how it all turns out, whether the spies are exchanged or not. In short, a quality period drama that, apart from a decent story and actors, offered me a nostalgic return to the Glienicker Brücke, which I know all too well from my Erasmus days in Potsdam. (2016-01-27)

"Frankly, everyone else wants to put you in the electric chair." - "Ok." - "You don't look worried." - "Would that help?" Nobody makes movies like Steven Spielberg. The feeling of each shot being so eerily elaborate, yet looking so simple. The combining of ordinary human stories with extraordinary ones. The art of lightening dramatic moments with subtle humor without in any way demeaning them. In short, precision, perfection. And those memorable scenes (of all kinds) - the opening surveillance and arrest, the judge tying his bow tie, Powers' shooting down, the building of the Berlin Wall, the bargaining at the Soviet embassy, the breathtaking handover on the Glienitz Bridge... But, of course, all this is also a credit to the Coen brothers' script, Janusz Kamiński's cinematography and the actors. The fantastic Tom Hanks properly enjoys his "hardy man", and the unassuming Mark Rylance is no worse. I also really liked Thomas Newman's score - if he blew off Spectre for Bridge of Spies, I'm happy to forgive him for the bland Bond film. (2015-12-15)

A film with a testimonial value that is much more than how it actually entertains and enriches the end viewer. At the same time, though, it's typical Spielberg of the last decade. That is to say, smart, honest, with less verve than before, less original and groundbreaking, but also, nonchalantly academic, with accurately rendered period realities of Berlin and an overall magnificent production design (for that money!). It also knows how to play with characters (a reliable Hanks, a fantastic Rylance) and those wordless Kaminski details (the last scene) – something that can be called a constant for a very long time. A safe bet. It’s not bad, but nothing to write home about, either. (2015-12-05)

The most characteristic Steven Spielberg film in decades. No side is black and white, the main character played by the perfect Tom Hanks has increasingly clear human motivations amidst a thickening plot, and the technical aspects of the pivotal scenes (the plane, the wall, and ultimately all of Berlin) is so close and formally perfect that it takes your breath away. Despite the generous running time, you never get a moment to catch your breath, and every plot twist or complication forces me to spin my brain over and over again and think about how to maneuver out of the situation at hand. And that's where my only, yet all-encompassing, criticism is directed. Everything turns out exactly as I expected without knowledge of the given historical events. The painfully contemporary message reaches the viewer impressively, but there remains a feeling of being a bit shortchanged, which Steven brought on himself. In his hands, such a topic could not go wrong, but despite its formal perfection, it could have turned out even more sincerely. (2015-12-01)