History is always fascinating fodder for the cinema and the history of the Cold War, featuring two superpowers sparring with nuclear boxing gloves, is dripping with cinematic portent.  The only problem is that history is complex, often slow to develop and doesn’t usually finish with a satisfying wrap-up.  Bridge of Spies, inspired by true events, stuffs a lot of Cold War into its two-and-a-half hour running time, yet still feels rather simplistic and manufactured.

Steven Spielberg’s film delves into the detail of how Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) spied on America and was caught; what isn’t clear is just how damaging Abel’s spying was.  Abel is defended by insurance lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks), who seems surprised to be asked to defend the Commie, yet in real life Donovan was quite active in the intelligence community.  Later, U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is shot down over Russia, and Donovan is asked to try to cut a deal to get him back, using Abel as the bait.

The script cuts corners (and characters) to bring the drama to a manageable level, even with humorous contributions from the Coen Brothers.  And while some of the scenes work marvelously, others feel chintzy and underwhelming.  Spielberg’s direction is solid but the script is still lumpy and bumpy.  Of course, people who feel that movies needlessly streamline real life would argue for lumpier and bumpier, as in real life — yet that doesn’t make for wonderful movies.  Bridge of Spies is a good one, but it could have been much more powerful than it is.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  1 December 2015.