‘Bridge of Spies’ connects strong performances with brilliant execution

Image source: inSing.com

Image source: inSing.com

Written by Deborah Wee for inSing.

Steven Spielberg is no stranger to making movies about war.

From the action-packed military endeavours in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ to the painful depiction of the Holocaust in ‘Schindler’s List’, the legendary director has proven time and again his ability to re-explore the horrors of conflict in various contexts.

In ‘Bridge of Spies’, Spielberg ventures into the somewhat familiar territory of Cold War espionage. But this time, the weapons to be fought with are different.

“We need to have the conservation our governments can’t,” Tom Hanks’ character says to his Socialist counterpart. True enough, his only bargaining chips are words and technicalities. And with official diplomacy and government labels out of the picture, Spielberg reveals American, Soviet and East German participants who turn out to have more in common than they realise.

But aside from its intriguing and thought-provoking look into the 1960 U-2 incident and the prisoner exchange that followed, ‘Bridge of Spies’ reinforces the cinematic genius of Spielberg and the proven performer in Hanks. Together, they elevate a decent-at-best narrative into a film that is affective, intriguing and brilliantly executed.

READ FULL REVIEW AT INSING.

inSing rating: 4/5
Talkiewood rating: 4.0/5 (TALK-o-meter: “That was awesome!”)