I have now seen all the nominees in the Best Original Screenplay category and Straight Outta Compton would be my pick as winner. That's not to say I didn't enjoy watching Bridge of Spies. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg rarely make bad films alone, combined they're practically guaranteed a stellar product.
Insurance lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) has a happy successful life. Then he is chosen by the Bar Association to represent accused Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). It is only supposed to be an appearance of justice just so the Russians don't have an excuse to cry foul. Donovan, however, actually attempts to provide a decent defense for his client. This diligence doesn't go unnoticed on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Donovan is specifically requested to broker a prisoner exchange in East Berlin: Rudolf Abel for downed U2 pilot Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). Operating outside official government parameters, Donovan must navigate the murky waters of Cold War politics in order to mediate a successful resolution.
This is the first time I've heard about this story. I knew that Gary Powers was one of the first U2 spy plane pilots and that he was shot down over Russia and exchanged, but I didn't know anything about the guy who did the negotiations. I had assumed it was some schmuck from the State Department. Imagine my surprise to learn that it was a DC lawyer -- an insurance lawyer, no less.
This is a quiet film, very deliberate, with no flash bangs or big action pieces. That could have made it a boring slog in less capable hands. But it's Spielberg so of course it's good. It's not a movie I could watch over and over, so I won't buy it but it's definitely worth a rental.
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