Bridge of Spies
Movie, 2015, The 2010s, Set in Berlin, 1960
Bridge of Spies is #29 of 35 in release order and #29 of 35 in chronological order in the Steven Spielberg.
The story
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.
Bridge of Spies recap
Bridge of Spies (2015) follows a Brooklyn insurance lawyer who defends a captured Soviet spy and later negotiates his swap for an American pilot in Berlin. Steven Spielberg directs a script by Matt Charman and Joel and Ethan Coen, based on real events. In 1957, James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is appointed to represent Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a quiet painter arrested as a KGB agent. Donovan defends him seriously, turning down the CIA's request to share privileged information, and talks the judge out of a death sentence, arguing Abel may be useful in a future trade; the public turns on Donovan and someone fires shots into his home. In 1960, CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is shot down over the Soviet Union in his U-2 and captured. The CIA sends Donovan to East Berlin, just as the Wall goes up, to arrange a swap, and he learns East Germany also holds an American student, Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers). Bridge of Spies follows Lincoln and precedes The BFG.
Bridge of Spies ending explained
Bridge of Spies ends with the exchange on the Glienicke Bridge between Berlin and Potsdam. Against the CIA's wishes, Donovan insists that both Powers and Pryor be freed for Abel, and plays the Soviets and East Germans off each other. On the bridge, Abel waits until Pryor is confirmed released at Checkpoint Charlie before crossing. Donovan returns home to find his family has learned of his work from the news. Captions say he later negotiated the release of prisoners in Cuba. Rylance won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Post-credits scenes
No. Bridge of Spies has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Bridge of Spies
Bridge of Spies isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Apple TV.
Ratings
IMDb 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Where it fits
Cast
- Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan
- Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel
- Amy Ryan as Mary Donovan
- Alan Alda as Thomas Watters Jr.
- Sebastian Koch as Wolfgang Vogel
- Austin Stowell as Francis Gary Powers
- Billy Magnussen as Doug Forrester
- Michael Simon Hall as Reporter
- Edward James Hyland as Chief Justice Earl Warren
- Stephen Kunken as William Tompkins
- Mike Houston as Man in Courtroom
- James Lorinz as Gentleman on Subway #2
Directed by Steven Spielberg.