This movie transports many of us who are old enough to remember, back to the days of the Cold War and the tensions that existed between the Soviet Union and the United States. 

Director Steven Spielberg is a known history enthusiast and his knowledge of the Cold War dates back to childhood when his father told stories of the deep-seated feelings of animosity and distrust that existed between the U.S. and Soviet Union, stories he still remembers today. Spielberg and screenwriters, Joel and Ethan Coen, explore the humanity behind a critically intense historical moment in this spy thriller. The movie derived from from an original draft by London playwright Matt Charman. 

These were the fevered years of the Cold War, a war that involved information, not combat, where words were the ultimate weapon. It was a time when anti-Communist propaganda, “Duck and Cover” educational videos and the media’s coverage of events like the Rosenberg trial bred fear and hatred across the country…. hatred stemming from fear of the unknown. No one was safe, and it was an especially dangerous time to be in the headlines for defending a Russian spy.

The movie The Bridge of Spies was inspired by true events in the 1950’s. During the early stages of the Cold War, tensions between the U.S. and USSR are high and when the FBI arrests Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a Soviet agent living in New York, the fear and paranoia escalate. Charged with sending coded messages back to Russia, Abel is questioned by the FBI but refuses to cooperate, declining their offer to turn on his country, and is detained in federal prison pending trial.

The government is in need of an independent attorney to take on Abel’s defense and they approach James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn. Donovan was a former prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials and known for his negotiating skills. 

Donovan agrees to represent Abel. Even though Abel is not a citizen Donovan is committed to the principles of justice and the protection of basic human rights and wants to ensure Abel receives a fair trial regardless of his citizenship. As he prepares his defense strategy, a bond begins to develop between the two men, one built on mutual respect and understanding.

Sometime later, an American U-2 spy plane is shot down over Soviet airspace while on a reconnaissance mission, and the pilot, Francis Gary Powers, is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison in Russia. The CIA, while categorically denying any knowledge of the mission, is fearful that Powers may be coerced into revealing classified information.

Having witnessed Donovan’s impressive skills in the courtroom, CIA operative Hoffman reaches out to recruit him for a national security mission of great importance, and because of his incredible foresight, Donovan is soon on his way to Berlin to negotiate a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. 

Donovan is driven by a love for his country, unwavering belief in his convictions and a tremendous amount of courage. Once he arrives however, Donovan learns that an American student named Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers) has been arrested in East Berlin while trying to return to his home in the West, and despite the CIA’s directions on to focus only on the pilot, he decides to negotiate for the release of both the pilot and the student, as he refuses to leave anyone behind.

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