Saw an early (well, Thursday evening) showing of the new Steven Spielberg / Tom Hanks movie Bridge of Spies. It’s based on the true story of the trial of a Soviet spy (defended by Hanks as the American lawyer), the shoot down of Gary Powers in his U2 spy plane over Russia, and then a lot of negotiations between the Americans and Soviets (and East Germans) over the two prisoners. There might even be a bridge… with spies on it.

This is a good movie. It’s not a great Steven Spielberg movie though… it’s one of his lesser works but lesser Spielberg is still good Spielberg.

I didn’t know much of the historical details behind this movie so I was pleased to learn it and I hope it was accurate. It was by no means a comedy, but it was pleasantly funny and entertaining. Tom Hanks is at his maximum Tom Hanksiness and is, as usual, doing a great job. The actor playing the Soviet spy was also pretty great.

This is a spy movie but it’s not an action spy flick… It’s more about talking, negotiations, and verbal fencing between people who don’t trust or know each other. It’s not about spycraft in the usual movie sense so be aware this is a talky flick mixed with some good suspense moments.

So, yes, good real-world spy movie with a good history lesson (hopefully accurate).

Score: 86