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It's a noble calling that nobody wants, because in the height of the hysteria and hatred, who wants to be associated with a communist spy? But Donovan's boss (Alan Alda) prevails.

Rudolf Abel (Rylance) and James Donovan (Hanks), noble men on either side of the Cold War (c) 20th Century Fox

Donovan and his family discover just how deeply the hatred goes as the trial progresses. He loses, but persuades the judge not to decide on the death penalty because Abel was an insurance policy against the possibility that the U.S. might want to swap him for a spy of their own.

Which is where some of us will flash back to the TV movie Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident with Lee Majors (1976).

Suddenly, Donovan is called upon to negotiate once again, this time with the Russians for the return of a downed pilot from a spy plane.

Set in 1957, this film does paint a picture of the kind of hysteria that caused people to hunt down communists and their sympathisers (see Trumbo). Children are taught to "duck and cover" to shield themselves from nuclear blasts.

Donovan is played by Hanks as an everyman (with a legal brain). He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and empathy, and these drive his actions.

James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) beside the now-destroyed Berlin Wall (c) 20th Century Fox

In a strange way, this version of the story has heroes on both sides of the cold war, and bad guys on both sides of the Cold War.

One of Spielberg's better directing efforts, Bridge of Spies is a strong film with a compelling story that relies on the writing and the acting, not loud special effects and music.

Recommended.

by Ali Kayn Australian release 22 Oct 2015 For credits and official site details, see below Search Festivale for more work by the film-makers below. See also: Trumbo See the trailer See more films to be released in Oct 2015

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Just the facts: Title: Bridge of Spies (2015) Written by: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coeni Directed by: Steven Spielberg Running time: 142 mins Rating: M The Players: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Official website: http://bridgeofspies.com/ IMDb entry For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section. For more information about this movie, check out the internet movie database (IMDb). For the latest additions to Festivale, check out the change history section.

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