In 1957, the US and USSR were in the Cold War that produced paranoia all around. When a Russian spy is captured in Brooklyn, James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is hired to defend him. The case becomes more complicated when he’s sent to Berlin to quietly negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Unlike what you might expect from Hollywood, there’s not one chase scene or shootout, only an intelligently-written narrative of human conflict and determined accomplishment. Steven Spielberg is in straight-ahead storytelling mode with little directorial flourish, but he makes every performance (esp. Hanks) persuasive and every moment compelling. Espionage for grown ups.
(4.5 / 5)