Steven Spielberg paints a great picture of Cold War times in this political tale based around the capture of two spies on either side of the political fence the Soviet, Rudolph Abel (brilliantly portrayed by Mark Rylance) and American Gary Powers.

Tom Hanks is another of those actors who rarely will turn in a poor performance, he is brilliant here and he must have been close to getting an Oscar nomination, as he plays insurance lawyer Jim Donovan with so believably. He’s a family man who stands firmly behind the American way of life but is also a man of principal so when he is asked to put up a defence for the Soviet spy, purely for the PR circus event of giving the spy due process in the American justice system, he understands the pressure and danger, this may put him and his family in, but feels duty bound to carry out this task. As with other Spielberg movies such as Lincoln & Schindler’s list, Hanks portrays a character who goes above and beyond what is expected from him and, while he has no experience in the world of espionage he is clever enough to know how to manipulate the system to ensure Abel faces a prison term instead of a death sentence and again when he arrives in the Eastern block he is street smart enough to match the game playing and subterfuge he faces.

Credit must go to Spielberg for creating another outstanding piece of film, with the feel and style of a classic Cold War thriller, without ever becoming tedious. Some of the scenes are so clever, such as in the opening part where is shows Abel painting a picture of himself which subtly gives us a glimpse into this mans duality and the double life he plays. The sets are fantastic and every details has the right look for the era, the tone and atmosphere he sets of behind the Berlin Wall is excellent without ever making the movie feel like a period drama. The balance he brings between Hanks’ home life and his work activities feel like the lawyer is playing an espionage game of his own given how he cannot divulge most of the information about his case to his family leading to clandestine trips abroad where he has to lie to the people he loves about his actions and through Hanks’ active you can feel the hurt this causes him but again being a man of honour he realises that he must do this for the greater good.

Even if this type of movie does not fit with your usual viewing material I would highly recommend you give it a go, it’s a slow burner but I think this will become a classic Hollywood movie and a must watch for any movie lover.

DJ Speaks Rating: 8 out of 10