Bridge of Spies [DVD] [2015]

Tom Hanks is just great! He plays the part so well. Great story based on true historical events. I highly recommend watching it!

This is among my all-time favorite Tom Hanks movie. Mark Rylance was outstanding. The film was beautiful shot and portrayed. I highly recommend this movie.

“Bridge of Spies” is an excellent film directed by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Hanks telling the (not so well known) story of authentic American-hero James B. Donovan whose expert negotiating skills and unshakable-ethics were not only effective in bringing-home (from behind the Iron-curtain) downed U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers and American student studying in East-Germany Fredric Pryor. In the process James Donovan also demonstrated to the World our hallowed ideals of fairness, integrity & rule-of-Law = ideals that Western democracies still strived to maintain during those ambiguous (and precarious) dark-Days associated with the bitter/frigid 'Cold-War' Spielberg’s film masterfully evokes that particular atmosphere of tension-mistrust-misunderstanding (and sometimes even deliberate-deception of course) that was commonplace during much of the Cold-War period (but especially so in the 1950’s and 60’s – when the free-flow of unfiltered information was a very rare commodity indeed) And principled individuals like James B. Donovan (who had the ability to ethically navigate thru the dense shadows & fog) were true godsends (and perhaps ultimately contributed to even staving-off thermo-nuclear conflagration) Tom Hanks portrays Donovan in a brilliantly ‘down-to-Earth’ manner = i.e. honest, unpretentious, tough-minded but compassionate.

The plot-line is superbly written as is the film’s 7.1 sound-track and 7.1 sound-effects which are specifically tailored to each scene – both-of-which draws the audience-into a very immersive viewing experience. It is very evident that the director of the film went to great lengths to replicate the 1961-62 East Berlin experience – clothing, uniforms, automobiles, military equipment, the building of the Berlin Wall, the East Berlin’s neighborhoods down-trodden experience both exterior as-well-as-interior, and the peoples persona – both Russian and East German. The film exudes the periods memories and emotional sentiments toward the Cold War period - both at home and abroad. This film will emotionally draw the audience-in more than just several times and bring out your pride in America as-well-as your thanks to James Donovan – the quiet hero of the film and his family. Additional Info: The Glienickle Bridge [the “exchange” bridge], 14109 Berlin Street [the Bridge of Spies] crosses the Havel River and connects the Wannsee district of Berlin with the Brandenburg capital Potsdam – the view of the bridge remains the same (2018) as it was during the period of the film except Guard Posts and Obstacles have been removed and traffic flows over it freely.

Great movie. Only complaint was when I opened the case there was no digital copy slip in it. Was able to get that corrected with Disney, but it took 2 months and a few phone calls and a lot of emails.

Great movie! Tom Hanks makes you believe the story! Have watched this movie at least once a month! Would recommend.

Love spy movies and Tom Hanks, so what better than both? The combo of DVD, Blue Ray and Digital copy allows to take it and watch it anywhere, so it was a great buy.

Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies is another spectacular collaboration between one of the greatest filmmakers and actors of our time. This is his fourth collaboration with Tom Hanks, after Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002) and the underrated The Terminal (2004), and together they’re keeping classical, adult Hollywood entertainment alive. Spielberg makes it all look easy - it’s entirely possible that the skill and artistry behind a movie like this might go unnoticed by some audiences, because the filmmaking is not flashy. Everything is in the service of storytelling. And Hanks’s performance is something only the world’s best movie star could give us. I couldn’t be happier that Spielberg is concentrating his efforts toward making big budget, challenging historical dramas like this and Lincoln that nobody else can get made nowadays.