Bridge of Spies

Dir. Steven Spielberg. 2015, 142 mins. DCP. Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda.
If it is currently hard to remember when America at least purported to be decent, kind, thoughtful and just, Spielberg’s Cold War thriller about the tense art of negotiation, conversation, and holding fast to principles serves as a reminder. Released in the halcyon, far-off days of late 2015, Bridge of Spies proved Spielberg’s control of cinematic storytelling was as undimmed and clear-eyed as his love of country. He’s one of our most patriotic filmmakers, but his patriotism is never blindly naive. As in his best historical films, the movement of nations is knotty, murky, and often malicious, but heroes can and do emerge, often from the unlikeliest of places.