Making a period movie is very difficult, I said this morning. And my friend across the room put it more aptly, Making a movie is itself very difficult. Period. :) That's where you have people like Steven Spielberg to be thankful for; for being master story tellers and for bringing life to reel on 70 mm.
During the cold war in 1957, an American lawyer, James Donovan, defends a captured Russian spy ( named Rudolf Abel ) - who does not have a lawyer - on the grounds of providing a fair trial. Donovan manages to get him just thirty years of imprisonment over the electric chair, citing morality reasons. He further convinces the Judge that a live Abel may prove to be useful in the future as a negotiation trump-card, should an American citizen be in a similar state of captivity on Russian soil.
His words soon take true form when Powers, an American pilot, is captured after his plane is shot down, while snooping 70,000 feet above USSR territory. Things get complex when another American, an Economics student, is arrested while trying to sneak in his girlfriend from East to West Berlin.
The CIA send Donovan to Russia to get back their pilot, in exchange for Abel. There, he is informed of the arrest of an Economics student from the US, Frederic Pryor, in East Germany. Pryor is arrested on suspicion of espionage while he tries to sneak his girlfriend from East to West Berlin.
Can the principled attorney claim two mangoes in one shot? Will his negotiations save three lives and two nations? What happens thereon forms the rest of the story.
Spielberg makes a complicated story simple, thus displaying his expertise and experience in direction. He adds humour through Donovan's wits and Abel's simplicity & body language. The casting and the performances are very good. The narration is kept interesting, for it is pretty easy to make an espionage trial related movie seem boring.
Donovan lives by "Dharma"... I'd not be surprised if Karan Johar's production house (pun intended) claims the remake rights and I can see Aamir playing Hanks' character in the Hindi version.
Tom Hanks is a natural, as he is most of the time. Mark Rylance is good, and while he speaks less, his body language is very effective.
Donovan (Tom Hanks' character) is a true hero. Who just believes in doing the right thing. A good hearted man...
Matt Charman and the Coen brothers have chosen a good tale from real life.
The period pieces are well shot, which Spielberg is a master at. He just gets better and better.
My rating: 3.5 out of five.
During the cold war in 1957, an American lawyer, James Donovan, defends a captured Russian spy ( named Rudolf Abel ) - who does not have a lawyer - on the grounds of providing a fair trial. Donovan manages to get him just thirty years of imprisonment over the electric chair, citing morality reasons. He further convinces the Judge that a live Abel may prove to be useful in the future as a negotiation trump-card, should an American citizen be in a similar state of captivity on Russian soil.
His words soon take true form when Powers, an American pilot, is captured after his plane is shot down, while snooping 70,000 feet above USSR territory. Things get complex when another American, an Economics student, is arrested while trying to sneak in his girlfriend from East to West Berlin.
The CIA send Donovan to Russia to get back their pilot, in exchange for Abel. There, he is informed of the arrest of an Economics student from the US, Frederic Pryor, in East Germany. Pryor is arrested on suspicion of espionage while he tries to sneak his girlfriend from East to West Berlin.
Can the principled attorney claim two mangoes in one shot? Will his negotiations save three lives and two nations? What happens thereon forms the rest of the story.
Spielberg makes a complicated story simple, thus displaying his expertise and experience in direction. He adds humour through Donovan's wits and Abel's simplicity & body language. The casting and the performances are very good. The narration is kept interesting, for it is pretty easy to make an espionage trial related movie seem boring.
Donovan lives by "Dharma"... I'd not be surprised if Karan Johar's production house (pun intended) claims the remake rights and I can see Aamir playing Hanks' character in the Hindi version.
Tom Hanks is a natural, as he is most of the time. Mark Rylance is good, and while he speaks less, his body language is very effective.
Donovan (Tom Hanks' character) is a true hero. Who just believes in doing the right thing. A good hearted man...
Matt Charman and the Coen brothers have chosen a good tale from real life.
The period pieces are well shot, which Spielberg is a master at. He just gets better and better.
My rating: 3.5 out of five.
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