There is a sequence at the midpoint ofBridge of Spiesthat is simply spectacular.
Together, the real-life CIA pilot and his observer plummet toward the Soviet Union like a Cold War Icarus.
It is here that Steven Spielberg implicitly crows he still has it.
Now, the multifarious filmmaker regularly seeks to inform as much as entertain.
And to be sure,Bridge of Spiesis as relevant as any of the directors previous historical epics.
Like Donovan, Abel lived in Brooklyn.
But he and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski also maintain the warmth and immediacy of the present while lighting the film.
But the script is at its best during the third act of the film in Berlin.
That crossroads is also where the movies strength lies.
Rating:
4 out of 5
