Bridge of Spies

"In the shadow of war, one man showed the world what we stand for."

2015 2h 21m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 7,462

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

“In the shadow of war, one man showed the world what we stand for.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Apple TV StoreBuy

Cast

Tom Hanks
James B. Donovan
Mark Rylance
Rudolf Abel
Amy Ryan
Mary Donovan
Alan Alda
Thomas Watters Jr.
Sebastian Koch
Wolfgang Vogel
Austin Stowell
Francis Gary Powers
Billy Magnussen
Doug Forrester
Michael Simon Hall
Reporter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Matt Charman
Languages: Russian, English, German
Countries: United States of America, Germany, India

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Germany, India.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

364+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steven Spielberg, shot by Janusz Kamiński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steven Spielberg directs. Janusz Kamiński behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Michael Kahn cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Germany, India. Dialogue in Russian, English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.1× over at the box office.
2Released 11 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, English, German.
4International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Germany, India.
5364+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Steven Spielberg, shot by Janusz Kamiński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Michael Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance and Amy Ryan carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "In the shadow of war, one man showed the world what we stand for.".
11IMDB entry: tt3682448 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 11 themes, including "central intelligence agency (cia)", "spy", "cold war", "soviet union".

The technical file

Cinematography: Janusz Kamiński
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Michael Kahn
Production design: Adam Stockhausen
Costume design: Kasia Walicka Maimone
Makeup / hair: Mitchell Beck
VFX supervisor: Charlie Noble
Sound: Andy Nelson
Runtime: 141 min · 2h 21m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $165,478,348
Return: 414% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Bridge of Spies (2015)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Steven Spielberg

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2015-12-21
★ 8/10
Steven Spielberg really knows how to craft movies and this is a very good example. A simple and good story, well scripted, with a well chosen cast and with Tom Hanks, who keep giving us great performances. Amy Ryan does a great job, which is even better in the case of Mark Rylance.
Reno2016-02-14
★ 9/10
Totally unexpected PG-13 rated negotiation-drama based on the Cold War. The movie that should have been made 50 years ago, but due to the international political tension it did not take off. So now it's here, the same director made it. It's a rocking combo, once again Spielberg and Hanks come together, tell me who's going to miss that. Simply spellbinding, one of the best movie of the year. I think this flick is for adults. There's no sex, no nudity, not even a single kiss or the bad language and zero violence, its fine for teens and kids can understand, but the story is what I meant that suits only for the grown ups. Like the usual, this Spielberg movie is easy to follow, there's no tricky twists and turns, but aimed for only the event that's based on the real. Over a 2 hour long negotiation drama with surrounded by suspense and thrills. It's completely a one man show and the end has been just like everybody wanted. I'm not surprised that it is nominated for the Oscars in the 6 categories including the best motion picture. I would be very happy if it puts at least a couple of trophies to its basket. I feel it is a must see if you're interested in WWII related subjects, other than the war. 8½/10
djgri2017-04-30
★ 8/10
Mark Rylance is brilliant in this film. Tom Hanks does his usual excellent performance. I don't know much about Mark Rylance. Maybe he is one of those rare brilliant actors who just hasn't had the accolades he deserves. I am sure that if you asked him if he was worried about his lack of recognition, that he would simply say "would it help?"