Attorney James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is presented with a new case he isn’t sure he wants to take on in the first of two new clips from DreamWorks Pictures’Bridge of Spies, arriving in theaters October 16. The first scene features Williams (Michael Gaston) and Thomas Watters (Alan Alda) telling Donovan that they picked him to defend a traitor because of his experience at the Nuremberg trials, even though he hasn’t practiced criminal law in over a decade. The secondBridge of Spiesclip features Donovan discussing the case over dinner with his wife Mary (Amy Ryan) and their children, although Mary doesn’t think he should take it on.
In the 1950s during the early stages of the Cold War, tensions are rife between the U.S. and USSR, so when the FBI arrests Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a Soviet agent living in New York, the fear and paranoia only escalate. Charged with sending coded messages back to Russia, Abel is questioned by the FBI but refuses to cooperate, declining their offer to turn on his country, and is detained in federal prison pending trial. The government, in need of an independent attorney to take on Abel’s defense, approaches James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn.
But Donovan, a former prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials and highly regarded within the legal community for his profound skills as a negotiator, has little experience with allegations of this magnitude and isn’t eager to get involved. Advocating such a deeply unpopular defense would make him a public figure and could subject his family to scrutiny, disdain and even, potentially, danger. Donovan find himself in the center of theCold Warwhen the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot.
ScreenwritersMatt CharmanandEthan Coen&Joel Coenhave woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life. Directed by three-time Academy Award-winning directorSteven Spielberg,Bridge of Spiesstars two-time Academy Award winnerTom Hanksas James Donovan; three-time Tony Award winnerMark Rylanceas Rudolf Abel, a KGB agent defended by Donovan, Scott Shepherd as CIA operative Hoffman, Academy Award nomineeAmy Ryanas James' wife, Mary,Sebastian Kochas East German lawyer Vogel and Academy Award nomineeAlan Aldaas Thomas Watters, a partner at Donovan’s law firm.
Bridge of Spieshits theaters on October 16, going up againstCrimson PeakandGoosebumpsat thebox officethat weekend. While it’s too soon to tell right now,Bridge of Spiescould emerge as an early Oscar candidate. That will surely depend on how the critics and audiences alike respond to this drama, but we’ll have to wait and see. Check out these clips and interviews, and stay tuned for more onBridge of Spies.
