Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Bridge of Spies

  • 20152015
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 22m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
307K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,490
199
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies (2015)
Watch the latest trailer for Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks.
Play trailer1:44
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • History
  • Thriller

During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 sp... Read allDuring the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

IMDb RATING
7.6/10
307K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,490
199
  • Director
    • Steven Spielberg
  • Writers
    • Matt Charman
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Mark Rylance
    • Alan Alda
Top credits
  • Director
    • Steven Spielberg
  • Writers
    • Matt Charman
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Mark Rylance
    • Alan Alda
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 519User reviews
    • 506Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 30 wins & 103 nominations total

    Videos3

    "Standing Man" Trailer
    Trailer 1:44
    "Standing Man" Trailer
    International Trailer
    Trailer 2:45
    International Trailer
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:43
    Trailer #1

    Photos134

    Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, and Billy Magnussen in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks and Scott Shepherd in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks and Amy Ryan in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, and Billy Magnussen in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Tom Hanks and Scott Shepherd in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies (2015)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Hanks
    Tom Hanks
    • James B. Donovanas James B. Donovan
    Mark Rylance
    Mark Rylance
    • Rudolf Abelas Rudolf Abel
    Alan Alda
    Alan Alda
    • Thomas Watters Jr.as Thomas Watters Jr.
    Amy Ryan
    Amy Ryan
    • Mary Donovanas Mary Donovan
    Domenick Lombardozzi
    Domenick Lombardozzi
    • Agent Blascoas Agent Blasco
    Victor Verhaeghe
    Victor Verhaeghe
    • Agent Gamberas Agent Gamber
    Mark Fichera
    Mark Fichera
    • FBI Agentas FBI Agent
    Brian Hutchison
    Brian Hutchison
    • FBI Agentas FBI Agent
    Joshua Harto
    Joshua Harto
    • Batesas Bates
    Henny Russell
    Henny Russell
    • Receptionistas Receptionist
    Rebekah Brockman
    Rebekah Brockman
    • Alison - Donovan's Secretaryas Alison - Donovan's Secretary
    John Rue
    John Rue
    • Lynn Goodnoughas Lynn Goodnough
    Billy Magnussen
    Billy Magnussen
    • Doug Forresteras Doug Forrester
    Jillian Lebling
    Jillian Lebling
    • Peggy Donovanas Peggy Donovan
    Noah Schnapp
    Noah Schnapp
    • Roger Donovanas Roger Donovan
    Eve Hewson
    Eve Hewson
    • Carol Donovanas Carol Donovan
    Joel Brady
    Joel Brady
    • Police Officer - Brooklyn Courthouseas Police Officer - Brooklyn Courthouse
    Austin Stowell
    Austin Stowell
    • Francis Gary Powersas Francis Gary Powers
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Matt Charman
      • Ethan Coen
      • Joel Coen
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    The Post
    7.2
    The Post
    Sully
    7.4
    Sully
    Captain Phillips
    7.8
    Captain Phillips
    Lincoln
    7.3
    Lincoln
    Munich
    7.5
    Munich
    The Terminal
    7.4
    The Terminal
    Apollo 13
    7.7
    Apollo 13
    Inferno
    6.2
    Inferno
    The Da Vinci Code
    6.6
    The Da Vinci Code
    Cast Away
    7.8
    Cast Away
    Angels & Demons
    6.7
    Angels & Demons
    Darkest Hour
    7.4
    Darkest Hour

    Storyline

    Edit
    In the cold war, a lawyer, James B. Donovan is recruited by the CIA and involved in an intense negotiation mission to release and exchange a CIA U-2 spy-plane pilot, Francis G. Powers. The pilot was arrested alive after his plane was shot down by the Soviet Union during a mission and stays in the company of a KGB intelligence officer, Rudolf Abel, who was arrested for espionage in the US. —Gusde
    • lawyer
    • negotiation
    • cold war
    • spy
    • berlin wall
    • 276 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • In the shadow of war, one man showed the world what we stand for.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • History
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Soviet agent Rudolf Ivanovich Abel sent and received coded messages that were hidden inside such things as hollow U.S. coins, bolts, and batteries. The FBI first became aware of Abel's activities in 1953, when Abel's incompetent junior colleague Reino Hayhanen carelessly spent a hollow nickel that ended up in the hands of a paperboy. The Brooklyn newsboy who got the nickel thought it felt too light. He dropped the nickel on the sidewalk, and it popped open, revealing a piece of microfilm with a coded message inside. After Hayhanen's blunders, Abel lost confidence in him and sent him back to the U.S.S.R., which would not have gone well for Hayhanen, who defected in 1957. He showed the FBI how to crack the code and it was Hayhanen who gave up Rudolf Abel. The "Hollow Nickel Case" was also dramatized in The FBI Story (1959).
    • Goofs
      The end titles say that the Soviets never acknowledged Abel as a spy. On the contrary, Rudolf Ivanovich Abel was frequently used as an example of a very successful spy, being able to stay undetected for 8 years in the United States and maintain his silence after being captured. Western journalists were invited to attend Abel's funeral. His gravestone is marked with the KGB crest. Abel also frequently gave public speeches about the importance of intelligence work. Finally, Abel is portrayed on a series of Soviet stamps dedicated to "Soviet Intelligence officers" together with other well known agents such as Kim Philby and K.T. Molody.
    • Quotes

      James Donovan: I have a mandate to serve you. Nobody else does. Quite frankly, everybody else has an interest in sending you to the electric chair.

      Rudolf Abel: All right...

      James Donovan: You don't seem alarmed.

      Rudolf Abel: Would it help?

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Tom Hanks/Jessica Chastain/Pentatonix (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Please Send Me Someone to Love
      Written by Percy Mayfield

      Performed by Red Garland

      Courtesy of Savoy Jazz

    User reviews519

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    "And the Best Supporting Actor Oscar goes to... Mark Rylance"
    There are combinations of film makers that make you confident, as you pay your ticket price, that you are not going to be terribly disappointed: Steven Spielberg directing; Tom Hanks taking the lead; Janusz Kaminski behind the camera; Michael Kahn editing and a Coen brothers script (with Matt Charmon (Suite Française)). And Bridge of Spies doesn't disappoint, particularly for someone of my more advanced years (I was born the year following the film's climatic events) who remembers well the terror of potential nuclear catastrophe that hung over the world through the 60's and 70's.

    In a story based on true events, Hanks plays James Donovan (diverging somewhat from reality here) as an insurance lawyer dragged by his firm into defending Rudolf Abel, the accused Soviet spy played exquisitely by British stage acting legend Mark Rylance. Against this backdrop, the international blue touch paper is about to be lit by the shooting down over Russia of Gary Powers (Austin Stowell from "Whiplash") in his U-2 spy plane (sorry – "article"). Donovan becomes instrumental in unofficially negotiating on behalf of the US government the release of Powers in East Berlin. The deal is jeopardized by his boy-scout tendencies to also want to help another US captive Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers).

    I've read some negative reviews of this film in the papers that made me quite cross, describing it as "yawnsome" and "sanctimoniously dull". For me, nothing could be further from the truth and the packed Saturday night audience I saw this with seemed equally gripped from beginning to end, silent save for the odd laugh where some appropriate humor is weaved into the story.

    Tom Hanks is solid and believable as the fish-out-of-water lawyer, albeit that the role is played with a large spoonful of patriotic American sugar as Donovan trumpets about the importance of the constitution over the lynch-mob mentality of the general public. Alan Alda – great to see again on the big screen – channels his best Hawkeye-style exasperation as Donovan's boss, looking for a clean and quick conviction.

    But it is Mark Rylance – an irregular player in movies, and due to appear again in next year's "BFG" – who shines out as the acting star of the film. His salubrious and calm turn as the cornered spy just reeks of class and if he isn't nominated for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this then there is no justice. (A special 'casting recognition award' to my wife Sue for spotting that the actress playing Judge Byer's wife – Le Clanché du Rand – was Meg Ryan's mother in Sleepless in Seattle 22 years ago!)

    The cinematography is superb with some gorgeous tracking shots and framed scenes. Most outstanding of all is the scene depicting the traumatic construction of the Berlin wall – long tracking shots in greys and blues delivering a truly breathtaking piece of cinema. In general I'd give a big shout-out to both the art department and the special effects team in making the desolation of East Berlin feel so real. It makes the similar scenes, that I commented positively on in the recent "Man from U.N.C.L.E." seem like an amateur school production.

    The special effects team also contribute in making the shooting down of the U-2 a thrilling piece of cinema.

    Music is sparingly and effectively used by Thomas Newman, and it can be no greater complement to the composer than that I was wondering until the end titles as to whether it was another Spielberg/ John Williams collaboration or not.

    A great film, one of my favorites this year. Highly recommended, especially if you are over 50. You should also get out to a cinema to see this one – it will be far more effective on the big screen than the small one.

    (Please visit http://bob-the-movie-man.com for the graphical version of this review. Thanks.)
    helpful•117
    32
    • bob-the-movie-man
    • Nov 29, 2015

    FAQ1

    • Is this film historically accurate?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 2015 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
      • India
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • St. James Place
    • Filming locations
      • Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland
    • Production companies
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Fox 2000 Pictures
      • Reliance Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $72,313,754
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $15,371,203
      • Oct 18, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $165,478,348
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

    Michelle Pfeiffer Headlines ‘Wild Four O’Clocks’ By ‘The Batman’ Writer Peter Craig
    Michelle Pfeiffer Headlines ‘Wild Four O’Clocks’ By ‘The Batman’ Writer Peter Craig
    May 6Variety Film + TV
    Tom Hanks' Catch Me If You Can Casting Completely Changed The Story
    Tom Hanks' Catch Me If You Can Casting Completely Changed The Story
    Apr 18Slash Film

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies (2015)
    Top Gap
    What is the Hindi language plot outline for Bridge of Spies (2015)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.