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| Tom Hanks stars in Bridge Of Spies, a smartly written, lushly crafted Cold War thriller |
TOM HANKS is always being likened to the stars of an earlier age. He is the Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper of his generation and the description has never seemed more apt than it does in Bridge Of Spies, a smartly written, lushly crafted Cold War thriller that transforms true events into something with the cloak and dagger intrigue of a John le Carré novel.
Bridge Of Spies (Cert 12A; 141mins)
Hanks plays insurance lawyer and devoted family man James B. Donovan, the embodiment of all-American decency. When he is asked to represent Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) Donovan considers it a sign of a free and democratic nation that Abel should have the very best defence he can mount. So although his bosses want him to go through the motions before the inevitable guilty verdict he wants to be Perry Mason and cannot help but become involved in the case and it is largely through his efforts that the strangely sympathetic Abel is given a lengthy prison spell rather than a death sentence.
Years later when American pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is shot down over Russia the only way of saving him might be a prisoner exchange in which America hands over a valuable, incarcerated Soviet spy. Once again Donovan is called upon to pull off the impossible for the good of his country.
This time the stakes are much higher as Donovan heads to a dangerously divided Berlin on a top-secret mission for his country. Bridge Of Spies is directed by Steven Spielberg in his very best Norman Rockwell mode.
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| Mark Rylance plays Rudolf Abel in Bridge Of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg |
Apple-pie virtues are always to the fore in a film that celebrates integrity, democracy and the power of one good man to do the right thing. Donovan is like a travelling salesman in earnest diplomacy who quietly gets the job done and returns home in time for his wife’s delicious meat roast and table talk about how the day went.
Spielberg cannot help but idolise Donovan and his family and there is something warming in his old-fashioned approach. In the midst of some terrible times it is reassuring to enter a world in which a man’s word meant something and ideological enemies could negotiate in a gentlemanly fashion. Hanks brings a wily intelligence to his role. If someone had to negotiate your freedom from a Soviet jail you would want Hanks to handle it.
His Donovan is unflappable, displaying a steely determination beneath an affable charm and a belief that everything can be resolved without bloodshed or ill feeling. He smiles and flatters, banters and cajoles and never takes his eye off the prize. Mark Rylance provides a perfect counterweight to Hanks. His Rudolf Abel is silent and withdrawn. You would think that words were rationed if you measured them by the amount that fall from his lips.
“Are you never afraid?” demands Donovan. “Would it help?” Abel replies. However the fact that they use the same exchange on three different occasions rather diminishes its impact. A mixture of thriller, courtroom drama and history lesson, Bridge Of Spies makes for a satisfying, entertaining movie. Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper would be proud.
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| Johnny Depp, as 1970s Boston mobster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass |
Black Mass (Cert 15; 123mins)
Black Mass is the kind of true-life crime story Martin Scorsese might have made a quarter of a century ago. It might even have made a sizzling star vehicle for James Cagney in the 1930s. In other words it feels a little old-fashioned and a lot like countless other true-life stories that we’ve witnessed over the years.
The star attraction here is Johnny Depp, right, as 1970s Boston mobster Whitey Bulger.
With his bald head, unsettling blue eyes and pasty complexion, Depp looks like a dehydrated lizard. His swings between affability and savage violence ensure there is always danger in the air when he appears.
Joel Edgerton co-stars as John Connolly, a boyhood pal who now works with the FBI but seems increasingly drawn to the wrong side of the law. Benedict Cumberbatch is Whitey’s brother Billy and the tale torn loyalties and brazen betrayals make for a solid thriller.
VERDICT: 3/5
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| Cate Blanchett, with Rooney Mara in Carol |
CAROL (Cert 15; 119mins)
DIRECTOR Todd Haynes brings Patricia Highsmith’s landmark autobiographical novel Carol to the screen with a cool, languid grace. The New York of 1952 feels a rather drab, grey world for shop girl and aspiring photographer Therese (Rooney Mara) until one Christmas when she serves Carol.
Carol is elegant and witty and Therese is beguiled by her. When Carol leaves her gloves behind Therese makes sure they are returned and a thank-you note leads to a drink, a coy flirtation and a fascination that deepens into something much more meaningful for both of them.
Therese has a boyfriend and Carol is trying to escape the clutches of a boorish husband and retain the custody of a daughter she adores. In an era of stifl ing conservatism both women have a great deal to lose if they follow their hearts.
What develops is a melancholy love story with perfectly pitched performances from both stars. Mara is as timid as a young colt, growing in boldness as her emotions are claimed while Blanchett conveys a real sense of the vulnerability beneath Carol’s pose of worldweary charm and polish. A sad heartbreaker of a film. while Blanchett conveys a real sense of the vulnerability beneath Carol’s pose of worldweary charm and polish. heartbreaker of a film.
VERDICT: 5/5
Radiator (Cert 15; 94mins)
THE late Richard Johnson gives a magnifi cent final performance in Radiator, a beautifully observed family drama inspired by the personal experiences of director Tom Browne. Leonard (Johnson) and his wife Maria (Gemma Jones) have spent 40 years in a remote Cumbrian cottage that is now filled with the junk of a lifetime and overrun with mice.
Their son Daniel (Daniel Cerqueira) arrives from London determined to impose order on chaos and tackle the thorny question of their future. Leonard is a pedantic, exasperating bully who wants the world to revolve around him and once he steps through the door Daniel can’t help but revert to a child at the mercy of this seemingly unloving father.
The joy of Johnson’s awardworthy performance is that he manages to make Leonard sympathetic and the triumph of the fi lm is the way it addresses the indignities of old age and the burden of caring for loved ones with a mixture of heartache and hilarity that is very human. One of the best British fi lms of the year.
VERDICT: 5/5
CHRISTMAS WITH THE COOPERS (Cert 12A; 107mins)
CHRISTMAS With The Coopers uses every trick in the book to warm the cockles of your heart. There are cute dogs, adorable children, romantic pensioners, family singalongs and Diane Keaton trying to ensure her dysfunctional clan has the best Christmas ever. Filled with fortune cookie wisdom this makes you appreciate just how good Love Actually is.
VERDICT: 2/5
THE GOOD DINOSAUR Cert PG; 101mins)
NOT every Pixar animated feature can be a classic but The Good Dinosaur is still a handsome-looking family adventure. Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) is the youngest in a family of Apatosauruses who work the land like pioneers of the Wild West and finds his way to maturity through tragic loss. There are echoes of The Lion King, Bambi and much more in this simple coming-of-age story.
VERDICT: 3/5
MY SKINNY SISTER (Cert 15; 93mins)
THE award-winning Swedish drama My Skinny Sister is an engrossing tale of the relationship between a 12-year-old girl and the sister whom she adores. Stella (Rebecka Josephson) is an awkward girl who idolises her older sister Katja (Amy Deasismont), a very promising ice skater. When Katja starts sliding towards bulimia Stella is made to promise she will not tell their parents, placing her in an impossible position. It’s well worth seeking out.
VERDICT: 5/5
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