Based on historical events, “Bridge of Spies” is the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn insurance claims lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot.
In the 1950s, tensions are rife between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. as the Cold War begins to chill the globe. When Rudolf Abel, a Soviet agent living in New York, is arrested by the FBI, the fear and paranoia of “Red Fever” only escalate. Charged with sending coded messages back to Russia, Abel refuses to cooperate with the FBI, declines an offer to return to the U.S.S.R. and is then held in a federal prison pending trial.
The government, needing an independent attorney to take on Abel’s defense, turn to James Donovan, an insurance lawyer from Brooklyn. Although a highly skilled and regarded attorney, Donovan has little to no experience in matters of this nature. He is also aware that to take on such a case would make him a public figure and could not only adversely his family, but place them in danger. Ever believing in the canons of law, justice and the protection of an individual’s human rights, Donovan eventually agrees to represent Abel, determined to ensure that no matter the outcome, he receives a fair trial regardless of his citizenship.
Several years later, an American U-2 spy plane is shot down over Soviet airspace. The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in a Soviet prison. In one of the great political scandals and attempted cover-ups of the day, the CIA is fearful that Powers may be coerced into revealing classified information. Having witnessed Donovan’s impressive skills in the courtroom during the Abel trial, a CIA operative secretly reaches out to Donovan, believing him to be the man to negotiate a prisoner exchange between the United States and U.S.S.R. – Powers for Abel.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Scott Shepherd, Amy Ryan, Sebastian Koch, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell, Mikhail Gorevoy and Will Rogers. “Bridge of Spies” is produced by Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger with Adam Somner, Daniel Lupi, Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.
“Bridge of Spies” will be released in theaters on October 16, 2015.
Twitter: @BridgeOfSpies
Website www.bridgeofspies.com
