We Have a Rule Book Here!

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Opening October 16, 2015

Cast: Tom Hanks, Alan Alda, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and others.

Director: Stephen Spielberg

Stephen Spielberg recreated the intrigue of the “spy versus spy” bouts of the Cold War in Bridge of Spies, which will open October 16. He interweaves three events: the arrest of Soviet spy Col. Rudolf Abel, the downing of Francis Gary Powers’ CIA U-2 spy plane over Soviet territory, and the arrest of Frederic Pryor, an innocent American student in East Berlin, into one story. Spielberg shows the personal consequences of international events and the ease with which the U.S. legal system disregarded the Constitution during a time when the U.S. feared the Soviet threat.

“We are engaged in a war with the Soviet Union, this war does not for the moment involve men at arms. It involves information”

James Donavan (Tom Hanks) was a patriot, veteran of World War II, and an insurance attorney who finds himself assigned as the public defender in the trial Soviet spymaster Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) after his arrest for leading a spy ring in New York City.

Everyone believed Abel was guilty and should have received a quick trial with a certain conviction leading to the electric chair. However, Donavan saw the value of an individual who was serving their nation, as well as the protections afforded everyone in the U.S. by the U.S. Constitution. The legal system appeared to be trampling on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, which Donovan described as the “rule book” that “makes us Americans.” Donovan defended Abel and challenged the system, calling the case “the Central Intelligence Agency versus the law!” However, Spielberg shows the reaction of the spectators in court chambers, attacks on Donovan’s, home and the iciness he received from his law firm which would show that public opinion supported the CIA. In the end, the jury convicted Abel however, he was not awarded the death penalty.

“You're asking me to violate the constitution!”

Donovan executed his appointed duties and could have returned to his firm, but he continued to fight for Abel including an appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Cold War continued and Spielberg sets the stage for the eventual spy swap. He leads the viewer through the drama of Power’s U-2 being shot down and his conviction for espionage by a Moscow court, the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the arrest of the American student in East Berlin. CIA director Allen Dulles appointed Donovan to act for the government in negotiating the “spy swap” — Powers for Abel.

Mark Rylance’s portrayal of Abel presents him as an honorable man. When the FBI offered to run him as a double agent, he remained loyal to his homeland. His deadpan expression in the most stressful and difficult situations counters Tom Hanks’ emotional portrayal of James Donovan, who risks his career and family to do what was right.

The movie brings up memories for those that lived through the Cold War era of students crying while watching movies depicting a nuclear attack, huddling in school hallways, and planning what to do at home in case of a nuclear attack. It also shows how quickly the court and the people ignored the Constitution because of the imagined or real fears of the communist threat and an attack by the Soviet Union. In some ways, the movie reminds us of the fragility of the U.S. and the Constitution, which continues as the nation’s “Rule Book.”

A question that hit me at the end of the movie was, “how did Abel fare once he returned to the Soviet Union? Did he meet an execution squad at KGB Lubyanka headquarters?” With a few internet searches, I found he fared well, his government honored him, he continued to serve in the KGB, and he appeared on the 5-kopek postage stamp. He died of lung cancer in 1971 as a hero.

Dave Mattingly is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers and the Navy Intelligence Professionals. He is a writer, and national security consultant and is retired from the Navy as Master Chief Petty Officer. He is a member of the Military Writers Guild, NETGALLEY Challenge 2015 and a NETGALLEY Professional Reader.

(c) 2015 David Mattingly except photos and clips courtesy of Dreamworks

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