Bridge of Spies is surprisingly warm and funny for a film about the Cold War – a time full of morally grey areas. It doesn’t shrink away from the nastiness of the time – people are shot trying to leave East Berlin – but it’s still quite optimistic with its character portrayals.

This film hits all the right notes; in the last 20 minutes, I was already thinking about how many Oscars it would win. Bridge of Spies showcases, I dare say, an America that stood for superior moral values as opposed to the Iron Curtain that clothed much of Eastern Europe and Asia. It is set during the Cold War when a nuclear apocalypse was an impending threat and one mistake — political, diplomatic or even a technical snag in a submarine — could potentially trigger it.

The sets are stark, effectively conveying the winter chill as Hanks sniffles through his negotiations, keeping warm with doses of whisky and brandy. As far as espionage thrillers go, it’s a fine watch, elevated greatly by class acts by Hanks and Rylance.

Hanks, who teams up with Spielberg for the fourth time, brings his adept everyman quality to the role of Donovan, sniffling his way through snow-blown Berlin trying to secure “a happy ending for everyone.” The film has the classic Spielberg stamp imprinted all over.

Though Ethan and Joel Coen brothers are screenwriters here, along with Matt Charman, this is an extremely Spielbergian film. He’s still the most fluent of directors—you could teach a class on scene transitions with the dozen or so examples this film provides.

Based on a true story, the film brings together director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks together for the fourth time. Add the Coen Brothers who spit-and-polished the script by Matt Charman and you have a dream team. It is ingredients like these which make for Oscar baits, and, make no mistake, Bridge of Spies is likely to be mentioned in the noms soon.

‘Bridge Of Spies’ is a film which needs the viewers’ attention- especially if you are not well versed with history of Cold War. Many things are left for the viewers to understand- the director takes that liberty is assuming that everyone has done their homework well. On several occasions as a viewer one might feel too many characters are being introduced and too many intricacies exist in the plot line. Watch it for the charming Tom Hanks- no character is alien to this actor. He makes it the most endearing – as always.

…the politics comes with dollops of morality and sweet sentimentality, all coming together in the person of — yes — Tom Hanks.

This is a spy movie for adults, where individuals don’t stand for themselves but for larger invisible forces we can’t see that exist implicitly in each interaction. This focus on the institution and process shatters any claim of inherent nobility to diplomacy as a profession.

The film has an old-world charm that is cozily ensconced in vividly enumerated, shadily expressive visual dynamics that scores high with it’s carefully calibrated tension and crafty cinematic constructs. Donovan is an intelligent hero who does not need the appendage of super-heroic powers. And Tom Hanks just makes it stick!

Hollywood often whitewashes characters in this manner, and Bridge of Spies is no exception. There’s no way Donovan managed to get through national ridicule and complex spy missions without a single misstep, but we’ll never know because Spielberg refuses to risk humanizing a human being.

Certain shots leading to the end also make you want to roll your eyes with the sheer obviousness of it all. However, packed together, Bridge of Spies is a brilliant watch.

A gripping thriller, this one is bold, audacious and shocking…