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.

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.

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.