--- title: "Bridge of Spies: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bridge-of-spies/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bridge-of-spies" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bridge of Spies (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 22 reviews: 15 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like Bridge of Spies, and the praise settles in the same two places. First, the pairing of Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance: Hanks as the principled lawyer is called steadfast and approachable, and Rylance’s dry, unemotive Soviet spy is singled out again and again, several reviews saying he takes the film from under his co-star. Second, the craft: the period detail, the widescreen photography and the Coen brothers’ polish on the script are credited with turning a spy-swap plot into old-fashioned, well-made entertainment. The reservations cluster around sentiment. The Times, the Financial Times and Film Comment all find the schmaltz excessive, and several reviews say the second half loses shape or ends more than once. The sharper dissent, from /Film and Slant, is that the film smooths away moral ambiguity and prefers to please rather than probe. The spread is fairly wide: fifteen positive notices against two that call it thin or misshapen. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 5/5. 29 November 2015. The film is an elegant, intelligent slice of popular entertainment that peppers its gripping intrigue with winning wit and humour, validating the US constitution through a Capra-esque Everyman twist. It singles out the odd-couple chemistry between Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/29/bridge-of-spies-review-tom-hanks-mark-rylance-steven-spielberg) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating A-. 12 October 2015. The review calls it Spielberg’s superb film that pits Tom Hanks against the Cold War, one of the most handsome and eloquent of his latter-day phase and his best in a decade. It singles out the textured visual style, anamorphic widescreen, and the theme of American idealism measured against realpolitik. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/steven-spielberg-s-superb-bridge-of-spies-pits-tom-hank-1798185197) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2015. The film is a gravely moody, perfectly directed thriller that revisits Cold War anxieties with a lighter touch than some of Spielberg's other recent historical dramas. Dargis singles out the meticulous period detail and Tom Hanks' approachable star turn for keeping the story engaging despite its moral complexities. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/movies/review-in-bridge-of-spies-spielberg-considers-the-cold-war.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2015. Spielberg turns a shady spy-swap plot into riveting, feel-good Capra-esque entertainment, with Mark Rylance stealing the show as the Soviet spy Abel. Debruge highlights the crackling Coen brothers script polish and Hanks' chewy late-career role while noting the film's classical, old-fashioned approach. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/bridge-of-spies-film-review-1201609677/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Rating ★★★★. 20 November 2015. Spielberg delivers a polished, old-fashioned Cold War drama-thriller that mixes courtroom elements with espionage, driven by Tom Hanks' steadfast performance as James Donovan. The first half is shapely and engaging, though the second half feels less fluent due to historical constraints. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bridge-spies-review/) ## Little White Lies — David Ehrlich Rating 4/4/4. 24 November 2015. Praises the film as a sleek, robust Cold War spy thriller that balances espionage with a chamber-piece focus on the value of a single human life. Notes some mawkishness in the final scene but highlights its masterly touch and enjoyable determination to cut through cloak-and-dagger tropes. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/bridge-of-spies) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. Describes a gloriously glossy espionage drama that turns political intrigue into timeless Hollywood entertainment. Praises the sumptuous period detail and Rylance's dignified performance while noting some crude shifts in tone and cloying domestic scenes. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4ru0ra/bridge-of-spies/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2015. Spielberg and Hanks deliver a solidly told tale that finds its gripping core in the standoff between Hanks' Donovan and Rylance's Abel, with the Coen brothers' script adding taut wit. Lane praises the atmosphere and performances while noting the film plays things somewhat safe in its tribute to American decency. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/26/making-the-case) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 5 October 2015. Calls it a deeply satisfying Cold War spy thriller with Spielberg on quiet but masterly form. Singles out Tom Hanks's endearing performance as the principled lawyer and the humane climax of coolheaded diplomacy as its strongest elements. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bridge-of-spies) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2015. The critic finds it a sober but stirring Cold War suspense film that continues Spielberg’s creative evolution, praising its dramatization of personal integrity amid social madness and especially Mark Rylance’s witty, non-emotive performance as Abel. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/10/movie-review-bridge-of-spies.html) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2015. At its best the film is terrific, with nuanced wit, complex plotting and strong performances, especially Mark Rylance’s arid sad-clown humour. The critic complains of dull stretches, overly schematic visuals contrasting America and Berlin, and excessive schmaltz in Tom Hanks’s heroic turn. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/45f507a2-943b-11e5-bd82-c1fb87bef7af) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2015. Festival review. The critic describes it as a feel-good Cold War melodrama and an absorbing true-life espionage tale smoothly handled by old pros. It praises the assured finesse of Spielberg and the production team, including production design, costumes, and cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bridge-spies-nyff-review-829338/) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2015. The review calls it a good movie that suffers from a lack of anxiety about its convictions, praising the masterful opening reel correlating secrecy with artistry and the well-structured screenplay. It criticizes the film for running out of thematic gas in the second half and feeling like the work of a master who wants to please rather than probe. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bridge-of-spies/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2015. Festival review. Notes that the film is an over-determined celebration of American integrity and tenacity, with Hanks excelling in an old-fashioned hero role. Singles out the tonally uncertain quality unusual for Spielberg and the lack of le Carré-style suspense as drawbacks. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bridge-of-spies-review/5095012.article) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2015. The solidly entertaining Cold War thriller benefits from note-perfect performances and some genuinely exciting sequences, but is weighed down by excessive schmaltz and sugar-coating. The critic singles out the overly sentimental handling of the material as the main flaw. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/film-review-bridge-of-spies-zzbhrj3kh) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film misshapen, over-long, and overly sentimental, with Spielberg and Hanks succumbing to excessive preachiness and mood acting that undermines the story. He singles out the Berlin section for its effective evocation of a divided city and sharp political maneuvering. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/bridge-of-spies-review-steven-spielberg/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2015. Festival review. Spielberg, Hanks and the Coens deliver a masterful, possibly career-best achievement in this resonant true story of decency and empathy in tense times. The film excels in its riveting cat-and-mouse prisoner-swap sequences, strong performances and period craftsmanship. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2015/10/bridge-of-spies-review-steven-spielberg-tom-hanks-coen-brothers-cold-war-thriller-1201568373/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4/5. 16 October 2015. Festival review. The review praises the film as a timely, intellectually engaging Cold War thriller with masterful set pieces and strong performances from Hanks and Rylance. It singles out the recreation of the U-2 plane incident and the Berlin Wall sequence for their visual impact and tension. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bridge-of-spies-review/) ## Collider — Perri Nemiroff Rating B. 16 October 2015. Festival review. The critic finds it a quality, entertaining film with strong performances from Hanks and Rylance and impressive technical work, but criticizes it for being too glossy and upbeat, lacking deeper emotional connection or decision-making depth from the protagonist's perspective. [Read the review](https://collider.com/bridge-of-spies-review/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2015. Festival review. The film plays intelligently and suspensefully in its first half as a parable on civil liberties but gives in to mawkishness with multiple overdone endings. It is buoyed by strong performances from Hanks and Rylance plus skillful period direction and cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/bridge-of-spies-review-tom-hanks-steven-spielberg-mark-rylance/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 3/5. 24 November 2015. The critic praises Spielberg's accomplished direction of this archetypal thriller and Hanks' balanced performance but finds the film disengaging overall due to a convoluted narrative that prevents emotional investment. The visual style is singled out for praise as an indelible bleak aesthetic that captures the era. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/bridge-of-spies-review/) ## /Film — Angie Han Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2015. Festival review. The critic finds the film disappointingly thin for reducing moral complexities to clear-cut heroism and sanitizing historical prisoner treatment into an uncomplicated tale, though Hanks and Rylance deliver strong performances. The refusal to engage with ambiguity robs the story of its power. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/540298/bridge-of-spies-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bridge-of-spies.md