What is a human life worth? It’s a question that we don’t think about because we don’t face these life-or-death situations often. But when good people do bad things to protect their families, homes, and all else involved. The black and white of bygone days is now a strong moral grey, and people are proving to no longer be the stereotypes of the past.
The American movies in the post-Vietnam War era, particularly in the 80s, were marked by a singular enemy. The Soviet Union loomed large across the land and movies were marked by communist villains of all shapes and sizes. It was such a constant presence that characters in red or marked with Russian accents sent instantly villainous signals into our minds.
But as with all things, the people we saw as villains are no longer so simple. As the world has evolved and storytelling has become much more focused on character development from all the characters, now the heroes are flawed, and the villains are morally justified in certain ways. So the stories are not only more complex interesting but they are more realistic because we suddenly find reason behind all characters, the villains are no longer just evil for the sake of evil.
And throughout Bridge of Spies we see horrifying things come to the screen. Death, violence, and cruelty all show themselves but there is something else about them in this story. They serve the purpose of both showcasing the danger of the movie but also adding to the motivation of the entire antagonistic force. And this balance is delicate to walk.
So, what does this mean for the future of movies. Well it’s not saying that there isn’t a place for the most evil of evil villains and the most noble of noble heroes. But those characters have to be used for very specific purposes, we no longer can just let people be good or evil without reason because no one is that way.
And this applies to everything, even animals have reasons for what they do. So when we craft movies which tell complex stories, we have to make sure the characters represent that same level of complexity. And by doing that we not only make the stories more interesting, but we make them better too.
So, let’s break everything down.
All Spielberg movies will be judged based on the same five pieces of criteria.
Acting – Are the performances good and do they serve the story or are they distracting and awkward?
Story and Dialogue – Does the story being told make sense and is the use of dialogue allow it to succeed or does the story struggle and/or the dialogue drag it down
Shooting and Editing – How is the camera used, how are the shots arranged, what other elements are used to enhance the movie?
Design – How does the movie look? Does it help the movie or hurt the movie?
Iconic Moment – Spielberg has made several big iconic moments throughout cinema, what are they, how many of them are there, and which ones stand out the most?
All these criteria will be judged on a score of 10 for a total score of 50.
So here is my breakdown of Bridge of Spies:
Acting – Tom Hanks really sells the everyman role he’s known for in this one. It’s a fantastic subtle performance but he’s got to compete with the standout Mark Rylance delivering a really nuanced and complex character with Colonel Abel. This pair just commands the movie and really makes the story work. The remainder of the characters are unfortunately really forgettable even though the two most noted characters really work. (7/10)
Story and Dialogue – The complexity of this story seems absurd, what makes it better is that it’s true. This really happened and that somehow comes together in a really interesting way. Aside from that the dialogue is laced with ambiguity and keeps you guessing throughout the entirety of this tale. (8/10)
Shooting and Editing – This movie is so delicately crafted. There is a real harshness to part of this movie that sells both the threat of war and the stakes of the whole setting. This is life and death the way this movie crafts its scenes makes us know that. (7/10)
Design – Cold. That’s how I would describe this entire piece. It’s brilliantly tonal in its depiction of just what cold and harsh means for this world, these characters, and the stellar story that all these other pieces are telling. (8/10)
Iconic Moment – The titular bridge sets up one of the most tense exchanges in which no shots are fired, no one dies, and nothing comes to a head other than the way it is supposed to. It’s a brilliantly subtle scene and works incredibly well to tell its story. (9/10)
Total Score: 39/50
Current Ranking:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Schindler’s List
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Lincoln
Minority Report
Jaws
Catch Me If You Can
Hook
The Adventures of Tintin
Bridge of Spies
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
War of the Worlds
Amistad
Duel
Empire of the Sun
The Terminal
War Horse
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Color Purple
Twilight Zone: The Movie
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The Sugarland Express
1941
Always
We’re down to the last four movies. I’ve seen two of these and haven’t seen two others. It’s a wildly diverse set of films to end with and I am excited to watch them play out.
So until then, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
Ploominate 