Ever since 1975’s Jaws made him the biggest director in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg has put out a movie almost every year, and sometimes he’s prolific enough to direct two in one annum. But if it feels like it’s been a little while since you last saw a Spielberg film, you’re right: This fall’s Bridge of Spies will be the director’s first movie since 2012’s Lincoln, and like that Oscar winner, it’s primarily preoccupied with the behind-the-scenes negotiation that can lead to enormous political moments. Co-scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen, the fact-based Bridge of Spies casts Tom Hanks as insurance lawyer James Donovan, who found himself conscripted by the government to defend Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) at the height of the Cold War. Things get even more complicated when the Soviets capture an American fighter pilot, forcing Donovan to fly to Berlin for a high-stakes summit intended to exchange his prisoner for theirs. Will he pull it off? For that matter, will Spielberg and Hanks succeed in their fourth reteaming, and can Oscar voters be counted on to take note? You’ll find out when Bridge of Spies arrives on October 16.
