Just watched this. Great Film.
Not a documentary.
One thing I noticed:
From the train in Berlin, people were getting shot trying to get over the wall.
From the train in NYC, kids climbing a fence in a back yard.
You can just tell TH character has a flashback.
I'm sorry baby, I had to crash that Honda.
Just some general comments. I think I would have found this movie more compelling on the Big Screen, not viewed on Showtime on my modest-sized TV. But ain't that true of every movie?
Off the top of my head here's what I liked and disliked about it:
Liked:
The whole look of the film, recreating a flat, dreary 1950's and an impressive Berlin Wall (how much of that was CGI?)
Tom Hanks, Mr Integrity, as usual.
Mark Rylance's character, the Russian spy, gets a thumbs up because he didn't divulge secrets and betray his own country and wouldn't budge on the bridge until the American student was released along with Powers. Also, his compadres don't embrace him so...he's in for a rough future. If it's possible to like a Russian spy, he accomplished that.
Liked not so much:
When they have foreign dialogue spoken, including an entire scene with an East Berlin ciminals, who steal Tom's coat, would it be too crass to see subtitles? Yeah, we get the drift, but come on!
The ending with Hanks on the train and a woman recognizing him and giving him an approving glance. Okay, so Hanks goes from turkey to hero in the course of the movie. The ending is Spielbergian Schmaltz with Thomas Newman's music. I'm not saying I didn't like it, but that I feel guilty.... for liking it.
Also, wiki says the budget for this film was only $40 million. How is that possible? That seems low to me.
I have no idea how much of this is accurate, but I'll start digging on the Internet.
and an impressive Berlin Wall (how much of that was CGI?)
Thanks for posting this. So Spielberg helped to build the Berlin Wall!
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