History Film / BridgeOfSpies

* AnAesop: Don't compromise your sense of justice just because it will make you unpopular (Donovan) or because you seek security (The Americans and Soviets) or recognition (East Germany).

** One scene depicts Donovan witnessing (from his carriage) several people getting machine-gunned when they try to cross the Berlin wall. As a matter of fact, the GDR never installed machine guns in the inner-city wall segments to avoid exactly this kind of bad publicity (though the guards still got submachine guns, carbines and assault rifles).
*** The scene in the movie seems to be based on the infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Peter_Fechter killing of Peter Fechter]].

** Donovan himself, in a positive way. He explicitly never asks Abel if he's guilty or not, reasoning that he has to defend the guy either way so it doesn't matter. He tells his CIA contact that Abel has a constitutional right to a meaningful defense, and that it's his job as an American to uphold the constitution. He also commits ''ex parte'' communication by informally discussing his client's sentencing with the trial judge, in the judge's private residence and without the prosecution.

** Donovan's home was never shot at, a event made up for the film for RuleOfDrama. They did however, receive threatening phonecalls.

The movie also stars Creator/AlanAlda, Creator/AmyRyan, Creator/PeterMcRobbie, Creator/BillyMagnussen, and Creator/SebastianKoch. It was released in the U.S. on October 16, 2015. Music/ThomasNewman is the composer, making this the first Spielberg movie since ''Film/TheColorPurple'' to not have a Music/JohnWilliams score.

** Powers' Soviet captors are shown to torture him for information just prior to his release. In Powers' memoir, ''Operation Overflight'', he is very adamant that he was never tortured and was treated very well compared to what he was expecting.

The movie also stars Creator/AlanAlda, Amy Ryan, Peter [=McRobbie=], Creator/BillyMagnussen, and Creator/SebastianKoch. It was released in the U.S. on October 16, 2015. Music/ThomasNewman is the composer, making this the first Spielberg movie since ''Film/TheColorPurple'' to not have a Music/JohnWilliams score.

* {{Determinator}}: Abel story about "Standing Man", his father's friend who would get to his feet up no matter how often or how severely he was beaten. Abel thinks Donovan is like that man.

* IWasNeverHere: subverted in the following conversation:

** Donovan's home was never shot at, but they are in the film for RuleOfDrama. They did however, receive threatening phonecalls.

** Donovan and his family weren't at home when their house was shot at, but they are in the film for RuleOfDrama.

* GanglandDriveBy: A gang drives by to shoot at the Donovan house for defending a Soviet spy.[[note]]In RealLife, however, the Donovans weren't actually home, unlike in the film, due to RuleOfDrama.[[/note]]

* NotSoDifferent: Despite being archenemies, both the Communists and Americans are willing to compromise their idealistic beliefs to persecute those they view as spies and traitors. Likewise, Donovan argues that Abel is no different from an American operative following orders from his government, which becomes particularly pertinent once Powers is captured.

* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: The "German Democratic Republic" and the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" are authoritarian single-party police states disguised by democratic-sounding names, and they're not afraid to do what it takes to get rid of their enemies whether foreign or domestic. Ironically NotSoDifferent from the United States which is shown to compromise its civil liberties in the name of national security.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_4425.jpeg]]

->''"Every person matters."''
-->-- '''James Donovan'''

!!Tropes present in this film include:

* WorthyOpponent: Whether Donovan thinks Abel is a spy or not in never made clear, but he does mention that if Abel is working for the Soviets, then he's an admirable soldier for not betraying them even under threat of execution.

The movie also stars Creator/AlanAlda, Amy Ryan, Peter [=McRobbie=], Creator/BillyMagnussen, and Sebastian Koch. It was released in the U.S. on October 16, 2015. Music/ThomasNewman is the composer, making this the first Spielberg movie since ''Film/TheColorPurple'' to not have a Music/JohnWilliams score.

** The East German attorney Wolfgang Vogel is even worse since he's keeping a man he knows to be innocent imprisoned solely to get a leg up for East Germany in the Soviet hierarchy. Incidentally, this was not true of the real Vogel, according to Frederic Pryor, who was a nice man who genuinely remained loyal to his client.
** Donovan himself, in a positive way. He explicitly never asks Abel if he's guilty or not, reasoning that he has to defend the guy either way so it doesn't matter. He tells his CIA contact that Abel has a constitutional right to a meaningful defense, and that it's his job as an American to uphold the constitution. He also commits ''ex parte'' communication by informally discussing his client's sentencing with the trial judge, in the judge's private residence and without the prosecution.

** Abel is something of an aversion. He is a genuine spy, but he's shown to be less an ideologue than a soldier loyal to his nation, which he defended during the Second World War. He even implies that he knows that the Soviet government has become corrupt, but nonetheless, "is always the Boss."

** Wolfgang Vogel, Pryor's East German lawyer wasn't a Soviet ''apparatchik'' but was actually loyal to his client and did his best to represent his interests. He does state however that the East German government, ''was'' hoping to use his capture to score cheap brownie points within the Soviet hierarchy. Although there are also accounts of his clients who paint a less than flattering image of him, and he did become very rich by de facto helping to sell victims of the GDR regime to the West.

** Wolfgang Vogel, Pryor's East German lawyer wasn't a Soviet ''apparatchik'' but was actually loyal to his client and did his best to represent his interests. He does state however that the East German government, ''was'' hoping to use his capture to score cheap brownie points within the Soviet hierarchy.

* CommieNazis: The feel the movie seems to give to the East Germans. While obviously Communist, the East German NVA uniforms resemble Wehrmacht ones and UsefulNotes/TheStasi wouldn't look too out of place as Gestapo agents in the Third Reich[[note]]This is partly true since on account of Uniform shortage in East Germany, the Stasi used leftover uniforms from the Wehrmacht and repurposed it[[/note]]. Not to mention the East Germans are fanatical with border control in Berlin. Finally, a gang of trouble making boys Donovan runs into feel eerily similar to modern neo Nazi skinhead groups. Of course, this is all for external appearances and rather meaningless when it comes to actual politics.[[note]]In actual fact, it was the West German government that consisted of ex-Nazis who decided to file off the serial numbers and become a liberal democracy and American puppet. The East German government was founded by the outlawed and persecuted communists who opposed and in some cases resisted the Nazis, but by the time of the Cold War had become Stalinist and remained Stalinist even during the era of Khruschev.[[/note]]

* CommieNazis: The feel the movie seems to give to the East Germans. While obviously Communist, the East German NVA uniforms resemble Wehrmacht ones and UsefulNotes/TheStasi wouldn't look too out of place as Gestapo agents in the third reich[[note]]This is partly true since on account of Uniform shortage in East Germany, the Stasi used leftover uniforms from the Wehrmacht and repurposed it[[/note]]. Not to mention the East Germans are fanatical with border control in Berlin. Finally, a gang of trouble making boys Donovan runs into feel eerily similar to modern neo nazi skinhead groups. Of course, this is all for external appearances and rather meaningless when it comes to actual politics.[[note]]In actual fact, it was the West German government that consisted of ex-Nazis who decided to file off the serial numbers and become a liberal democracy and American puppet. The East German government was founded by the outlawed and persecuted communists who opposed and in some cases resisted the Nazis, but by the time of the Cold War had become Stalinist and remained Stalinist even during the era of Khruschev[[/note]]

The movie also stars Creator/AlanAlda, Amy Ryan, Peter [=McRobbie=], Billy Magnussen, and Sebastian Koch. It was released in the U.S. on October 16, 2015. Music/ThomasNewman is the composer, making this the first Spielberg movie since ''Film/TheColorPurple'' to not have a Music/JohnWilliams score.

* HumbleHero: FridgeBrilliance from the "Artistic License - History" entry above. It was entirely possible that Donovan downplayed his past achievements as a principle. The RealLife Donovan was also a humble man.

The movie also stars Creator/AlanAlda, Amy Ryan, Peter [=McRobbie=], Billy Magnussen, and Sebastian Koch. It was released in the U.S. on October 16, 2015. Music/ThomasNewman is the composer, making this the first Spielberg movie since ''Film/TheColorPurple'' to not have a Creator/JohnWilliams score.