⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell, Scott Shepherd, Jesse Plemons, Sebastian Koch 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 141 mins 

‘Bridge of Spies’ tells the true story of James B. Donovan, a  respected insurance lawyer who is entrusted with negotiating Francis Gary Powers, a spy whose plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and Frederic Pryor, a university student caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time for Rudolf Abel, a suspect Soviet spy who is in the hands of the United States at the height of the Cold War. The latest film directed by one of the masters, Steven Spielberg seems looks as if it’s business as usual for the maestro.  It certainly inspires confidence when you have a formula of Spielberg directing, Tom Hanks in the lead role, Mark Rylance in a supporting role, Janusz Kaminski as cinematographer and a Coen Brothers script which tells a true story.  This must be a surefire hit, right?

‘Bridge of Spies’ is usual business for Spielberg – it’s a very engaging story, has a great script and features a fantastic performance from Mark Rylance.  The problem with ‘Bridge of Spies’ however lies within its pacing – whilst its first hour is great, the second half changes tone and shifts down a notch and can’t quite match the compelling courtroom drama film that the first half of the film aspires to be. It’s also sadly the case that the trailer practically shows the entire film in a condensed format – if you’ve seen the trailer, then you’ll have virtually seen the film.

Flaws aside, the first half truly is wonderful. The film opens up with a series of scenes following Mark Rylance’s character, Rudolf Abel, who is suspected to be a Soviet spy that are so well realised and choreographed. Once arrested (and what sets the basis for the entire film), Spielberg makes the viewer question their morals as the Americans just want to say that Abel has been fairly represented in his trial whereas Donovan actively pursues to help redeem himself. “Everyone deserves a defense. Everyone matters,” Donovan argues.

Performances-wise, the film is very strong. Tom Hanks, although he won’t receive any Awards acclaim, does a good job here as James B. Donovan who wants to do his job seriously, or as Rylance’s character, Abel calls him “the standing man” who despite constantly being undermined by others always picks himself up and fights back. Mark Rylance is stunning here and surely is destined for contention in the Best Supporting Actor category in the upcoming Academy Awards. His mannerisms are perfect and the audience really feel for his character who he portrays as extremely intelligent but is still very human and empathetic. Perhaps it’s the omission of Rylance in the second half that forces the film to shift down a notch?

The second half of the film whilst still strong in its own right but is very different in tone to the courtroom drama that the film aspires to be in the first half. It deals with the exchange of the individuals concerned and there are many visceral sequences of the Berlin Wall being constructed and this is where Kaminski really gets to demonstrate his cinematography skills and a lot of greys and whites are used to showcase this. As a film in its own right, the second half of the film works but it just cannot stand up to such a wonderfully realised first act and this ultimately brings the film down as a whole.

It’s a real shame that the marketing for this film has tarnished it. It gives away virtually the entire film which is a real shame – of course the film is better than the trailer but it does leave a sour note. Furthermore, Thomas Newman, stepping in for Spielberg regular John Williams can’t even come close to emulating Williams’ genius and the score feels phoned-in.

Overall, ‘Bridge of Spies’ is another winner from Spielberg and  it is extremely engaging and a satisfying watch. Both Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance are excellent in this film, Rylance deserving of Awards attention. It’s just a shame that the film experiences a tonal shift mid-way through (although both halves work in their own right) and the trailer gives away virtually the entire film. In terms of the film’s Oscar prospects, it’s likely it will get some nominations but whether it wins anything is another story. I’d say that Rylance is probably the film’s biggest shot. But as a film in its own right and as a Steven Spielberg film, it’s business as usual.

 (Good)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, Corey Stoll, Rory Cochrane, David Harbour, Julianne Nicholson, Adam Scott, W. Earl Brown, Juno Temple
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 123 mins

‘Black Mass’ is the latest film by director Scott Cooper, who has two films to his name – the critically acclaimed ‘Crazy Heart’ which earned Jeff Bridges an Academy Award and ‘Out Of The Furnace’ which in my opinion, was an almost perfect film but received mixed reviews from critics. ‘Black Mass’ is a crime drama detailing the life of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger who went on the run for 16 years until he was finally caught in 2011 and sentenced to two life sentences plus five years for his crimes. He was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list during his time on the run. Now this sounds like a fantastic premise and a brilliant opportunity for Scott Cooper to expand on his very promising career. A virtually unrecognisable Johnny Depp plays Whitey Bulger donning slicked-back hair, ageing skin and sky blue eyes. The rest of the cast is a fantastic assembling which comprises of Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kevin Bacon just to name a few. Critics have reacted positively to the film with Depp looking to receive a Best Actor nomination in the upcoming Academy Awards.

‘Black Mass’ is another winner from Scott Cooper – it features some fantastic performances with Johnny Depp in an outstanding turn as Bulger, the script is fantastic and draws heavy inspiration from classics such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Goodfellas’ and there are many outstanding sequences that have ‘quotable’ status. The pacing of the film is generally sound, but the film does choose to focus on some aspects of Bulger’s life that perhaps don’t warrant it and this is its main shortcoming. It’s not quite as good as Scott Cooper’s previous film, ‘Out Of The Furnace’ which was a little more subtle and atmospheric in its execution, but it’s still very impressive.

The acting is definitely one of the film’s main strengths –  Johnny Depp is outstanding as Whitey Bulger from his physical transformation to the uncanny mannerisms. He is a very mentally unstable character who eliminates anyone he doesn’t trust and this makes the audience very fearful of him. Depp deserves all the praise he is getting and hopefully he will garner Awards attention. The other standouts are Joel Edgerton as the corrupt John Connolly and his partner, David Harbour as John Morris and Rory Cochrane as one of Bulger’s cronies, Stephen Flemmi. Kevin Bacon and Dakota Johnson are sadly woefully underused. The weak link of the film is Benedict Cumberbatch as Bulger’s brother, William who is the Massachusetts State Senate President. Cumberbatch couldn’t be more different than Johnny Depp in his appearance and his American accent is very poor – Guy Pearce who was originally slated for the role would have been a much better choice.

The film features many outstanding sequences and quotable lines despite obviously being inspired by the great gangster films. The film is at its strongest towards the 2/3 mark where Bulger and Flemmi dine with Connolly and Morris to which Bulger takes a liking to the steak. What follows from a casual conversation quickly tonally shifts into a scene of sheer fear. It’s a wonderful scene and really showcases just how nasty Bulger’s character can be. It doesn’t stop there – shortly afterwards there is another scene hot-on-the-heels of the ‘steak’ scene where Bulger has another extremely uncomfortable moment with Connolly’s wife played by Julianne Nicholson which again is terrifying yet wonderfully acted. This is the film’s main strength – there are so many outstanding sequences where Depp commands and manipulates other characters. The ending for the film is wonderfully executed and this is where the film is highest in tension and its conclusion is very satisfying.

The score by Tom Holkenborg (also known under the pseudonym, ‘Junkie XL’) is sound. It does fill a little ‘over-mixed’ in parts but mostly fits and the last half an hour or so of the film’s score is fantastic. The cinematography is pretty effective as well and Boston looks quite authentic.

The film does skirt along at times and the pacing is  uneven at times. It rushes through Bulger’s relationship with his wife, Lindsey Cyr who has perhaps two scenes before Bulger’s personal life hits rock bottom when his son develops Reye syndrome and dies. The audience are meant to feel for these characters despite not being fully developed. This is also true of the beginning of the film – it dives straight in when a flashback of Bulger’s time at Alcatraz would have been much more effective and would have set the scene a little more.

Another problem the film has is that the stakes are never quite high enough. Despite Bulger constantly bumping off different characters and getting deeper and deeper into the crime underworld, the audience never quite feel immersed into this world except for the ‘steak’ scene where Depp turns his performance up to 11 and is extremely terrifying. This could be perhaps due to Cooper’s direction  as he no experience in the crime drama genre as evident by the film’s inspiration from cinema’s great gangster films.

Ultimately, ‘Black Mass’ is a very good effort by all involved – it’s just a shame it couldn’t have just upped the stakes a little more and it would have been perfect. Johnny Depp is outstanding as Bulger and deserves all the praise he is getting and the film features many memorable sequences and is very quotable. Cooper further cements himself as one of the best directors working at the moment and ‘Black Mass’ showcases his talent to a more mainstream audience. This film also proves that he has a knack for assembling a fantastic cast as evident with ‘Out of the Furnace’ and ‘Crazy Heart’.  It’s one of the best gangster films of recent years – with a couple of changes, this could be near-perfect.

 (Excellent)