Few moviegoers today will recall the ramifications of The Berlin Wall and even fewer will recognize the name Gary Powers. USAF pilot Powers became the pawn by which the USA, Russia and East Germany played a game of 'flex your muscles' during the early years of the Cold War. Fifty-five years have passed and this is the first film I am aware of that addresses these events. Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Matt Charmin with the Coen Brothers and starring multiple Oscar winner Tom Hanks, it's easy to set your expectations high... and the film delivers! Hanks deservedly gets top billing playing an ethical and open-minded American lawyer, an odd role for the hero of a war story, and Mark Rylance as a Russian spy gets most of the script's best lines. Don't be surprised to see both their names on the Oscar entry board.
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There was a 1976 TV movie about Powers, starring Lee Majors. I never saw it, but it's the reason I knew his name before seeing this movie. (I was too young to be much interested in world politics at the time.)
Thanks for the feedback. Rylance appears to be a front runner for 'Supporting Actor'; Hanks not so much. Great time of year for us movie fans.