All I saw was a mention in Variety calling it suitably patriotic.
Another thing to mention is that most of the reviews say the second act makes a big misstep with a scene that is overlooked due to having great stuff immediately before and after it.
Another thing to mention is that most of the reviews say the second act makes a big misstep with a scene that is overlooked due to having great stuff immediately before and after it.
It's a very pleasant film, well-made in every respect. It never quite becomes a great film, and I think the main reason is that, at the end of the day, there's not all that much to this story. The atmosphere in East Berlin is nice, but the situation Donovan deals with is quite straightforward. Conversely, it can be said to be nice that Spielberg and co. don't amp up the real events into a wholly fictionalized spy thriller.
I enjoy movies creating a world with lots of lived-in details, so I liked the aside bit where Hanks' young associate is apparently dating Hanks' teenage(?) daughter, which he seems to be oblivious to.
I saw the movie yesterday and can't figure out what these reviewers are talking about. Anyone have any ideas?
The only scenes in the second act that I can think of as a little unnecessary or pointless were whenBut they weren't even terribly long scenes so I can't even see why they might be missteps, if either of those 2 scenes are what they're talking about.Donovan goes on a ride with Vogel and Vogel purposefully gets pulled over by the German police and gets Donovan sent to jail for a night, and when Donovan gets his jacket stolen.
I absolutely loved every second of it. Everyone turns in a great performance.Bought this blind because the wife and I didn't get a chance to see it at the theatre (damn first baby, ruining all of our movie outings) and generally love Spielberg's work.
Not seeing many impressions on GAF but maybe the necro bump will bring in some more thoughts from people who've since had the chance to see it?
I'm 20 min in so far and I'm really impressed. I forgot how incredible Spielberg is with his setups, lighting, composition, etc. I'm digging the story and dialogue so far as well; it does feel like a throwback flick.
Hopefully it continues along this line of quality.
It seems to really be holding your attention.
It seems to really be holding your attention.