Bridge Of Spies (2015) ****

Bridge Of Spies (2015) is an excellent blend of courtroom drama and humor, Bridge finds Hanks inhabiting the same territory as James Stewart and Gregory Peck before him. Spielberg creates a superb mashup of his previous films such as Catch Me If You Can (2002), Munich (2005), Lincoln (2012) and Schindler's List (1993), with touches of John le Carré and Jean-Pierre Melville. Overall, the Coens' screenplay doesn't bear their typical stamp but is fully engaging throughout. 

Of note: this is one of the very few films that John Williams did not score for Spielberg. Thomas Newman takes his place and does a great job, evoking Road To Perdition (2002) (which Newman also scored, Hanks also starred in, and which some scenes in Bridge reminded me of).

If you're in the mood for some Spielberg-speak, check out the episode of Movie Matters Podcast that I guested on recently here.