If you’ve only just emerged from behind the Iron Curtain, you might be intrigued by the promising new Director/Actor-combo of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who have made a movie about spies during the Cold War.

For the rest of us, it’s great to see these kings of Hollywood return to the big screen. The dynamic duo has delivered plenty of modern-day classics: Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal as well as a couple of award-winning television series. Outside of their collaborations, both have earned more than a room’s worth of accolades and trophies – Academy Awards included.

So, naturally, hype will be attached to any production featuring these two. Bridge of Spies is especially tantalising as the script was co-written by Joel and Ethan Coen – the masterminds behind Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, and and many others.

To put it simply, the stakes are high for this movie – and that’s before we even get to the plot.

Set in 1957, Bridge of Spies sees Hanks starring as Jim Donovan, an attorney tasked with the defending the case of a suspected Russian spy. Immediately after taking on the case finds he is the only man in the West who cares if this man lives or dies, and is suddenly of being a traitor of the state. Feeling it is his duty under oath and to his constitution, Donovan gives Rudolf Abel (Mark Reliance) his best possible legal council and thus sets the scene for a good old-fashioned spy story with the right amount of unease and mystery throughout.

After being found guilty (despite evidence to the contrary) Donovan still works to save Abel’s life. His strategy is to propose a humanitarian approach where, should a scenario arise where a U.S spy is ever captured, a prisoner swap can be arranged. It isn’t long when that day comes, and Donovan must travel to Berlin – a city still bearing the scars of World War II – to negotiate with the Soviets. All strictly is done strictly ‘off the books’ while the building of a new wall literally splits Berlin in two.

Almost immediately you get the sense that this is a slick flick. To put it less simply, Bridge of Spies is a big budget movie with grand production design and whiff of overall confidence, making you feel comfortable and ready to be absorbed by the narrative from the get-go.

That confidence also comes from the trust that Spielberg and Hanks will again deliver. They have. It’s not hard to see why there is already Oscar buzz around Bridge of Spies.

The script is polished and its delivery is pin-point. The snapshot of the era is believable – down to props, costume and overall demeanor of a nation on edge from the threat of nuclear war.

Bridge of Spies references Duck and Cover, and historical espionage in general, which makes for fascinating subject matter. Like any film based on true events the hint of reality makes viewing much more enjoyable. There are plenty of moments of suspense, one-up-manship and masterful directing and acting. you really can’t really ask for much more. Bridge of Spies is a great way to kill two hours.