Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg reteam for the director’s new movie, a true-life spy story that premiered at the New York Film Festival.

    In 1957 Brooklyn, New York, Rudolf Abel gets a secret message from a park bench and reads it just before FBI agents break into his rented room. He prevents* discovery of the message, but other evidence* in the room leads to his arrest and prosecution* as a Soviet spy.

    James B. Donovan, a lawyer who specializes in insurance settlements, is asked by his partners to take on Abel’s defense. The United States believes that Abel is a KGB* spy, but want him to have a fair trial. Donovan meets with Abel in prison, where the Russian agrees to accept his help. Abel refuses to cooperate with the U.S. Government on any revelations* of the intelligence world.

    Although Donovan takes his work seriously, no one expects him to prepare a strong defense. His efforts to seek acquittal* are met with shock and anger by the American public. He receives hate mail and his life is threatened, but he continues to fight.

    Abel is found guilty of all charges, but Donovan convinces* the judge to sentence him to 30 years of imprisonment, rather than death, on the grounds that Abel may one day be valuable as a bargaining chip* with the Soviet Union. Donovan appeals* to the U.S. Supreme Court that the evidence presented by the prosecution is tainted by an invalid* search warrant, but loses 5-4.

    In the meantime, Francis Gary Powers goes on a U-2 spy plane sortie over the Soviet Union, where he is shot down and caught. Frederic Pryor, an American student, visits his German girlfriend in East Berlin just as the Berlin Wall is being built. He tries to bring her back into West Berlin, but is stopped by Stasi* agents and arrested as a spy.

    The USSR sends a message to Donovan, via a false letter to Abel from his “family,” proposing a prisoner exchange: Abel for Powers. Donovan has heard of Pryor’s capture and insists on a 2-for-1 exchange instead. Though the CIA is interested only in Powers’ return, it allows Donovan to negotiate for Pryor as well, on condition that the Abel-for-Powers deal is safe.

    Will Donovan succeed?

    (SD-Agencies)