Heading into cinemas this week, we find a film by one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time, Mr. Steven Spielberg. The man needs no introduction. Beginning his career with Jaws in 1976, Spielberg has directed some of the highest grossing, culture-defining films of the past four decades. As of late, Spielberg has demonstrated a superbly rare staying power with films like Munich, War Horse, and Lincoln.

However iconic he may be though, the majority of Spielberg’s films have always been marred in an easily-digested coating of sentimentality. His heroes must (almost) always win. His villains must (almost) always lose. And never, under (almost) any circumstances, must the viewer leave the theater feeling anything but unbridled optimism. Such is the formula for his latest film, Bridge of Spies.

Tom Hanks stars as James Donovan, an insurance lawyer tasked with defending a Soviet spy against both an onslaught of media hatred and a twelve man jury. Tom Rylance stands quietly beside him as the spy, Rudolph Abel, muttering lines which only lighten up the mood or preach about the beauty of life in general.

Unfortunately, neither character receives a character arc. No character does, really. The focus of the film is purely on the events of one of most embarrassing U.S. flubs of the Cold War, the U2 incident. The obsession with plot, the retelling of history, over-complexity, the interactions and motivation of characters, ultimately denies the viewer any deeper understanding of Donovan’s character; he’s a family man trying to do right. Nothing more. In fairness, James Donovan seems like a highly respectable man in the real world, although I would have enjoyed seeing the film add depth to what seems like a flawless reputation.

The overall quality of the film is a polarizing bag of flawless production value versus preachy American pandering and one-dimensional storytelling. On one end, we have Spielberg’s greatest qualities shining through: sets are meticulously designed and crafted, viewers feel as if they’re standing in the world the camera creates in every scene, the pacing is not too quick to lose connection nor too slow to lose interest. Demonstrating his ability to seamlessly invite viewers into his vision when his career began, Spielberg has since mastered this technique. The plot points are interesting and Spielberg layers them on without trampling over previous developments—one event truly parallels another, without the time frame becoming confused or obliterated altogether.

Despite the impressive prowess for immersion Spielberg demonstrates, some of the less desirable elements of his work dutifully wedge themselves into Bridge of Spies.

The most glaring of his tendencies is long-winded recantations of monologues. These monologues usually run along a general theme all Americans love, such as freedom! justice! liberty! and equality! I love these traits in American society. I do not love marathon speeches glorifying them over story and textured characters.

Another annoyance in the film was moments of quick asides (mostly in the latter half of the film) that let the audience know Soviet-Era West Berlin wasn’t an ideal place to live. The location and set pieces build up the setting as an unstable, poverty-stricken area of the world, as it was. Not needed to drill this point further in was in an instance of soldiers shooting civilians attempting to climb the Berlin Wall just as Hanks’ train passes their location. Also unneeded was a protracted mugging scene. These scenes come off as contrived, predictable, extraneous, and in no way progress the story.

Overall, Bridge of Spies was by no means a poor film. The production values and respectable acting alone made for a quality retelling of an interesting point in American history. However, the film does lack the character arcs and plot complexities that most modern audiences should demand. It’s a Spielberg film, bringing along all characteristics of his direction which that entails. If you’ve enjoyed him in the past, you’ll enjoy him now. If you’re not enthusiastic going into the theater, you probably won’t be enthusiastic coming out. 6/10.