ROXAS, Julio Gabryel A.

2017400056 Saturday 12:00 to 3:00 PM

Insurance 2-C

Bridge of Spies
Synopsis
In 1957, lawyer James B. Donovan is recruited from his prestigious law firm to defend
accused Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. It's an unenviable task in many respects. Donovan hasn't
practiced criminal law since he was a prosecutor at the Nuremburg trials after World War II.
Also, the strong anti-Communist mood at the time makes him a target from who think Abel
should just be executed. Abel is convicted but Donovan convinces the judge to sentence him to
prison, rather than execute him, as they may at some point in the future want to swap him for an
American spy the Soviets might have in custody. Just such a scenario comes into play when in
1960 U-2 spy pilot Francis Gary Powers is shot down over Soviet territory and taken prisoner.
Donovan is again recruited to act as the intermediary and negotiate swapping Able for the
American requiring him to travel to East Berlin crossing the newly built Berlin Wall.1

Reaction
The film is a very good depiction of the relationships of states with other states and how
amity and cooperation are effected instead of outright violence. Exchange of prisoners is a
common practice during times of war, especially in the Cold War and in World War II before
that. This shows the value the states demonstrate for their nationals and for the maintenance of a
civil international relationship even in the state of war and hostilities.

This brokerage for the exchange of prisoners is in consonance with the humanitarian
provisions of the Geneva Convention, specifically the 4th Geneva Convention, not to mention
the Humanitarian Laws also previously known as the Laws of War. These international laws
highlight the importance of maintaining the dignity of prisoners of war and prohibits the use of
torture and inhumane measures against said prisoners.

I found the exchange scene in the film to be very intense and suspenseful, as I think, is
really the case when such exchanges happen in the real world. I can only imagine what terrible

1
Garykmcd, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/plotsummary
things the people involved in the exchange must have had going in their minds in case something
bad happens during the exchange.

On the other hand, the film also showed me the dark and often unknown truths that occur
in international relations: covert operations, spying, double crossing, and other illegal acts. States
use and employ measures to uphold its interest even if such measures are illegal and often carried
out at the cost of innocent human lives. Overall, the film depicted the complicated and shaky
relationship between states, albeit, the world's superpowers. Every state is after a position of
power and will often aim to reach that position at the cost of destruction of other states and the
taking of innocent lives.

References
Garykmcd, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/plotsummary

https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/what_is_ihl.pdf