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Actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg are teaming up again for the upcoming film 鈥淏ridge of Spies.鈥澛�

鈥淏ridge鈥� is based on a true story in which lawyer James Donovan (portrayed by Mr. Hanks in 鈥淏ridge鈥�) takes on the job of defending Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a suspected Soviet spy. When an American pilot named Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) is captured in Russia, James is tasked with carrying out a prisoner exchange.

The movie co-stars Alan Alda, Amy Ryan, and Billy Magnussen. Mr. Spielberg and Hanks have previously worked together on such movies as "The Terminal," "Catch Me If You Can," and "Saving Private Ryan."

鈥淏ridge鈥� has gotten fairly good early reviews (it was screened at the New York Film Festival) and critics have noted its almost retro tone. In an age where anti-heroes dominate especially the television landscape 鈥� recent hit series like AMC鈥檚 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� and 鈥淢ad Men鈥� and HBO鈥檚 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� center on people of ambiguous morals forced to make difficult choices 鈥� 鈥淏ridge鈥� centers on a person determined to do what is right.

Many critics are comparing Hanks鈥檚 performance to actor James Stewart, who was famous for, among other roles, starring in various inspiring movies directed by Frank Capra. 鈥淛immy Stewart gave us 鈥楳r Smith Goes to Washington,鈥櫬燞anks gives us 鈥楳r Donovan Goes to Cold War Berlin,鈥欌�� 聽critic Peter Bradshaw writes of 鈥淏ridge." Chris Nashawaty of called the film itself 鈥渙ld-fashioned鈥� and writes that Hanks is 鈥渙nce again tapping into the Jimmy Stewart Boy Scout idealism that鈥檚 become his forte.鈥� writer Todd McCarthy called Donovan 鈥渁 sort-of Atticus Finch of the north鈥� and writer Peter Debruge wrote of the film, 鈥淸Spielberg]鈥檚 mythmaking approach makes for great Capra-esque entertainment, [though]聽younger audiences may find it terribly old-fashioned.鈥澛�

It鈥檚 less that an inspiring based-on-a-true-story film is a rarity during the awards season 鈥� voters for the Oscars often love those 鈥� but that Spielberg has become so known for this genre. Two of his most famous films are 1993's 鈥淪chindler鈥檚 List,鈥� about an industrialist who worked to save Jews from World War II concentration camps, and 鈥淪aving Private Ryan,鈥� about American soldiers working to find a private during World War II so he can be sent home. His most recent effort, 2012鈥檚 鈥淟incoln,鈥� chronicled the president's push to abolish slavery.聽

While he may return to this source of inspiration, some of Spielberg鈥檚 upcoming projects have another basis: literature. Spielberg is reportedly directing a film version of Roald Dahl鈥檚 children鈥檚 book 鈥淭he BFG鈥� as well as a movie adaptation of Ernest Cline鈥檚 science fiction book 鈥淩eady Player One.鈥澛�

Meanwhile, the competition for 鈥淏ridge鈥� this awards season has some other inspiring stories, some based on real life and others fictional. These include the movie 鈥淪potlight,鈥� which is based on the Boston Globe reporters鈥� coverage of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.