After American intelligence agents capture Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), the task of defending Abel in court falls to insurance lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks). The government hopes to show that even an enemy spy receives due process in the American justice system, but Donovan soon realizes that Abel’s trial is a merely a show. The film portrays Abel as a sympathetic character, but its efforts to do so are too obvious. Abel is seen only as a stodgy old man constantly painting: it is never clear what lurks beneath his endearing surface that would drive him to become a spy. Abel may just be talented in deception, but the film suffers from his opacity, as created by the filmmaker.
Although Tom Hanks is convincing in his performance, his acting does not save Donovan from remaining a shallow character, too. When explaining his decision to defend Abel, Donovan stresses his belief in the admirable but unexciting principle that everyone is entitled to protection under the Constitution even if they are criminals. Unflinchingly moral, Donovan sets the world in a binary of right and wrong. Even later on, when the CIA turns to Donovan to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the Soviet Union, the film never creates any doubt that Donovan might fail to live up to his morals. The sincerity with which the film shows Donovan standing up against the impersonal world of espionage and bureaucracy is heartwarming, but Donovan is ultimately a flat symbol of morality rather than a dynamic character. The overbearing force of his righteousness drains the film of suspense. By so sincerely holding Donovan up as an immoveable moralizing force, the film makes it difficult to feel any sort of dramatic tension or fear that Donovan might fail in his task. The portrayal of Cold War politics is at first intriguing, but the film moves too slowly for a spy thriller.