“I was a pilot flying an airplane and it just so happened that where I was flying made what I was doing spying.” – Francis Gary Powers
At 7:00 Am on the morning of June 21st in 1957 Willie Fisher, aka Rudolf Abel, is taken into custody by the FBI on charges of espionage. In the afternoon hours of October 25th of 1957 Fisher (Abel) was found guilty of three counts and sentenced to concurrent prison terms of 30 years, 10 years, and five years.
On May 1st of 1960, Capt. Francis Gary Powers was piloting his U-2 spy plane over Russia when the unthinkable happened – he was shot down. Capt. Powers successfully ejected, but was captured and on August 17th of 1960, was convicted of espionage against the Soviet Union. He was sentenced to ten years, three years in prison to be followed by seven years hard labor.
Bridge of Spies tells the true story of James B. Donovan, an American lawyer sought by the C.I.A to take on the unenviable task as lead negotiator on behalf of the United States in an exchange of these two political prisoners, amid the rising tensions of The Cold War.
Steven Spielberg directed this film based on a script penned by Matt Charman. Ethan Coen. and Joel Coen. Tom Hanks leads a cast that also features Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, and Austin Stowell.
Audiences can follow Tom Hanks on his journey across the Bridge of Spies in theaters nationwide, starting Friday October 16th. Visit FANDANGO for showtime and to purchase tickets.
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