Bridge of Spies is a TV show.
Bridge of Spies is a 2015 historical drama legal thriller film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg , written by Matt Charman , Ethan and Joel Coen and stars Tom Hanks , Mark Rylance , Amy Ryan and Alan Alda . Set during the Cold War , the film tells the story of lawyer James B. Donovan , who is entrusted with negotiating the release of Francis Gary Powers -- a U.S. Air Force pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960 -- in exchange for Rudolf Abel , a convicted Soviet KGB spy held under the custody of the United States , whom he represented at trial . The film was an international co-production of the United States and Germany . The film received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay , and won Best Supporting Actor for Rylance .