Bridge of Spies Page #2

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 7.

CONTINUED:
(2)

BATES:

From their point of view, five

things happened.

DONOVAN:

Look Bob -- may I? Bob?

(gestures to self)

Jim. If I go bowling and I throw a

strike, one thing happened. Ten

things didn’t happen.

BATES:

Jim. My clients are not bowling

pins. As much your guy might have

treated them so -

DONOVAN:

Lemme finish. If your house is

insured to $100,000 and a tornado

carries it away, it carried away one

house. It didn’t pick up every

stick of furniture and destroy it in

a separate incident. If that’s what

you’re saying, well, then there is

never any limit to our liability and

that is the end of the insurance

business. And then, Bob, nobody is

safe.

RECEPTION:
WATTERS, COWAN AND DONOVAN

Donovan steps into a plush office suite. The receptionist

works a busy switchboard.

RECEPTIONIST (ON PHONE)

Watters, Cowan and Donovan, how may

I direct your call?

Alison, Donovan’s secretary, steps over with his mail.

DONOVAN:

Good morning, Alison.

ALISON:

Morning, Mr. Donovan. I moved your

nine a.m. with Prudential, sir.

DONOVAN:

Why did you do that?

WATTERS (O.S.)

I asked her to -

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 8.

CONTINUED:

Donovan turns to find his senior partner, THOMAS WATTERS JR

(70s), watching him closely.

DONOVAN:

Everything alright, Tom?

WATTERS:

Why don’t you leave your stuff with

Alison, c’mon inside.

Donovan sets his briefcase, mail and hat down and follows

Watters.

WATTERS (CONT’D)

Something pretty important has come

up and there’s someone here to see

us. Natalie’ll get your coffee.

(To Watters’ secretary

Natalie)

Nescafé, no cream, two lumps.

Right?

DONOVAN:

That’s right, thanks.

He looks concerned.

WATTER’S OFFICE

Lynn Goodnough (50s), Chairman of the New York Bar, smiles as

Watters and Donovan enter. Goodnough shakes Donovan’s hand.

GOODNOUGH:

Jim, nice to see you again. How’s

the family?

DONOVAN:

Great, good, thanks. How’s Annie?

Natalie enters with Donovan’s coffee, sets in on desk.

GOODNOUGH:

Homicidal, we had the in-laws for

the holiday.

Watters sits on his desk.

DONOVAN:

Well, if she acts on it she’ll have

good representation.

Chuckles.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 9.

CONTINUED:

DONOVAN (CONT’D)

What’s up?

Natalie leaves. All three men take their seats.

GOODNOUGH:

Okay. Here’s the thing. The Soviet

spy they caught. We want you to

defend him. (pause) Here’s the

indictment.

Slap! -- he drops a thick document onto the coffee table.

Silence.

Donovan looks at it but doesn’t reach for it. He is

absorbing the news.

DONOVAN:

Well.

More silence.

DONOVAN (CONT’D)

...I’m not sure I should pick that

up.

WATTERS:

The accused doesn’t know any

lawyers. The Federal Court tossed

it into our lap. The Bar Committee

took a vote. You were the unanimous

choice.

GOODNOUGH:

It was important to us -- it’s

important to our country, Jim --

that this man is seen as getting a

fair shake. American justice will

be on trial.

DONOVAN:

Well, of course, when you put it

that way, it’s an honor to be asked.

But -- Lynn -- I’m an insurance

lawyer, I haven’t done criminal work

in years.

GOODNOUGH:

Well it’s like riding a bike, isn’t

it? You distinguished yourself at

Nuremberg.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 10.

CONTINUED:
(2)

DONOVAN:

I was on the prosecution team.

GOODNOUGH:

Not the point:
you’re no stranger to

criminal law. Jim, look at the

situation. The man is publicly

reviled.

DONOVAN:

And I will be too.

GOODNOUGH:

Yes, in more ignorant quarters. But

that’s exactly why this has to be

done -- and capably done. It can’t

look like our justice system tosses

people on the ash heap.

Thinking beat.

DONOVAN:

Suppose I did...what’s the evidence

look like?

GOODNOUGH:

Pretty overwhelming.

DONOVAN:

Great. Great. Everyone will hate me,

but at least I’ll lose. (to

Watters) What do you think, Tom?

The firm’ll suffer, I have work

here.

WATTERS:

I think it’s a patriotic duty, this

is an important mission. I told

Lynn the firm can’t say no, and

you’d have a tough time saying no

too. I think you have to defend the

sonofabitch.

DONOVAN’S OFFICE

On young attorney Doug Forrester.

DOUG:

So you’re doing it?

DONOVAN (O.C.)

Doing what?

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 11.

CONTINUED:

DOUG:

Defending Abel, the Soviet spy.

Widen to include Donovan, seated at his desk, Forrester

standing in front of him.

DONOVAN:

I may be. Hey how do you know? Did

they post it on the bulletin board?

DOUG:

I was just talking to Richard -

DONOVAN:

If I do this? I’m going to need

your help.

Doug sits, beams, until

DONOVAN (CONT’D)

Can you work tonight?

DOUG:

Well, I have a dinner date, sir...

Donovan gives him a hard look.

DOUG (CONT’D)

(back-peddling)

It’s Tuesday, right? No I can

cancel. No problem.

As Doug stands and exits, Donovan chuckles to himself.

DONOVAN HOME -- DINING ROOM

The family is at the dinner table. Mary exits from the

kitchen with plates of food.

DONOVAN:

...But it’s also an honor. And the

bar association asked me because

they want to demonstrate that even

this spy gets a capable advocate.

We hear the door opening, off.

MARY:

Well maybe it’s the kind of honor we

can do without. People are scared,

they’re -

Carol walks in.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 12.

CONTINUED:

DONOVAN:

Hi honey, what are you doing home?

CAROL:

I got stood up.

DONOVAN:

What? That’s despicable. Who’s this

knot head?

CAROL:

I’d rather not say.

MARY:

Well sit down, we just started.

(to Donovan)

...People are scared, they’re

building bomb shelters to protect

themselves from people like this

man.

DONOVAN:

Roger. Make another place setting

for your sister.

Roger does as instructed.

MARY:

(to Donovan)

I go to the store, people are buying

canned foods and potassium tablets.

It’s all about this man and what he

represents, he’s a threat to all of

us, a traitor -

ROGER:

Who’s a traitor?

DONOVAN:

The Rosenbergs were traitors -

ROGER:

Who are they?

DONOVAN:

They gave atomic secrets to the

Russians. They were Americans, they

betrayed their country. But you

can’t accuse Abel of being a

traitor, he’s not an American.

(CONTINUED)

12.17.14 FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 13.

CONTINUED:
(2)

MARY:

Listen to yourself. You’re

defending him already. You’re

rehearsing it on me. You said you

were just thinking about taking it.

DONOVAN:

Well I am just thinking about it --

just very hard. Everyone deserves a

defense. Every person matters.

MARY:

Jim, what do we deserve? You know

how people will look at us? The

family of a man trying to free a

traitor?

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