Black Bag Review
Razor sharp, whippy and fun, Black Bag is a joy to experience in the theatre.
George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is informed that one of five people has stolen a top secret British spy weapon, and is selling it to the highest bidder. Those five are MI6 therapist Dr Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), agents Freddie (Tom Burke) and James (Rege-Jean Page), administrator Clarissa (Marisa Abela), and perhaps most concerning, George’s own wife and fellow spy lead, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett). George organises a dinner for the five, and turns the heat up (while also filling the food with a chemical truth telling agent) to get things started, before he spends the rest of the week trying to nut out who is the traitor. But when backed into a corner, the traitor turns the tables on George, and now he has to clear his own name while taking them down; and still working out exactly who it is.
Steven Soderbergh keeps Black Bag moving FAST, and that can be both a blessing and a curse. Personally, I appreciated the razor sharp dialogue, the way it didn’t pause to let you soak it in, and the shorter runtime; this movie is largely made of talking, and by keeping it moving at a clip, you never feel bogged down.
Fassbender is wonderful as the deeply controlled George Woodhouse. It’s great to see him on screen playing this sort of elevated character, and for the most part it’s a home run - only one moment of panic while Brosnan roots out a traitor alongside other Department heads rings a little false with the otherwise unflappable character. He’s ably partnered with Blanchett, who plays with a bit more wanton abandon. The remainder of the characters can at times be a bit cookie cutter, but that’s more of a script problem than a performance one - they are performed across the board with aplomb. Special shoutout to Tom Burke, who always steals the show.
Visually, the film leans heavily into halation. The cinematography is a choice, for sure, and not always one that feels particularly enjoyable. But at the same time, Soderbergh does what Soderbergh wants, and it is never distracting enough to make it unwatchable.
The film thrives most on its dialogue and its story. It’s wonderfully written, the wordage just flying off the screen with an authenticity and simmering tension that glues your eyes to the film. The way that it is book ended with two amazing group dinner scenes, and then filled with quieter and more deliberate work in the middle, makes the film feel very purposeful and real.
Ultimately, for fans of spy movies like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this has some of the same intricacy and thinking, but also has the soul of a much funkier film. It’s the sort of movie you’ll love or you’ll hate, but for us, we loved it.
