Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new review! For this one I will be taking a look at the latest film from prolific director, Steven Soderbergh, which is actually just his second film this year after the well received horror thriller, Presence (still need to catch up on that one at some point). He is a director I have always admired, not only because he’s made films I’ve really liked to love (the Oceans trilogy, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, etc.) but also because he is willing to try new things with the film medium and branch out into different genres. He is also probably the most consistently working high profile filmmaker in this day and age as he seems to have a movie or two every year! So when I heard he was developing a spy espionage thriller with a cast full of people I liked, I was immediately intrigued and was anticipating what he had to offer here. Did he deliver once again? Let’s jump right in and see how well these spy games were able to intrigue!
The film follows one British intelligence officer named George Woodhouse who is tasked with finding out who leaked vital intel regarding a secret program file known as Severus. The agency suspects there is a mole among their midst and it is up to George to figure out who it is. There are five suspects involved including two managing agents, James and Freddie, a satellite specialist, Clarissa, an agency shrink, Zoe, and… George’s wife, Kathryn. Considering that everyone involved has complicated relationships to one another, I will prove to be a challenging endeavor for George. He will also have his allegiances tested, seeing what is he willing to risk more. His loyally to his country or his relationship?
The basic premise in and of itself is a fairly simple one with a familiar sounding vibe to it (ala Mr. & Mrs. Smith). But boy, do Soderbergh and screenwriter, David Koepp, craft something that is much more intricate in structure and thematically rich beneath the surface. Running at a brisk and tight 93 minutes, Soderbergh makes every scene count with everything playing an important role in the plot or developing the characters and their role in this story. There is not an ounce of fat present and I found the proceedings to be immensely engrossing with myself wondering how this plot would turn out. Koepp is able to keep one engaged with various twists and turns befitting a spy caper of this nature and I appreciated the various details that come into play and makes one have to pay attention in order to get all of the mechanics at play. It helps that the script is so well written with sharp dialogue that makes the conversation so interesting and often times fiery.
I even like the way humor it utilized as it feels naturally weaved into these situations, always fitting with the tone. What I found most interesting about the picture though is how it views spy craft through the lens of relationships and the complications of them through that context. We see the various dynamics between not only the main couple, but the others and how they inform everyone’s actions. It made for some really fascinating things and I do like the exploration of the ethical dilemmas that can arise from this kind of occupation such as what it means to cheat, or being able to trust in one’s significant other. It is inherently meaty from a thematic perspective, but also just makes adds to the story and elevates above being a standard espionage mystery.
Not only is there a lot of substance here, but there is an immense amount of style present, and it is glorious. Every single technical aspect of this film is just impeccable with it all coming together in order to make the storytelling even more effective. Visually this is just a gorgeous film to look at with amazing cinematography from Peter Andrews that uses lights to a really neat effect, and it just makes this story look and feel more cinematic than it might’ve been given the intimate nature of the story. The way Soderbergh uses the camera to frame certain shots combined with Mary Ann Bernard’s editing is also impressive and makes every scene interesting to watch unfold with nothing ever feeling jarring. I especially feel they did a phenomenal job in conveying so much whether it be details related to the mystery or how the characters are feeling with close ups being used so much in this regard and to say the absolute anxiety of certain characters was present onscreen would be an understatement. Aiding in all of this is frequent Soderberg collaborator, David Holmes, who comes in with another groovy composition of music that has the jazzy feel of an Oceans movie, but is a bit more lowkey here which makes sense given the story.
What most got me hooked on this film was the stacked cast and my goodness, did they not disappoint at all. Per usual, Michael Fassbender gives in an exceptional performance as George, playing the multiple facets of his character in a convincing way that helped shape into a three dimensional individual along with Koepp’s writing. Fassbender tends to play calculating very well, but here he adds a layer of anxiety that I thought made George more relatable and interesting beyond just being a spy whose great at his job. He is indeed and it’s fun seeing him trying to deduce this mystery, but he is also an incredibly flawed person whose plans don’t always go the way he would want and he has his own trauma that he tries to keep at bay. His relationship with Kathryn is also incredibly well realized with the latter almost getting just as much focus. Cate Blanchett is phenomenal, playing the more outspoken of the two and bringing a lot of wit to the role. The film does a great job in presenting her side of the story in a way that makes one wonder where her allegiances truly lie and I found the back and forth between her and the other characters to be immensely entertaining. Her and Fassbender also have terrific chemistry as one can buy them as a couple of spies and their attraction for one another is very apparent and makes the main story so engaging.
The rest of the supporting cast is full of up and coming talent who do outstanding work here. When it comes to the rest of suspects, they are all interesting and compelling in their own way. Marissa Abela in particular gets a lot to chew on as Clarissa Dubose, the youngest of the bunch, and Abela does a great job putting up a fierce exterior, but deep down is quite sensitive and questions the morality of the profession as a whole. Doesn’t help that she has a more than flawed relationship with the reckless yet competent when need be, Freddie Smalls, who is the most unpredictable as one never knows when he’ll just burst out and Tom Burke conveys that personality so well. Rege-Jean Page is also fantastic playing the stubborn and ambitious James stokes, who thinks very highly of himself, almost like a hero, even when everybody else views him quite differently, with Page playing very well off of Fassbender and Noami Harris’s Dr. Zoe Vaughn. The latter is also terrific bringing playing the sarcastic humor very well while playing someone with many complex layers, from being manipulative in many ways while having a very strong moral code at the same time. Oh and Pierce Brosnan also shows up as Arthur Steiglitz, the head of the organization whose frustration at the events transpiring is very apparent. I always get a kick out of seeing the former 007 actor in stuff, and he brings such a commanding presence to this morally questionable authority figure that I just love watching. He also gets some of the funnier bits of the film.
Overall, I absolutely loved Black Bag and found it to be a phenomenal spy thriller that me engaged. It is extremely well paced, has an engrossing story, engaging themes, amazing visuals, exceptional craftsmanship, a fully realized ensemble of characters, and a game cast of performers. I just cannot gush over this film enough as it is everything I hope for in a film like it and I’m sure fans of Soderbergh or espionage films in general are bound to get a kick out of it or at least find it interesting. It once again shows why Soderberg is one of the most talented filmmakers working today and how he is able to branch into different kinds of genres without breaking a sweat. This one is a huge recommendation from me and I hope it finds and audience over time as this is the kind of original star driven vehicle that people say they want but then don’t show up to when it happens. Just an absolute banger and reminds me why I love the spy genre so much!
Rating: A+
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