‘Black Bag’ Review: Slick & Sophisticated Espionage Thriller

Steven Soderbergh returns to release his second film of the year, Black Bag, which further proves the man’s mastery behind the camera. Read our Black Bag review.

Its been a while since there was a great original film in theatres. With Soderbergh’s Black Bag, that timer has been reset and audiences have been treated to a slick and sensual (but not explicitly sexual) espionage thriller. Black Bag is the latest from director Steven Soderbergh, the man behind Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike, and Contagion, and from writer David Koepp, the mind behind Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, and Panic Room.

The film follows a premise similar to that of Mr & Mrs Smith, but doesn’t directly pit our two leads against each other, instead allowing the audience to judge the situation for themselves, enchanting the viewer with a very cool and collected mystery. That’s not to say the film isn’t thrilling however, with each new turn proving exhilarating and having you at the edge of your seat. It’s a masterclass in tension and at two times (the dinner sequences) bears resemblance to another Fassbender starring scene, the one from Tarentino’s Inglorious Basterds.

The leading couple, Michael Fassbender (playing George) and Cate Blanchett (playing Catherine), are absolutely astounding in their roles. There’s a psychological disconnect that they portray, having been in the field of espionage, with George having an especially deeprooted history. But that’s where the more sensual aspects come into play, feeling sexy at times, but only due to some indirectly intimate direction. The supporting cast here is also insanely good, with highlight performances being exhibited by Marisa Abela (Back in Black), Tom Burke (Mank, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), and Regé-Jean Page (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves). They bring an interesting dynamic that only enhances the dubious world of espionage that Koepp and Soderbergh so smartly set up.

Black Bag is smartly paced too, coming in at a swift 90 minutes. In an interview with Variety, Soderbergh said “Lately, I’ve been on a kick… The goal is to identify, at the script stage, things that can go because it saves time and money. If you are rigorous in that process, it pays dividends. Now, you’re often surprised by what audiences respond to or pick up on or don’t pick up on. There are some things you need to go back and fix. I always set aside resources to do reshoots, because I anticipate — especially in a movie like Black Bag, where the way in which information is released is really crucial — that things will need to be clarified.” It’s a quote that I have been thinking about quite a bit since initially reading it and this mindset, thematically, is translated well onto screen as seen with the effective, well written thought processes of Fassbender’s George. 

Black Bag is a clear return to form for Hollywood filmmaking, specifically original crowd-pleasing storytelling. Whilst the film was projected for a low gross, it is thankfully overperforming at the box office, and generating talk about the demand of original storytelling and performative activism, where people campaigning for these new stories do not support them, through online spaces such as Twitter.

Black Bag is directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by David Koepp, and stars Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris, Gustaf Skarsgård, and Pierce Brosnan. The film was distributed by Universal Pictures for Focus Features, and is now playing in theatres worldwide. 

Thank you for reading this Black Bag review. For more articles like this, stay tuned here at Feature First.