REVIEW: Black Bag Is Sinfully Fun Slow Burn
The idea of a spy having to choose between protecting a love one or doing their duty to their county has been done, countless times, in many different genres. However, it has been a long time since this theme has been done in a true thriller aspect, where the story is told more in words than in action. This is exactly what director, Steven Soderbergh, has opted to do with his new film, Black Bag.
The film opens with the introduction of British espionage agent, George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender). George has been tasked with tracking down a mole within their ranks. The mole has stolen a dangerous piece of technology called, Severus, which has the ability to hack into nuclear facilities. Given a name of potential suspects, George has one week to determine who stole the technology before it is too late. One issue though stands in his way, his wife, and fellow agent, Kathryn St. Jean’s (Cate Blanchett) name is on the list. The film begins it’s slow crawl into the depths of mystery and intrigue with the introduction of the other names on the list, fellow agents, Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), surveillance agent, Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), and therapist, Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris). Built on careers of being professional liars, nothing is as it seems, and George must workout who he can trust, including his own wife, all the while trying to uncover the truth of the traitor.
Black Bag is not an audacious film when it comes to spy thrillers. It relies heavily on the dialogue from screenwriter, David Koepp to propel the film forward, instead of action seen most often in this genre of film. Koepp understands the characters he is writing for. No answer can be clear, every action is questioned, and as George slowly begins to piece the puzzles together, so does the audience. He creates a feeling of constant skepticism that is not only felt by the characters, but the audience as well. It’s this type of writing that keeps the story paced perfectly for the average viewer to follow, and yet, has the ability to throw in these tiny little curveballs that leave die-hard thriller fans foaming at the mouth. Add this with Soderbergh’s immense talent of being able to draw out the intensity of a scene with the the perfect angled shot on a character, choice of lighting and music puts Black Bag in a league all its own.
Fassbender plays George as a stoic, almost robotic, man on the verge of making one of the hardest decisions of his life. In any other film, a performance such as this would be considered boring, and lackluster. However, in Black Bag, this performance is as intense as the film itself. As for Blanchett as Kathryn, there really is no role she cannot play. Her portrayal of Kathryn is sexy, sophisticated, and so very intimidating. Burke, Page, Abela, and Harris round out our secondary cast, and work beautifully alongside Fassbender and Blanchett.
Black Bag is a slow, slow burn that sparks into something great by the time the credits role. With a character at odds with whether to protect the one they love or fulfill their duty to their country, the film is an intense balancing act. Though it may seem slow at times, the film pays out in the long run.
Grade: B+