A stellar cast delivers an absorbing, relationship-diven spy drama
While plenty of modern spy movies have considered the situations of love and marriage in the world of espionage, it’s usually filtered through the lens of comedy and action with fun fare like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, True Lies, Knight and Day. Steven Soderbergh’s new spy thriller Black Bag takes a harder look at “the spies who loved”, from among a team of British intelligence officers.
Unlike those other films mentioned, Black Bag is a not a fast-moving crowd-pleaser. It’s relatively light on action and instead concerned with character-driven conflict (even more so than the mystery at the center of its plot).
As several characters lament, it’s not easy for a spy to maintain a romantic relationship. It’s difficult to meet people, dangerous for your partner, poisoned by constant secrecy, and too easy (and sometimes even part of the job description) to cheat.
Stable couple George and Kathryn (Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett) have seemingly beaten the odds by remaining honest and open with each other, and both working at the same agency, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre. But even their ideal romance is threatened when George is tasked with a critical directive to find a mole in their midst. With increasing pressure from a gruff director (Pierce Brosnan), he must investigate a list of likely suspects – his colleagues and friends – where one name in particular stands out: that of his wife.
The film’s cast is stellar and thoughtfully assembled. It’s worth noting in particular that there are two major veteran players from the world of James Bond, both playing against type. In addition to Brosnan, Naomie Harris (Moneypenny in the Daniel Craig Bond films) also appears as Dr. Vaughan, the agency’s acerbic psychologist.
Joining the veterans are rising actors as the up-and-coming agents. An early scene in which George invites his colleagues/suspects to a dinner date not only provides a nod to an old favorite plot device among whodunits, but gives the audience a chance to observe these characters, who also happen to be couples, and their dynamics: Tom Burke (The Musketeers, Furiosa) and Marisa Abela (Industry, Back to Black), whose relationship is in a rocky state due to suspicions of infidelity, and Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton) as a young officer paired with Harris, who, like her, seems cool and calculating. As an argument unfolds, the camera frames in on close-ups of each character, providing a glimpse into their internal mechanisms.
While George is the protagonist, the film takes time to focus on other characters and dialogues among the other characters, most interestingly in their individual meetings with Dr. Vaughan, who professionally peels back at their attitudes, and not without some attitude of her own.
George’s investigation of his colleagues – and particularly of Kathryn – reveal new surprises and clues, red flags and red herrings, misread cues, and surprisingly high stakes: the leaking of their top secret project could lead to the deaths of thousands.
And as the situation tightens, so too does the suspicion that he may be in a trap.
Slick, beautifully photographed (with a heavy emphasis on blooming light), and full of razor-sharp dialogue, Black Bag is another smart thriller from Soderbergh that demonstrates his skilled hand. As Brosnan mentions in the bonus features, some directors waffle around and try to find the scene, whereas Soderbergh is impeccably attuned to executing a vision, and you can definitely get that impression when watching this.
The Package:
Black Bag has arrived on 4K+Blu-ray+Digital and Blu-ray+Digital editions from Universal & Focus Features. I am reviewing the 4K edition. Physically, the discs are housed in a standard black Elite 2-disc case. My copy included a slipcover which features the same art as the case. Both releases include a Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film.
Special Features and Extras
- The Company of Talent (10:12) – Cast and crew describe the excitement and professionalism of working with the stellar troupe and Steven Soderbergh.
- Designing Black Bag (5:28) – an analysis of the film’s sophisticated and elegant style, including the locations and set designs, costumes & makeup, and how the designs inform the characters
- Deleted Scenes (6:25)
- George and Freddie have a Chat (1:53)
- Anna Calls Kathryn (3:15)
- Clarissa Meets with Dr. Vaughan (1:16)
A/V Out.
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