Despite its formidable crew, Black Bag turned out to be just a forgettable spy thriller good for one viewing. I had a feeling that something might be off as soon as I started watching the trailer. We will be following George Woodhouse, a British spy who has one week to figure out who’s the leak in his agency. To make things even more complicated for poor George, his wife Kathryn is one of the suspects. What follows is about an hour of confusing events finally saved by a somewhat rewarding finale. But hey, at least the running time is under 90 minutes making Black Bag an easy choice for those nights when you’re feeling unsure what to watch.
Despite the $60 million budget, we won’t get much action here. Don’t get me wrong, the sets and everything else, including the cinematography are great. The retro visual style might not suit everybody I liked it. Before we really get into it, I guess it’s time to mention that wrecking crew. The director is Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven) while the writer is none other than David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, Carlito’s Way). Both of them have had some pretty shitty releases over the last ten years. I’m talking about movies like the abysmal Logan Lucky, amateurish Kimi, and confusing No Sudden Move. You could say that Black Bag is actually an improvement when you consider those stinkers.
The cast is phenomenal, led by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. The former channeled his inner Michael Caine complete with those iconic glasses. Cate was the ageless diva she is. We also have Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, and Marisa Abela in supporting roles. Their performances made this movie worth watching. Especially when you consider the bloated and pretentious script. You would think that such an experienced writer like Koepp would find a way to make it more digestible. I especially disliked all the spy slang given without any context! Am I supposed to stop the movie and look up all these terms to understand what’s going on?
Usually, you resolve this issue, if you already want to have something like this, by having a rookie enquire about all the lingo afterward. I’m guessing this stems from the fact that Koepp interviewed real spies and tried to make the movie feel authentic. Add to this both his and Soderbergh’s desire to “make an espionage version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and you get this movie. When it comes to the title, they came up with that on their own. Once you get past the first 45 minutes, you’ll be invested and I have to admit that there were a couple of really intense and unnerving scenes.
The mystery of what’s really going on should keep you interested for another 45 minutes and that’s it. I wanted to wait ’till the end of the review to mention two television series but I simply cannot wait anymore. First of all, if you want to watch a much better spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender, you should check out The Agency. It features a similar but much more fleshed-out plot and character development. Not to mention the constant tension and a couple of excellent action scenes. If, however, you’re looking for something more action-oriented but with the same vibe, The Day of The Jackal starring Eddie Redmayne is a perfect choice.
After watching them you’ll realize just how sloppy and underwhelming Black Bag is. Oh, and a word of caution, Special Ops: Lioness is pretty shitty despite the high ratings. It’s nowhere close to the standards set by the The Agency and The Jackal. In the end, Black Bag will be sufficiently entertaining for the fans of the genre. There will be enough cool details and gimmicks for others as well. Especially when you consider the bizarre relationship between George and Kathryn. A relationship that still somehow worked.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: David Koepp
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Marisa Abela, Regé-Jean Page
Fun Facts: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is a real agency within the British government. You can consider it their version of NSA (National Security Agency).
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30988739/
