Synopsis:
From Director Steven Soderbergh, BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.
What We Thought:
Despite starring one of my favorite actors (Michael Fassbender), one of the most respected actresses today (Cate Blanchett) and from an award-worthy director (Steven Soderbergh), Black Bag somehow doesn’t get above an average spy-thriller. It’s actually hurt by its low runtime and is a movie I’ll forget exists by the end of the year. Usually a Soderbergh thriller with an ensemble cast gets award nominations, but this will come and go just like his last film Presence.
The movie is sold as a spy-thriller with Fassbender’s character deciding if he’s going to stand for his country or stand behind his wife (Blanchett), but it’s nowhere near as good or as interesting as that sounds. Fassbender seems to be on the spectrum and his character is more like The Accountant or Sherlock/Monk than a spy. He’s a numbers guy who analyzes situations and his environment to figure out what’s happening. He’s a master of the lie detector and can convince people to do things for him. But again, it’s nowhere near that interesting or exciting. Fassbender is great in the role, I just wish the film was pushed more as a detective film than spy-thriller.
It’s baffling how bland it is. Soderbergh is usually at least interesting. Fassbender is always great. Blanchett, Pierce Brosnan, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page and the rest of the cast are all good, but that’s the problem, they are just good. There are very good scenes (a dinner scene with most of the ensemble early on set a great tone), but overall it’s not as smart as it thinks it is. In a very political real world, there’s no real danger or uneasiness in the film.
The reason for that is its runtime. It’s a short movie which I usually praise, but this needed another 20 minutes or so. There’s no real world building or character development so there’s no real stakes. We barely know Fassbender and Blanchett’s characters so why should we care if he supports her or if there’s more to her or not? Most of the drama seems under developed as well with the average person probably not able to follow or care.
Black Bag was a miss for me and I’m surprised by that. I went in hoping it would be a nice surprise in a lackluster time for films, but unfortunately got another lackluster film. Fassbender tries his best to keep it interesting, but Brosnan (despite still being dapper in a suit) is underused as is most of the cast. I can’t see it doing much at the box office especially here in the States.
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: David Koepp
Producers: Casey Silver, Greg Jacobs
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan
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