Black Bag

Ever since I saw “sex, lies, and videotape” back in 1989, I’ve been an admirer of director Steven Soderbergh.  (In fact, I ranked that film at #2 on my list that year.)  Without adhering to a particular directorial “style,” Soderbergh has managed to march to the beat of his own drum for almost 40 years.  Oh sure, sometimes he’ll have a hit film that registers on the radar of the populace; “Traffic,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” and “Erin Brockovich” come to mind.  But mostly he specializes in small, independent films.

Latest effort

Which brings us to his latest effort, a crisp, spellbinding, ninety-minute spy thriller called “Black Bag.”  And I use the word “thriller” loosely here.  That’s what the media is calling it.  But in my mind, “thriller” implies action; and there is very little traditional “action” in “Black Bag.”  Instead of shootouts and car crashes, David Koepp’s original screenplay offers up secret, hush-hush meetings, dialogue-heavy mind games, and espionage with apocalyptic implications.  I haven’t heard discourse this sharp in a film since the heyday of David Mamet.

“Black Bag” opens with George Woodhouse’s boss giving him exactly one week to identify the source of a leak involving a top-secret computer program named Severus.  George (played by the perfectly-cast Michael Fassbender) rounds up anyone at the agency who even knows of the existence of the Severus software and invites them over for dinner.  The six include an array of British spies and intelligence officers, including George’s own wife Kathryn.  She’s played by the equally perfect Cate Blanchett.

Spot-on casting

Remember how cold and calculating Blanchett was as the beleaguered symphonic conductor in 2022’s “Tar?”  Remember how methodic and anesthetized Fassbender was in 2011’s “Shame?”  Put those two characters together, and you have the basic outline of “Black Bag.”  Fassbender plays serious and churlish better than anyone on the planet, and here his dinnertime mind games cause his guests to open up about affairs and dark secrets regarding one another.  Fassbender’s George is obviously carefully contemplating who might have leaked the precious secrets.

George is the type who is always the smartest in the room.  Until he isn’t.  Blanchett’s Kathryn is also the smartest in the room, and once we catch on to the cadence and weight of their conversation, we realize the others could be in for a long night.  The Woodhouse’s thrust and parry makes the old “Moonlighting” television series seem like child’s play.

The inherent problem with this set-up is that the others are also extremely intelligent.  Zoe (Naomie Harris) is a suspect because she is the agency psychiatrist, and has had sessions with most, if not all, of the others.  Here, the Hippocratic Oath takes a backseat to the potential destruction of the world.

Potential world destruction

And how does that figure?  Well, you see Kathryn is found to have opened up a Swiss bank account, where she meets up with a Russian operative.  His goal is to use the Severus software to inflict a nuclear meltdown and destabilize the government.  This is why George’s task is so daunting.  But could Kathryn actually be the source of the leak?   It doesn’t seem possible, but satellite footage seems to prove otherwise.

At various points during the course of “Black Bag,” George and Kathryn profess their undying love and respect for one another – even during one of Kathryn’s psychiatric sessions with Zoe.  But perhaps she’s been pulling the wool over his eyes all these years.  Would she?  Again, picture Blanchett in this role, and you understand our confusion.

Strong supporting cast

Harris and the rest of the supporting cast is exquisite  Agents Freddie (Tom Burke) and James (Rege-Jean Page) are as brilliant as the others, and each has the brains – as well as a motive – to pull off such a scheme.  A particular standout is British actress Marisa Abela as Clarissa, a specialist in satellite imagery whose boyfriend is agent Freddie.  Clarissa is the ever-so-loose-lipped type to spill the beans when she’s had too much wine.  But she’s also astute enough to spill them incorrectly on purpose – just to throw off the investigation.

Plot twists make sense

The final act features enough double-crosses and plot reveals to satisfy Orson Welles fans – and the aforementioned David Mamet fans.  But never do Koepp and Soderbergh pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.  Everything in “Black Bag” makes perfect sense.  And the 90-minute runtime practically invites a second viewing.  (And heck, you can watch this one two-and-a-half times in the time it takes to watch “The Brutalist” just once.)

“Black Bag” is an extremely tight, well-written, and well-acted piece of work.  Oscar voters will have long forgotten this one a year from now, but it’s already my pick as the year’s best film.  Opening just three months after Soderbergh’s slightly misguided supernatural tale “Presence,” “Black Bag” returns him to top form.  It’s his best offering in many years, and it reminds us once again of the understated talent of one of our very best filmmakers.

 

 

 

 

Andy Ray‘s reviews also appear on https://townepost.com/