Steven Soderbergh continues to be one of the most eclectic directors working today, and Black Bag is an exemplar of that. A marital and relationship dramedy disguised as a sleek spy thriller, Black Bag boasts a clever David Koepp-penned script that takes its audience on a wild ride. While Soderbergh’s genre-hopping career and variety of styles can mislead one to say his movies are free of authorial signature, there are many of his hallmarks in Black Bag. The result is a subtly funny work not afraid of winking at the audience and smirking alongside them without comprising its credentials as a legitimate spy movie.
The leads are the always-excellent Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, playing a couple who show “flagrant monogamy” as they work together as intelligent agents for an undisclosed British agency. Fassbender’s George is warned about a deadly computer program, Cerberus, escaping British custody due to the efforts of an unknown mole within the agency. One of the suspects is his wife, Kathryn (Blanchett). George must rely on all of his skills while wrestling with the concept of trust in a career built on deception.
This central conflict is where the script displays powerful intelligence. Aside from the film’s largest flaw, an arguably clunky scene where a character spells out the central theme, Koepp’s pen is sharp, witty, and measured. The careful balance of tension between the actual spy plot mechanics with George’s potential mistrust of his spouse is a masterclass in writing. Their relationship isn’t the only one explored, as the four other prime suspects for the mole are two couples with their own deceptions and trust issues. The movie cleverly interweaves all of these relationships together to form its thematic core.
Soderbergh’s ability to direct a sequence also really makes the film pop. There are multiple notable scenes rife with drama. One sequence features characters trying to quickly change a satellite’s surveillance during a hand-over period while avoiding detection from their bosses. Another scene sees George conduct polygraph tests on a group of characters. Both are edited perfectly to amp up tension and intrigue. It’s a wonderful reminder of how strong editing can make all the difference.
The movie is also perfectly posh in its approach. While Soderbergh is not a Brit, the film has a strong British vibe. Pierce Brosnan plays a small role as a department head in a fun nod to his own espionage past, and the Irishman is exceedingly British. Likewise, Fassbender’s mannerisms and much of the cast’s lean into the film’s cultural setting.
Needless to say, Black Box is excellent. It’s a wonderful reminder of what intelligent espionage thrillers can be when they focus on writing, direction, and editing above trying to be overly flashy or complicated. It keeps a firm human core at its center and still manages to be a better spy film than most major releases from the past 20 years. It does for spy cinema what Soderbergh earlier did for heist films back with Ocean’s Eleven. This versatile filmmaker is to be much commended.
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