Black Bag - Doppeltes Spiel

Greetings again from the darkness. Are you ready for 90 minutes of cool people wearing cool clothes and doing cool things while acting cool in the face of danger? If so, this one is for you. Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh (TRAFFIC, 2000; OCEAN'S ELEVEN, 2001; OCEAN'S TWELVE, 2004) dons multiple hats here as director-producer-editor-cinematographer (some under familiar pseudonyms). The screenplay comes from well-known writer David Koepp (JURASSIC PARK, 1993; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, 1996). The pedigree of these two is exemplified by the cast assembled.

George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett) star as husband and wife secret agents that have pledged to kill for each other if ever necessary. Really, that should be part of every wedding vow. Fastidious George has built his reputation on his mystical ability to spot a lie, and has no room for anyone who is less than honest. Glamorous Kathryn excels at her missions and when secrecy is required, one spouse will utter the magic titular phrase, "black bag". This signals, 'I love you, but can't tell you more'. They live in a stunning London apartment, which serves as the setting for two particularly crucial dinner parties.

Every spy story worth its mettle has at least one MacGuffin, and ours is Severus, a sophisticated code worm designed to take control of nuclear weaponry. While it gets mentioned numerous times, the real story here is in discovering who the mole is inside the Secret Intelligence Service managed by Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan). The five suspects George must investigate include computer analyst Clarissa (Marisa Abela, BACK TO BLACK, 2019), easily tempted agency veteran Freddie (Tom Burke, so excellent in THE SOUVENIR, 2019), suave and self-confident Stokes (Rege-Jean Page, "Bridgerton"), and staff psychologist Dr. Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris, MOONLIGHT, 2016). You'll notice that's just four suspects, as the fifth (unknown to her) is George's wife Kathryn. Adding to the intricacies of the jobs, the dinner parties, and this mole mission is the fact that George and Kathryn aren't the only couple in attendance. Clarissa is dating the older Freddie, while Stokes and Zoe are also seeing each other ... and there are likely other surprise complications with this group.

True fans of spy thrillers should know that this is not a new TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011), but rather a user-friendly story in the mold of the "Mission: Impossible" movies - only with less action and no high-wire stunt sequences. Instead, these agents withhold a lot while still talking a lot (some of the dialogue is quite funny). It's more of a personality chess match than an assault on our senses. Complementing the verbose proceedings is a perfect twisty jazz score from David Holmes. We must also take note of the numerous ties to the James Bond franchise (Brosnan, Harris, and rumors), and it's best to just sit back and enjoy Soderbergh in his element (this is his second film released in 2025) ... entertainment with a cool vibe.

Opens in theaters on March 14, 2025.

I find myself increasingly weary of the spy film genre, especially those that center around a romantic couple. It has become a trope so familiar, so predictable, that the very notion of it now feels like an exercise in the mundane. Each iteration feels almost mechanically constructed, as if there is an unspoken formula at play, one that prioritizes style over substance, a kind of cinematic sleight of hand designed to keep the audience distracted from the lack of originality beneath the surface. In this particular instance, however, the dialogue attempts to elevate itself above the usual banter of its kind, but only to the point of indulging in an almost ostentatious, borderline pretentious, air of intellectualism. There's a certain artifice to it all-an effort to sound clever, to sound profound, that ultimately rings hollow. The conversations between the characters, rather than offering any real emotional depth or compelling insight, instead feel like performative displays of wit, which do little more than alienate rather than engage. This was a film that seemed more concerned with showcasing its own perceived sophistication than with crafting any meaningful connection with its audience. And yet, despite all its verbal flourishes, it never once managed to grasp my attention in any truly significant way. The pacing felt sluggish, the stakes hardly compelling, and the emotional core-if one could even call it that-was so underdeveloped it barely registered. In the end, it was less a work of cinema and more an exercise in style over substance, one that never captured my imagination or curiosity.

This taut spy thriller from Stephen Soderbergh doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel of the spy fiction genre, but it's definitely and thoroughly well-made and well-acted. Viewers should first and foremost know that this is a small-scale drama/thriller without action scenes and mostly set in a handful of relatively confined locations, so it is definitely not like a James Bond or Mission Impossible-style spy movie. For patient and sophisticated viewers who enjoy a lot of cleverness with their mystery and intrigue, "Black Bag" will prove to be an entertaining watch. The cast is generally pretty good, especially Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, who are the two leads.

The film feels stylish and polished despite its small scale and brief running time. Soderbergh's deft direction keeps things running quickly and efficiently, paying special attention to the psychological and intuitive motives of the characters. The plot developments aren't particularly unique compared to other spy films, which is what holds back "Black Bag" from being truly great, but its commitment to creating intriguing narrative tension in an entertaining way and at a small scale is commendable. Recommended. 7/10.

LIKES: Smart Writing Great Acting Beautifully Shot Dark Humor Integrated Well A Layered Plot Realism, Or Close To It Shorter Run Time Summary: Black Bag is a smart film about the details and piecing together the little clues to figure out the grand scheme. A character-centric tale, one has to understand each of the profiles of the characters involved with Project Severus and figure out just how involved they were and the angles involved. It's a deep, convoluted tale that requires you to listen to everything, each scene holding some insight to help get you to the end and figure out who did the deed. It has an intense dialog that feels welcome in the spy world, and many superfans of the espionage genre should enjoy it to help immerse you further into the plot. I felt this was decently real, only dropping into the Hollywood theatrics occasionally to add that thrill aspect. Such tones keep it grounded and let the acting and characters do most of the heavy lifting rather than the special effects. To help give the characters some polish and diversity, especially in a building where everyone seems to be of the same cloth, Soderbergh and Koepp have granted their characters fun little elements to give them a few quirks to shake things up. A few of them have dark comedy elements to their name, an edge that gets wedged into the scenes at just the right moments to be fun and add a little more humor to the mix. Not too much; Black Bag keeps this in check to never let it consume the movie. To no surprise, it requires a lot of talent to bring such focus to life, and our cast has accomplished much in this project. Fassbender, in particular, is captivating; that elegance in his performance curtailed into the spy role well without requiring the elaborate theatrics other characters have required of him. He's got such craft in his delivery of the lines, his mannerisms a wonderful compliment to his words as he brings the full weight of the role to life. Blanchett also delivers her role with finesse and hardcore edge. I just had hoped for more time with her character's arc in searching for the answers. The scenes we do get hold of plenty of wisecracking jabs and a control of the situation, but yet there is more to her character in other key moments. Finally, the movie accomplishes all of this with stunning cinematography work to help unleash the gripping emotion that such a job holds. Excellent use of filters alongside those perfect frames of face capture so much effortlessly that they lend themselves a large amount of the acting themselves.

DISLIKES: Dense Sort of Confusing At Times Lots Of Dialog A Bit Underwhelming In Reveals Pierce Brosnan Not Well-Utilized Not Really That Suspenseful.

Summary: Black Bag is not one of these movies to get lost in for pure enjoyment, though. It's a movie that requires you to pay attention; no phones, no sleepiness, and no half-hearted efforts to watch the movie. Black Bag has a lot of information hidden in plain sight, so to speak, and to uncover everything before the reveal requires full focus on the story and performances. As engaging as it is, the patient does hold confusion with it, the beginning throwing so many pieces of information and intros that you have to keep track of. The dense material can be less exciting than other spy films, and I didn't feel the edge in this movie that any deadline or timeline was spelling out impending doom. Lacking such excitement is going to limit the audience members who will like this, and I do encourage you not to watch this if you are tired just in case you have to fight sleep with the heavy dialog you have to wade through as the movie continues. When the big reveal does come up, I can't say it was the most amazing twist I've seen, and I can't say that me solving it beforehand offered any reward. That realistic revelation sort of felt lacking of the big climactic punch, which again may limit how many people are ready to run to the theaters to see it. Finally, as mentioned above, not every character has equal use, and one of these characters, played by Pierce Brosnan, was one that felt very underutilized. So much potential in the character. Brosnan shows what he can bring to the table; he just needs more time and involvement. A shame, given his talent.

The VERDICT: I appreciate and love so much of the layered elements that Black Bag had to offer. The intelligence behind this film is engaging, the realism in particular fitting very well into the current trend of such drama thrillers on streaming platforms. Fantastic performances with well-written dialog to play with. It's a movie that engages the brain to help you find the answers and a movie that wants you to attach yourself to the characters. Soderbergh's direction is executed to a quality level on many elements, and for a fan of his work, this movie fits well into the collection. Yet, because of all the strengths, the movie is convoluted, dry, and perhaps not entertaining for a general night out or watching when one is low on energy. Black Bag's realism makes the revelation less spectacular, as well as lacking that super-suspenseful timeline these movies thrive on for a viewer like me. Throw in some character imbalances and story components that needed more time, and you get a film that loses some of the artistic sheen the trailers granted it. This feels much better in book form or would have done well as a twelve-episode season/series. Is it worth a trip to the theaters? For those who love a realistic drama and spy epic, this is the movie worth a trip for the quality, but most I believe will like this at the comfort of their own homes.

My Scores: Spy/Drama/Thriller: 7.5 Movie Overall: 7.0.

This is not your average spy thriller: it's mainly talk, tons of it, between a small group of British intelligence employees who all seem to live their personal and work lives in each others pockets and beds. To attempt to add gravitas to the production, the colour has been desaturated and the light dialled down to dull and grim, so viewers know it's a serious drama, not James Bond.

There are a few effective action set pieces to keep viewers awake ( not my wife, unfortunately, she slept through most of it ) but not really enough, I'm guessing, to satisfy the action fans.

For film fans who try to see everything that opens in cinemas, only.