I’m a big fan of John Le Carre spy novels. They have the right blend of suspense and spy crafter. Specifically, Tinker, Taylor, Soldier Spy is my favorite of the lot. That was a great film as well. The latest movie from Auteur filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is Black Bag. It has a feel very similar to a John Le Carre novel. I was right at home watching these characters and the cat and mouse game they embark on.

George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is married to Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). They are both spies for MI6, the British Secret Service. When George is tasked with starting an investigation into his wife and five other members of his organization, it creates problems for him. He has to find ways to find out what he needs without turning on his wife or country.  It’s a complicated situation in which he has to use all his skills as a spy to figure out.

Soderbergh has assembled a great cast of supporting actors for this spy thriller. Tom Burke, Rege-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, and Pierce Brosnan are all fantastic in this film. They all have their moments to shine during this it’s hr and thirty-three runtime. There were many scenes where all of these actors had scenes opposite each other, and they were all eating up the scenery when they had their moments to shine.

One specific scene I thought was well done from the directing to the acting and the cinematography was a dinner scene at the residence of Fassbender and Blanchett’s characters. The back and forth banter and needling were terrific. A game was played while these six individuals ate and drank that allowed  them to be more honest with their feelings than they otherwise would have been. The food looked delicious,  but the scene as a whole was very delicious to watch unfold.

The main characters, played by Fassbender and Blanchett, are doing some of their best work opposite each other. Specifically Fassbender. He played his character like a Geoge Smiley-esque homage. I felt like I was watching a younger version of this great literary character even though the movie took place in the present time. He was very stoic and reserved, similar to the George Smiley character. His dedication to his wife, who he was investigating, was pretty touching, to say the least. Blanchett showed me she was enjoying her time on screen with Fassbender and the rest of her cast-mates. It was pretty amazing to watch these people do their craft.

The title of the film “Black Bag” is a spy craft phrase when various characters don’t want to say what people want them to say. I didn’t expect that from the title, but it is what it is. Other spy craft moments I did like were a series of lie detector tests run by Fassbender’s character. The editing during this sequence was fantastic. I laughed so hard at the answers and banter between Fassbender and the other cast members. They used these scenes to have fun with the script. Which I might add is also terrific. 

I love spy movies, but besides the action and adventure of the Bond films or period piece films, most spy films are set in a bygone era. This one is set in the modern day and uses a macguffin of something called Severus as a means to an end to get the story rolling along. The modern-day setting allows for a different look for a spy film. The clothes and locations are all pretty sharp looking. I was completely enamored by the look of this movie. I was instantly sucked into this world from the very beginning when the viewers were introduced to the two main characters. Their apartment was nice.

Black Bag is a slick and well designed spy thriller. It had the feel of a John Le Carre novel set in a modern era. It was amazing. The cast were all fantastically terrific to watch from beginning to end. Especially Fassbender and Blanchett.  Soderbergh has done it again. He takes a genre he hasn’t done before and makes it his own. The look of the film and story had me invested from the very beginning. I’m a sucker for a great spy movie, and this one was just what I was hoping for. This was a new spy film that people will be talking about for years to come.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen