Movie Review: Black Bag

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

An intelligent and tense spy thriller. 

This is a spy thriller that relies more on characters, dialogue and plot twists than action. Actually, until the last act there is barely any action here.  Director Steven Soderbergh knows that the real heart of this film lies in the relationship between Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender's characters. This relationship is completely gripping. These are two characters who seem completely cold and emotionless. However, the one thing that each of them cares about is the other. Their love for each other is the only professional weakness of these otherwise perfect spies. This dynamic between them is explored in very intelligent and thought-provoking ways. While these characters may at times be far from likable, they are always fascinating to watch and keeps our eyes glued to the screen whenever they are on. The great chemistry between Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender is also wonderful and I want to see these two share the screen in many more movies in the future. Because we are so absorbed by these characters, we find ourselves caring about what happens next in the story. Though the story may revolve around multiple McGuffins, the plot twists are very smart and well done. They can surprise us, but they never come out of nowhere. 

As good as this movie is when it focuses on our main characters, it often lost my interest whenever it drifted from them. Though the pacing did not slow down during these scenes, it could often feel like the film came to a halt, when attention drifted from our main characters. 

Despite some flaws, this is a very gripping and smart film.