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 (041025)
Black Bag is a witty, clever and stylish spy thriller that moves along nicely
and is filled with suspenseful sequences. Because of all the ups and downs, it
might make viewers feel like they had been on an emotional roller coaster ride.
The film gets its title because whenever a member of the main spy couple is
working on a case and he or she cannot tell their partner about it they say they
are working on a “black bag.”
Black Bag has a
more sophisticated
plot and dialogue than most spy films, but it's trade off for this is
less action. It is also a bit more exposition, heavier and darker than most Mission
Impossible or James Bond films. This is one of the most critically acclaimed
films of 2025. It has a 97 percent approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes and Digital
Spy called it the year's first "unmissable" film.
The film is a bit chilling because it depicts people who will double cross,
deceive or kill each other in a second if that is what they are ordered to do.
At one point one of the characters even says, “When you lie about everything how
can you believe anything is true?”
The film was created by the sometimes-great film maker, Steven Soderberg, who
started out as a Hollywood maverick. An Indy darling at the age of 26 when in 1989
when he won the Palme d’or with "sex, lies and videotape" (the title is supposed to
be in all small letters), which is still arguably his greatest film. He is one
of the most financially successful directors on the planet and so far, his films
have made over ten billion dollars. Despite his commercial success and the fact
he has an identifiable personal style; he thinks it is creatively liberating to
not have his name in the credits because viewers will have fewer expectations
about what kind of film they will see. But his fans know that he often appears
in the film credits as the cinematographer under the alias Peter Andrews. He has switched back and forth between daring, small budget Indy
films and big budget blockbusters. The latter often seem less worthy of his efforts
and he really has made only a few really good big budget films. Some of this most well-known works
include King of the Hill (1993), Out of Sight (1998), Erin Brockovich and
Traffic (both from 2000), the Ocean’s Eleven series (2001, 2004, 2007) Che
part 1 and 2 (2008), The Girlfriend Experience (2009), Magic Mike (2012)
and its sequel Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023).
Black Bag was written by Dave Koepp, the fourth most successful screenplay
writer ever and his scripts have included: Jurassic Park (93), Carlito’s Way
(93), Spiderman (2003) and, War of the Worlds (2005). The films he directed,
which include Stir of Echoes (99), and Mordechai (2015) were far less successful
although Stir of Echoes is a decent supernatural thriller.
One of the best aspects of Black Bag is the razor-sharp script by David Koepp
which takes lots of twists and turns. It focuses on the enormous emotional toll
of leading a dangerous life as a spy. Koepp’s witty, fascinating script
recycles some classic 1960s spy situations and tropes, but he makes the film
always seem modern with plenty of references to modern concepts like satellite
surveillance, malware, and A1 lip scanners. This is one of the best film scripts
since last year’s
Conclave.
The movie has a fine cast including, Marissa (Back to Black) Abela, Tom (The
Souvenir) Burke and a glorious, crowd-pleasing cameo from the former 007, Pierce
Brosnan. But the great Cate (Tar) Blanchett and Michael (Shame and the X-Men
films) Fassbender carry the film. They make a convincing onscreen couple and
have great romantic chemistry. Fassbender has had plenty of experience playing a
spy in his show, The Agency from Paramount which has been renewed for a new
season.
Kathryn Woodhouse (Cate Blanchett) is a high-ranking government agent who might
be a traitor. Her husband is another top notch spy who is in charge of finding
the turn coat in the espionage organization, So he faces the moral dilemma that
he might have to choose between his love for his wife and his love for his job
and country, In one of the best scenes his wife straight up asks him: “If a
situation presented itself, would you put your marriage above all else.”
In the end this excellent film is much more thought-provoking and compelling
than most spy thrillers because it has something extra. It may force viewers to
examine and rethink their lives, values and relationships. It is a cinematic
gift to viewers in this largely barren post Oscars film season looking for a gem
in the theatres, but because of all the close-ups it should also work well as a
streaming choice.
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