Review: ‘Black Bag’

Who needs James Bond right now, anyway? While that venerable old franchise has likely seen its glory days gone forever, there’s hope for spy movies yet. Once upon a time, Steven Soderbergh nearly directed The Man from UNCLE, with his pal George Clooney in the lead. That version of the espionage remake never happened (only to reemerge later with Guy Ritchie, Henry Cavill, and Armie Hammer), but Soderbergh finally gets to scratch that spy itch with Black Bag. Similar to his recent ghost story Presence, it’s a chance for the director to do something he’s never done before, and he doesn’t waste the opportunity with a sleek, stylish, star-powered tale of love, loyalty, and secrets.

The third collaboration between Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp, Black Bag is at all times incredibly cool, sexy, and funny when you least expect it. Significantly dressing up the Mr. & Mrs. Smith model, the film centers on married spies George Woodhouse and Kathryn St. Jean, played by the gorgeous duo of Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. They are as devoted to one another as they are to their careers. They present as an elegant but somewhat distant pair, but in private it’s clear the passion still burns. But how far does their loyalty to one another go? Lying is part of the job, but would they lie to one another? Would they lie for one another? Would they kill for one another?

These questions are going to need answers, as George is recruited to find a mole that has stolen a piece of top secret spyware, Severus, that could have disastrous global ramifications. Don’t mind yourself too much with what this MacGuffin actually can do. The characters speak about it in grim but vague tones. It doesn’t matter nearly as much as the ripple effects it causes on a personal level, as Kathryn is one of a few suspects on the list for George to sniff out.

Soderbergh’s casting is, as usual, absolutely perfect. There are two other spy couples that George must look into. There’s Tom Burke as the messy older agent Freddie Smalls, and Marisa Abela as young, flirty SIGINT tech Clarissa DuBose; and James Bond vet Naomie Harris as team psychologist Zoe Vaughan, and Regé-Jean Page as Col. James Stokes. Each has their own personality quirks and hidden agendas that make them suspicious. George is something of a savant at picking people apart and finding out what makes them tick. He’s like a human lie detector, and will do anything to find and expose the truth.

This all sounds pretty dark and overly serious, but Black Bag isn’t Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. There are moments when the vibe feels similar, but then you’re hit with how sharp the humor is, and how steamy Fassbender and Blanchett are and it stands on its own. The centerpiece dinner party has a little bit of everything. George invites everyone and slips them all, minus Kathryn of course (or did he?), a little bit of truth serum into their intricately-prepared meal. It leads to a lot of oversharing, personal attacks, and suspicious quirks. The question remains at the heart of everything: What if the mole is Kathryn and what will George do to protect her?

George and Kathryn’s marriage is fascinating. The title Black Bag refers to something so secret that it can’t be discussed. It’s the ultimate “get out of jail free” card. If you wanted to cheat, just tell your significant other that where you were or who you were with is in the “black bag.” With that kind of freedom, how can married spies ever truly trust one another? And we see that George isn’t above sneaking around to keep an eye on his wife, and it’s assumed she does the same to him. But is that a sign of untrustworthiness or acceptance of the danger in their work?

The clock is always ticking, and as George plays all of the suspects against one another he’s constantly under pressure. Pierce Brosnan, a 007 in his past life, plays their perpetually irritated boss Arthur Steiglitz, and he needs answers right now. George isn’t above applying significant pressure on others, as well, and seeing who can withstand it. His interactions with Clarissa are always interesting because of her obvious sexual interest in him, but also her youth and relative naivete. She hasn’t seen the kind of damage a job like this can do to a relationship, but she finds George’s devotion to Kathryn “hot.”

Clocking in at just 93 minutes, Black Bag doesn’t waste our time. Every line of dialogue matters, every interaction counts for something, and every scene drives towards an answer while enhancing the mystery. Soderbergh is having fun here, like when he was doing the Ocean’s 11 movies, and it’s just a great time watching this auteur play in the espionage sandbox. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing calls for Soderbergh to be the next Bond director after this, but for me I’d rather he revisit the world of Black Bag.

Focus Features releases Black Bag in theaters on March 14th.