FILM REVIEW
BLACK BAG
Rated R
93 Minutes
Released March 14th
Black Bag is a masterfully made story of a group of spies involved in a political high-stakes struggle for control of a powerful technological weapon. Before you decide that you’ve seen this tale before in many spy movies, consider that this one is directed, shot, and edited by a consummate artist, Steven Soderbergh, with carefully chosen cast and filmmakers.
The tone is quietly intense and quickly paced as this group of intelligence gatherer,s who are outwardly on the same side try to solve the deepening mystery of a breach of trust by one of their associates. This is the third collaboration between Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp that’s been released since 2022. The music by David Holmes, another frequent colleague with Soderbergh, is haunting and sets the dark, mysterious mood, accompanied by fine camera work.
Soderbergh says of filmmaking, “Every movie is a moonshot. In that regard, if you’re trying to land a rocket on the moon, and you’re off by 1 degree, you miss the moon by a wide margin.” This thought shows how detail-oriented Soderbergh is with his art and also illustrates how visually his mind works, even when describing technical details. He compares making a film to using a toolbox, that the job of the director is to “organize the use of these tools in a way that works on the audience, but not so consciously.”
He is fascinated by human relationships and by the emotions packed into the visual elements of a scene. Every shot is meticulous and precisely edited, which works for a spy film such as Black Bag because a spy must have these characteristics. Soderbergh’s relationship with the actors is as “a voyeur to what the actors are doing.” He simply makes his actors feel comfortable and gets out of their way to let them work.
Soderbergh has created this piece in a style reminiscent of German Expressionist films or Alfred Stieglitz photos from the 1920s. I wonder if the character “Arthur Stieglitz” in the movie pays homage to that photographer. In this style, the camera becomes intimate with the actors and often looks up at them from below. You’ll see a highly creative shot from under the water that conveys a foreboding feeling of being pulled under. The dining table scenes in the film are carefully laid out, with subtle changes to the lighting and design occurring as information is divulged from or about each player.
Soderbergh was born in Atlanta, grew up in Virginia and Baton Rouge, and, while in high school, began making short 16mm films. After graduation, he headed to Hollywood and became a freelance editor. In 198,6 he made a video for the rock group Yes that was nominated for a Grammy. His first major film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, which he thought was rough and unfinished, won him the Palme d’Or at Cannes when he was only 26. In 2000, he won the Best Director Oscar for Traffic. He is an artist who is not afraid to march to the beat of his own drum, and he prefers to think of his work as an art as opposed to a product of Hollywood corporate culture.
The cast Soderbergh has assembled for Black Bag is brilliant. The movie is more focused on machinations than emotions, as each character must skillfully suppress reactions as part of their job. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett are husband and wife spies with a long relationship, where trust comes into question – when you’re a spy, everyone is suspect, and ironically, the glue that holds them together is trust.
Both are completely enveloped in their roles. Blanchett is such a chameleon as an actress it is hard to recognize her from one role to the next. Here, she has an icy, tantalizing power where physicality conveys her personality. Tom Burke is a great comedic foil. Pierce Brosnan gives a surprising performance as an elegant version of an angry old man with a “get off my lawn” personality.
Black Bag is a good mystery movie. The narrative is constantly moving with a rhythm; the visuals lead your eye as well as your mind. There is a lot to figure out, and thanks to the work of the actors, each personality is unique and stimulating. Lurking behind all the subterfuge and conflict is a subtle sense of humor, which gives the film its humanity. I would not be surprised if this movie is featured in next year’s Academy Award nominations, so remember it.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
