Directed By Steven Soderbergh

Starring – Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke

The Plot – When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse (Blanchett) is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband (Fassbender), also a legendary agent, faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.

Rated R for adult language including some sexual references, and some violence

BLACK BAG – Official Trailer [HD] – Only in Theaters March 14

POSITIVES

After conflicting results while dabbling into the creative waters of paranormal horror, during January’s “Presence”, “Black Bag” feels like a fitting return to form for Soderbergh, whose richly luminating style and sedated execution lend themselves seamlessly to the world of espionage, crafting a tautly constructed scintillating stinger that grows all the more substantially cunning and stylistically stimulating the longer that we live and breathe among its underground world. In constantly steering his own cinematography, Soderbergh does relent on the impulses of his own unique vision, with smoothly cerebral camera movements, sensually elegant lighting schemes, and meticulously patient editing consistency that makes it all the easier for audiences to engross themselves in the depths of the ever-changing room temperature between character interactions, all with some of the most compellingly spontaneous and natural dialogue that brandishes with it a surprising layer of comedic underlining that surprisingly doesn’t compromise the air of Steven’s thickness for growing stakes and palpably resonating tension. One scene in particular involves the six central characters at the head of this investigation breaking bread with one another, and not only does it colorfully illustrate the compartmentalized conflicts within its many coupling dynamics, but also effortlessly conjures food for thought in the overhanging uncertainty of its established mystery, where Steven challenges the transparency and honesty of that person you love, in an industry that lives and thrives on secrecy. This is especially the case for the love story permeating within Fassbender and Blanchett’s protagonists, serving as a character study of sorts for the resiliency and foundation of their impeccable love. Because Fassbender is forced to grapple with the notion of his wife possibly not being the woman who he thought she was, it tests his love and commitment in ways that other films pertaining to deteriorating marriages can’t possibly come close to conjuring, and while much of the script lends itself faithfully to pursuing this mystery betrayer to their country, the real heart and soul for the movie rests in the permeating chemistry between Fassbender and Blanchett, who make up one of the most believably relatable and accessible couples, despite their career objective being anything but grounded in reality, and the result is this movie that simultaneously works as a spy thriller and a romantic date movie. Aside from his stunning cinematography and technical attributes, Soderbergh’s direction also exudes that of a confidently experienced storyteller who doesn’t have to settle for the same familiarity in desperation needed to capture the attention of his audience, especially in the depths of elevating the tension for the conflict, which sneaks up on you during the most unexpected moments. While the ideas of passionately shouting confrontational dialogue or a dependency for action set pieces have done a lot for spy thrillers of the contemporary age, Soderbergh’s approach feels more inclined with that of a classical director, in that he takes ample time within such a minimal runtime of 89 minutes to establish meaning to every single one of the scenes included, and the result definitely lends itself to picture perfect pacing that never rushes or stalls the development of the mystery, but also doesn’t need theatrical elevation in the tone for dramatics, in order to cast a spell on an adoring audience, instead utilizing an unblemished respect and appreciation for the talents of his ensemble that makes these characters such measured and impactful forces to be reckoned with. In this department, Fassbender and Blanchett are obviously the primary needle movers, giving so much humanity and confliction to their respective portrayals, which always feel better when they share the screen together. Fassbender is the proverbial knife that continuously cuts the tension to so many of these confrontations, with suave sensibilities and monotonously cold deliveries often painting a false sense of security for so many characters, and Blanchett, while kept at a distance in being the primary suspect to this investigation, still manages to steal quite a few scenes in the air of ambiguity that materializes in the double meanings of so many deliveries, with that timelessly breathtaking crooked smile that makes her feel like the cat who swallowed the canary. However, while these two icons of the screen do make for such an impeccable dynamic, the supporting cast are just as integral to the movie’s foundation, with Burke, Rege-Jean Page, Naomie Harris and especially Marisa Abela instilling so much personality, confliction and conscience to characters who I had a blast being around, especially during one aforementioned dinner scene between the movie’s three couples that allows ample time for each of them to shine. Between Burke’s caustically dry perfection for confrontational deliveries, Harris’ psychology as a therapist for uncovering vulnerabilities, Page’s poker face, and Abela’s unabashed and forward demeanor, it was all the easier to engross myself in dialogue-driven scenes, especially for how well they play off of one another, and though they essentially serve as suspects to this costly betrayal, Soderbergh finds plenty for them to do towards attaining a humanity from within each of them, making it difficult to assume that any of them is guilty, but only for the unfortunate reality that they aren’t in fact the person that we’ve experienced them to be. Lastly, I would be doing a grave disservice if I didn’t shed some light towards David Holmes’ jazzy compositions, which imbed so much infectious energy to sequences sauteed in suspense. While Jazz music has always been a staple of Soderbergh films, most notably in personal favorites like “Haywire” or “No Sudden Move”, the instrumentals here elicit a far more significant atmospheric absorbance that makes the marriage of sight and sound feel all the more seamless, with Holmes’ instincts for the unconventional outlining an air of complexity to moments that would otherwise feel one-dimensional without them.

NEGATIVES

While “Black Bag” is definitely my favorite Soderbergh film in over a decade, there were a couple of problems with the script that allowed for some of that potential to slip through his grasp, particularly that of the movie’s mystery, which I don’t think pushed the boundaries as heavily on the uncertainties of this protagonist relationship as advertised. Part of the problem is definitely that there are five different suspects to Fassbender’s investigation, which relentingly takes some of the focus off of Blanchett, but I felt that the seeds of discontent between them are never explored as much as the gimmick truly requires, and while it sounds impossible to be true, I did accurately predict who the culprit to the conflict was, as early as twenty minutes into the movie. While the film has quite a few red herrings meant to throw you off of the scent of one particular character, it still falls for the same tropes of slasher knowledge, where the least focused upon character is typically the one responsible, which did make the ending confrontation for climax fall a bit short, considering the rest of the film captured and never let my attention go throughout it. In addition to a so-so mystery, Pierce Brosnan is tragically underutilized, with the irony being that James Bond finds little to do in a spy thriller. Part of this discontent could be my overwhelming adoration for Brosnan, who even at the age of 71-years-old still has as much charisma and intensity as anyone he shares a screen with, but considering he goes mostly absent for the entirety of the movie’s first half, with his two scenes during the second being among the most interesting of the entire movie and its tension, and because the movie finds so much to do for as many as six characters, it’s disappointing that he’s often deduced to background exposition depositor meant to steer the audience in certain directions, leaving him in a bit of a thankless role that quite honestly could’ve been portrayed by anyone with an unflinching air of security in being the head of this branch of intelligence.

OVERALL
“Black Bag” is a tautly constructed, stylistically mesmerizing, and sleekly stimulating spy caper that definitely serves as a comfortably fitting return to form for Steven Soderbergh, who still knows how to value meaningful characters and confrontation as well as anyone in the game. Despite a predictable outcome in more ways than one, the film has six mesmerizing performances and technical mastery that will help take some of the eventual sting from its closing moments, all the while enacting a smart and sexy exploit for love’s resiliency that never withers even in the face of catastrophe.

My Grade: 8.1 or B+