Everyone loves a good spy movie. Glamorous actors, sleek cutting-edge technology, secrecy, betrayal and high stakes international operations — what’s not to love? In his latest film “Black Bag,” Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven”) undeniably captures the style and intrigue of a spy thriller. Unfortunately, beyond that the film falls short. Soderbergh approached this movie with vibes and a dream, resulting in a fun but mediocre addition to the genre.
“Black Bag” follows British intelligence officer George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender, “Hunger”) as he investigates the leak of a top-secret software program, Severus. When George finds out that one of the suspects is his own wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett, “Ocean’s 8”), he must make the impossible decision between protecting his wife or his country. George and Kathryn are both high-level intelligence officers, living in a world of wealth and glamor, full of constant manipulation. The movie plays like a thrilling bourgeoisie dream, fit with posh British accents, expensive cars, classy wardrobes and lavish dinner parties. Soderbergh is undeniably skilled at tailoring a dramatic atmosphere in his films, and “Black Bag” is no exception in exploring the conflict between relationships and high-stakes careers.
“Black Bag” is refreshing in its reliance on psychological thrills rather than repeated physical action scenes. Lies and uncertainty push the plot forward, and for characters and the audience alike, it’s unclear who can be trusted. One of the best scenes in the film is when George invites all of his suspects, who are also spies, to a dinner party, at which he drugs their food to inhibit them. Then, at the table, he invites them to play a game, manipulating his colleagues to share their secrets. This scene occurs early on and quickly establishes that George is suspicious of everyone in the room, including his wife. But George’s own unsettling, cold behavior makes it unclear if he’s a reliable narrator. The scene builds a sense of slow and steady anticipation through the escalating drama and George’s calculatedness. The scene is tantalizing and thrilling from its build-up through to its climax.
Unfortunately, “Black Bag” doesn’t maintain that thrill. Instead, it’s a full-on Monet, offering hardly anything new to an increasingly tired genre. Spy fiction can be exciting and intriguing, resembling the uncertainty and unpredictability of the real world (hence the boom of the genre during the Cold War), but “Black Bag” fails to prove itself as anything special. The film’s most noticeable problem is that it’s too vague to be connected to reality or excite viewers. The characters serve the British government, but no other details about their work are mentioned. Severus is some kind of cyber weapon that can cause nuclear meltdowns, but it’s alluded to in such a vague way that the stakes aren’t established until well into the movie. Other than the mole, the villains of the movie are just “the Russians,” a lazy cliche. In one scene, George works with a satellite imagery specialist to spy on Kathryn. The acting and intense soundtrack build suspense as they race to get the surveillance while evading detection, but exactly what they’re doing is unclear. The explanation Soderbergh offers is the generic “hacking into the mainframe” mumbo-jumbo — an unsatisfying cop-out to proper world-building. Viewers might be drawn in by the thrills and beauty of the film, but then become quickly confused by the film’s paper-thin world. The characters themselves are interesting, but they move across a sloppily painted backdrop that doesn’t feel real enough to be effective.
Although “Black Bag” is full of plot twists, only some of them are well-written. Others are underwhelming. Not predictable, but also not very exciting — like finding out the weather report was wrong. Maybe it was due to the immaterial stakes or the constant “trust-no-one” attitude of the characters, but “Black Bag” ultimately reached an anticlimactic conclusion. Throwing suspicion onto Kathryn and George was initially interesting. However, that dynamic becomes repetitive when suddenly any character could be guilty — to the point where the film doesn’t really develop anybody at all. Fassbender and Blanchett are surrounded by a strong supporting cast of other agents, strategically moving around like players in a game of chess. It’s fun to watch them interact with each other but, unfortunately, the cast is not enough to save the story and create a satisfying ending.
“Black Bag” is sleek and empty, an indulgent film for those who like watching attractive and glamorous characters be attractive and glamorous. The film contains surface-level fun and entertainment, but it’s nothing special. Soderbergh seems to have approached his latest project with only the idea for vibes, writing a script that’s intriguing but ultimately unremarkable. If you’re looking for an enjoyable escape from reality, “Black Bag” might be a good pick. However, if you’re looking for a novel, topical addition to the spy genre, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Daily Arts Writer Isabelle Perraut can be reached at iperraut@umich.edu.
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