Sex(y), Lies, and Espionage
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Black Bag is a sexy spy thriller from director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s trilogy, Contagion) that follows a British intelligence officer who is tasked with investigating a list of possible traitors, one of whom could be his wife. The film stars a most handsome ensemble consisting of Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan.
George Woodhouse (Fassbender) is given a week to find the leak of the top-secret software program, Severus. He plans a dinner party at his home to weed out the culprit. The suspects? His colleagues and fellow spies: agent Freddie Smalls (Burke), Freddie’s girlfriend satellite imagery specialist Clarissa Dubose (a scene-stealing Abela), psychiatrist Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Harris), her boyfriend and agent James Stokes (Page), and George’s own wife Kathryn (Blanchett).
George doesn’t like liars but he’s definitely in the presence of one and the (almost) silent game of cat and mouse he plays with his suspects makes for an intense thriller that will lock you in for its concise runtime.
What sets Black Bag apart from the usual spy fare you may be used to is its performance- and dialogue-driven approach. There may be no high-speed chases or intense shootouts but the building tension in testing one's loyalty is enough to raise your heart rate. George and Kathryn have made a vow to never lie to each other and would kill for one another should it come to it so it’s only more intensifying when we’re made to believe the former would ever second-guess his beloved and in doing so, possibly jeapordising his marriage. An alternate would be to challenge his integrity and allegiance to his profession. Both nail-biting scenarios.
Fassbender’s pristine stoicism perfectly lends to his character’s known characteristic for being a human lie detector, only letting out when stakes are raised. A performance most complimented by a strong supporting cast – most notably Blanchett sauntering in and out of frame with equal grace and dominance, Harris in a quietly commanding role, and Abela’s crafted mix of an excitable young agent who’s playful yet earnest in her conversations with her senior peers.
You’re cordially invited to a night of fun and games with Soderbergh and co. aka go see Black Bag on the big screens!
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