Year of Release: 2025
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, Marisa Abela, Regé-Jean Page, Pierce Brosnan, Gustaf Skarsgard, Orli Shuka, Daniel Dow, Kae Alexander
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
After releasing "Presence" in 2024, editor, cinematographer, producer, director (and occasion writer), Steven Soderbergh continues his creative collaboration with David Koepp, subtly crafting one of the most interesting and solid thrillers of recent times. The narrative focuses on a married couple, comprised of George and Kathryn, both of whom work for British Intelligence. George has been recently given the task to investigate the leak of a software with the code name of Severus. His wife is listed as a potential suspect of doing so. George invites the other suspects to a dinner at his house, and during the meal the ambience gets progressively heated, particularly as the guests start exposing some of their personal agendas and feelings. When George's boss dies of a suspect heart attack, he starts to investigate what his wife is up to, though he always states that his marriage and Kathryn's well being is his top priority. As Kathryn goes on an overnight trip to Zurich, George pressures Clarissa (one of the suspects and also one of the dinner guests), to use an available satellite to uncover whom is she meeting with. As the relationships between all these professionals become clearer, so does the leak surrounding Severus, and why Kathryn and George were pitted against each other, something that turns out to be an error for the mastermind of the whole scenario.
"Black Bag" is another great example of how Steven Soderbergh keeps delivering intelligent and economically constructed films that are so well oiled and so smoothly executed, that they almost seem effortless. "Black Bag" which plays out like a sophisticated thriller relying on character exchanges, more so than big action sequences, doesn't necessarily give much backdrop or sustenance to most of the characters, however the creative team does provide just enough context to all of them, which allows us to best understand who they are, how are they interacting with each other and what kind of relationships are tied between them all. George and Kathryn, who both exude a cool and methodical demeanor, are the antithesis of what Doug Liman's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" was all about: they treasure their relationship, but they're also very aware of the situation in which they been placed in. The film slowly and smartly uncovers the conspiracy, as George navigates with detail and perseverance, the breadcrumbs of data that were left behind (and that the conspirator didn't expect to be quite so obvious). It's a smartly executed film, benefiting from a wonderful cast, with highlights going to the elegant Cate Blanchett, the versatile Michael Fassbender, both of whom get great support from the wonderful Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, and Marisa Abela, all of which also excel. The production team is impeccable, even if Steven Soderbergh's cinematography on this feature is a bit distracting (the tint is too warm and almost too blurry in the night scenes). It's a very entertaining film from a great film maker (and the trailer does a poor showcase of just how good this film is).
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