Few directors can make the routine appear sexy and tantalising as Steven Soderbergh. Exhibit A: Black Bag.
The 94-minute film, which the director has also shot and edited, skilfully packages a routine plot. Black Bag revolves around a bunch of sartorially sharp, morally hollow British spies.
David Koepp’s screenplay cuts to the chase immediately. George (Michael Fassbender) has a week to find out who has leaked a software programme. His wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) leads the list of suspects.
Before that, George must investigate the other suspects too. A dinner with the couples Freddie (Tom Burke) and Clarissa (Marisa Gabrielle Abela) and Zoe (Naomie Harris) and James (Rege-Jean Page). demonstrates that secrets, betrayals and double lives are as common among spies as among people in relationships. It is among the movie’s best sequences.
Black Bag is poised to reveal layers to a personal dynamic complicated by professional obligations, but stays content with lingering on the surface.
Sleek, purring and smug at times, Black Bag has every one of Soderbergh’s trademarks and late-career drawbacks. The superbly crafted film has sharply pointed dialogue, is terrific to look at, and is so smooth in its flow that it unsurprisingly slips out of grasp.
Pierce Brosnan is a part of the star-studded cast, among whom Tom Burke, Naomie Harris and Michael Fassbender stand out. Fassbender, who has the robotic air of the career agent as well as the soulful demeanour of the devoted spouse, is the one steady, memorable element in a flashy, fun and almost instantly forgettable movie.
