Film Review - Black Bag
Images courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Following the release of Presence in Australian cinemas last month, Steven Soderbergh continues his prolific ‘post-retirement’ run with Black Bag, a tightly-wound spy thriller that is as cleverly composed as it is devilishly paranoid. The film is set to the calculated movements of George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), a spy whose mission collides deep into the insecurity of British Intelligence, in an attempt to unveil a suspected traitor to the country, and Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), a top-ranking intelligence agent, his wife, and one of the five suspects in question.
The narrative conceit of the espionage plot, which follows a cyberweapon wrought with geopolitical consequences, is a classic hook for any spy caper, and with Soderbergh’s sleek and confident directing would already be sufficient to ensure a successful and sturdy studio flick. But crucial to this film–and consistent with Soderbergh’s propensity for formal experimentation–is the parallel play between the world of spies and the dynamic of George and Kathryn’s marriage. Domesticity is quickly framed under the microscope of surveillance and leverage, deception is considered expected, and compartmentalisation is the secret to a happy life. As the title might suggest, the characters of the film adopt the phrase ‘black bag’–-referring to a covert mission to obtain information—as a shorthand for anything in their personal lives that’s on a need-to-know basis. This is echoed by the introduction of the remaining supporting cast, fellow agents James (Rege-Jean Page) and Freddie (Tom Burke), corporate therapist Zoe (Naomie Harris), tech expert Clarissa (Marisa Abela), and Head of Intelligence Steiglitz (Pierce Brosnan), all of whom have their own interpersonal complications that so playfully intersect with the film’s central marriage. Here, Soderbergh and his writing partner David Koepp—another marriage of sorts—have constructed a world where occupational life is intensely private and private life is intensely occupational, and knowledge is a currency both wanted and unwanted; George’s adage to this early on is that ‘some things are best swept under the rug’.
Ostensibly this intersection may appear to paint a very cynical picture of marriage and relationships abroad, but the film takes great pleasure in the twisted loyalties of domestic life. George and Kathryn’s lives of strict conditional codes and clinical modus operandi are underpinned by the electric charisma between the performances. In theme with the film’s many intersections and contrasts, Fassbender’s pragmatic, forensic, borderline terrifying demeanor is delightfully offset by Blanchett’s physicality and confidence. The interplay in their relationship is studied, hyper-aware of any aspect of performance, and becomes riveting to watch as you feel as involved in deciphering their behaviour as they are. The performances of the supporting cast similarly add to the overall framework of loyalty to Domesticity vs. Country, each having their own moments of personality and some inspired line deliveries—there are more than a few Pierce Brosnan zingers in here—that beckon you to revel in the mess of relationship dynamics, even in the midst of geopolitical threat.
In a perfect marriage to the narrative, the film’s interpersonal playground is underpinned by a rich visual palette that’s both understated, and gloriously impressive. George and Kathryn’s home life is shot with gorgeous soft lighting, where candles emit glow on the dinner table and lights coat each room with warmth. There are a number of scenes in which lights are placed in such a way that feels purely like a technical flex by Soderbergh and crew, but it often has this lovely effect of blurring into objects, which also feels in line with the film’s collision of worlds. The office space is conversely shot with cold blues, harsh, bright lighting and corporate symmetry, but never feels incongruent aesthetically with the rest of the film. Interestingly, the film is never shot in a way to communicate an environment devoid of emotion, with George often more emotionally vulnerable and expressive in the cold corporate spaces, but more considered in the safety of his own home.
Whilst a studio film that is this sturdy and formally interesting is much more rare of a feat than I’d like it to be, it’s affirming to me even still that a small miracle can pop up and reignite the flame. Black Bag is the platonic ideal of what a film like this should be; sleek, complex, idiosyncratic, and a wicked amount of fun.
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Black Bag is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.