BLACK BAG
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan
Director: Steven Soderbergh
ADRIANO
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? but with spies? Yeah, bring it on, because Black Bag is pretty great. Director Steven Soderbergh is very hit or miss for me, especially as of late, but I can safely say this is my favourite of his in quite some time. Granted, some of the grand espionage stuff lost my interest at times, but when the film focuses on its personality-driven domestic storylines with its cast of very interesting characters, I was completely locked in. Dialogue is the film's weapon, not action or spy gadgets, and Soderbergh's deft hand drives it to whole new heights.
PAIGE
Black Bag is Steven Soderbergh‘s version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, offering a unique perspective of the spy genre by focusing on the character’s personal dynamics rather than high-stakes action. However, despite its sleek and suave appearance, this espionage film is often dull and lacking in tension. It may be a tight mystery thriller, but it needed more substance to paint a clearer picture of the overall story we're thrown into. There just wasn’t much to rope me into the story besides Michael Fassbender’s and Cate Blanchett’s performances.
QUENTIN
Following up the very good supernatural drama Presence with espionage thriller Black Bag might prove that director Steven Soderbergh is back because Bag is easily his best movie since Ocean’s Eleven. An action-free affair, which might sound boring but is anything but, this is a tense and taut movie for grown-ups that is built on tremendous performances, precise dialogue, and well-played reveals. In many ways, it’s like Soderbergh blended Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with the Ocean’s franchise, with the impeccable score especially recalling the well-loved heist movies. Plus, with a brisk 90-minute runtime, it never overstays its welcome like the laborious Tinker. Great movie.
NICK
Although he has had a successful career, the recent works of director Steven Soderbergh have been a mixed bag (no pun intended). He may be back, though, as he takes what looked like an obvious Mr. & Mrs. Smith-style film and presents something far more interesting. It's a beautifully filmed, well-acted, and expertly written story that will genuinely keep you guessing throughout. Although not overtly crass or sexual, this is an "adult film" thanks to a maturity rarely seen. It can find levity in its laughs and romance, but they’re sprinkled throughout tension you could cut with a knife.
BRYAN
One thing to commend director Steven Soderbergh for is his eclectic range as a storyteller, especially with Black Bag, a tribute to the classic spy espionage thrillers of the 1970s. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender headline the sexiest and most ferocious ensemble of the year thus far, and while there are plenty of tension-filled moments, I was left at a distance by the end. I love a breezy 90-minute runtime, but all the resolutions come too quickly, resulting in everything feeling rushed in the long haul. I'm very down-the-middle on this one, but it’s one I’m craving to rewatch.
BODE
Throughout his career, director Steven Soderbergh has displayed a masterful knack of finding new ways of exploring themes and genres he’s fascinated with. He does so again with his latest, Black Bag, where the world of espionage (which he once tackled in 2011’s Haywire) is used as a backdrop to comment once more on the complicated relationship between love and honesty (which he first examined in 1989’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape). The results are thrilling, thanks to David Koepp’s tight script, a sensational ensemble and, as always, Soderbergh’s sleek technical craft. As the kids say, we’re so back.
