‘Black Bag’ Review: The Elegance of Espionage

“What’s on the menu?” “Fun and games.”

Prolific director Steven Soderbergh is back with “Black Bag,” a sleek film about spies and treachery — but mostly marriage.

The couple at the center of this film is Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) and George (Michael Fassbender) — both British intelligence agents. They’re a stylish pair, but their chemistry is almost unnerving due to its coldness. Immediately, the stakes are high: A top-secret software code has been leaked. George is told he has one week to discover the perpetrator or tens of thousands of people will die.

Serendipitously, George’s wife Kathryn is one of the prime suspects. The other four suspects are two couples — James (Regé-Jean Page) and Zoe (Naomie Harris), and Clarissa (Marisa Abela) and Freddie (Tom Burke). George, a meticulous, Type A guy, becomes suspicious of Kathryn and starts spying on her. Predictably, what follows is a little more complex.

Written by David Koepp, who is known for co-writing blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” and “Mission: Impossible,” this film is packed tightly with sparky dialogue, tension, and intrigue. Interestingly, there’s not much actual spycraft involved in Koepp’s screenplay — “Black Bag” functions almost as a melodrama. Conflicts in the film arise through marital and romantic struggles rather than undercover operations. Deception is more emotional than operational, creating an interestingly intimate take on espionage.

Visually, the bleak London skyline meshes well with the elegantly dressed, seemingly sophisticated characters. There’s a noticeable air of secrecy, reinforcing themes of emotional distance and duplicity. The truth is concealed. Confidential information is referred to as “black bag.” This clandestine quality is furthered by Soderbergh’s work as the film’s cinematographer (under the pseudonym Paul Andrews). There’s a softness to his shots that often blur the focus on the background, heightening not only the sense of secrecy but also the melodramatic atmosphere. Soderbergh’s editing (under the pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard) is fast-paced, immaculately heightening the tension.

Blanchett and Fassbender give expectedly good performances. Kathryn is enigmatic and quietly playful — It’s never clear exactly what her motivations are. She operates with such a coolness that it’s somewhat impossible to fully trust her. George is restrained, loving, and only slightly sociopathic. His methods of investigation aren’t the most ethical. Unfortunately, in their scenes alone together, the chemistry doesn’t seem to be fully there.

That said, it’s the supporting cast that steals the show. Page and Harris play a beautifully loathsome match, making them easy targets of suspicion. Abela is amusing as the young satellite specialist Clarissa, but some of her dialogue strives too hard for comic relief. For example, when George says “If [Kathryn] is in trouble, I will do everything in my power to extricate her,” Clarissa responds: “That’s fucking hot.” Still, she shines in scenes with her partner Burke. Both couples seem quite ill-matched when compared to the exemplar couple, George and Kathryn.

The film oscillates between moments of quiet suspense and explosive confrontation, perhaps as a commentary on marriage. The lack of traditional action sequences and spy gadgets may deter fans of the conventional spy thriller, but the structure of character exploration allows for a very unique take on the genre. The backdrop of espionage seems to be a metaphor for the questions of trust and uncertainty that define intimate relationships.

Despite its strengths, “Black Bag” still feels disappointing as a spy thriller — which may be partially caused by its marketing. While a film about agents of espionage, it relies a bit too much on style over substance. The plot is not too difficult to follow, and not enough attention is given to the actual motivations behind the antagonists’ actions. Specifics of the operation are also cloudy, and the ultimate payoff at the end is only quietly victorious. “Black Bag” attempts to juggle the spy thriller and the marital melodrama, ultimately falling short in both respects.

—Staff writer Capri S. Wayne can be reached at capri.wayne@thecrimson.com.