There’s little better than watching gifted actors deliver clever dialogue. Ultimately, that’s what makes Black Bag such an entertaining watch. David Koepp’s script is tight, filled with juicy spy-craft banter, relationship tension, and a surprising number of well placed jokes. It gives every member of the cast moments to shine as they interrogate, test, and scheme with and against each other. You think you have workplace drama? Wait until you get a load of this team of ruthless, pill-popping, philandering British intelligence operatives as they work through the simple but effective story of figuring out who stole the Very Dangerous Computer Code That Was Never Meant To Leave The Test Lab But Of Course Always Does™.
At this point Michael Fassbender has made an art out of playing highly intelligent but emotionally closed off characters (See The Killer, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant). Here it is elevated as he gets to play off the excellently mysterious Cate Blanchett as his partner in both life and work. The two give us a delicious twist on traditional relationship dynamics as they navigate a world where both work in the secretive and compartmentalized MI5. When was the last time your significant other told you they were flying out of the country for a day and then couldn’t tell you where they’re going or why? The movie enjoys playing with our perception of the couple. Do they truly love each other? Are they even on the same side? The tension is ratcheted up further because Fassbender’s wife is on his list of potential traitors that he needs to investigate.
It all interlocks beautifully into an hour and a half of pure, tense entertainment. In proper Soderbergh form this is a self contained one-shot of a film. There is no attempt at the Hollywood tendency to tease potential sequels. The story has a perfect arc, culminating in some very satisfying final scenes that both wrap up the mystery and cement how badass our hero and heroine are. It’s a testament to how well crafted and acted this movie is that it maintains its level of intrigue and thrill throughout without needing a single action scene. The lone bullet that is fired serves as a moment of dramatic conclusion.
And so, in the impeccable dialogue of the movie: “What’s on the menu? Fun and games.” I encourage you to play.
Side Notes
In the vein of spy thrillers, we get a couple fun connections to the adjacent world of 007. There’s of course the obvious one with former Bond Pierce Brosnan playing one of the British intelligence department heads. We’ve also got Naomi Harris, who played Moneypenny in the recent Bond films, playing the department psychiatrist!