Black Bag
An evening with the Woodhouses would certainly be a memorable experience. More John le Carré than James Bond, Black Bag is a slow burn spy thriller that starts by introducing us to George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) who learns one of five intelligence officers is responsible for the leak of top-secret software called Severus. The suspects include Freddie (Tom Burke) and his girlfriend Clarissa (Marisa Abela), psychologist Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris) and her current fling James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), and George's wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett).
Given a week to find the culprit, George begins by letting his wife know the other four are suspects and inviting them all over for dinner at their home. Thus begins a game that begins in the Woodhouse dinning room that will move to the intelligence offices of the NCSC, and then across the globe to Germany and Russia before returning to the the same dining room for truth to be revealed.
The script by David Koepp explores the idea of how far someone might go for money, love, or patriotism while exploring the idea of couples struggling with partners who lie for a living. Director Steven Soderbergh makes great use to use each setting as more than simply background where dialogue occurs but instead as a way to further flesh out aspects of the characters. This is a film that almost demands going back to by teasing us with layers that suggest more to discover in every subsequent viewing.
Fassbender is fascinating as the buttoned-down George who is not above finding and using leverage to get to the truth. And we can see why he and Kathryn make such a formidable duo. As expected, we'll get a few twists and turns along the way before ending with the same suspects in the same room and one last game to be played. Despite little in the way of action, there's plenty of thrills to behold as choices and consequences fall like a row of dominoes until George uncovers the truth and then decides what must be done.
Watch the trailer- Title: Black Bag
- IMDb: link
