Movies take us where we ordinarily can’t go, allowing us to enter into lives and places and observe them up close. Sometimes, what we see about human nature is not flattering. They prompt us to wonder how those people can live with themselves.
The characters in “Black Bag” are as amoral as any you will find. These officers in the British Intelligence Agency lie, cheat and sleep around, all while attempting a façade of respectability.
The film introduces George (Michael Fassbender), who is meeting with a colleague who tells him there is a traitor in the agency. The colleague lists five names of suspects, one of whom is George’s wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). Someone in the group lied about having Severus software, which can prompt a nuclear meltdown, killing thousands of people.
The film depicts George’s and those on the list’s activities in the ensuing days. At a dinner party early in the story, George manipulates the suspects to reveal secrets about themselves–secrets some of them don’t even know about their own lives. It is all nasty business.
The script implies that Kathryn is the perpetrator, and George reviews the evidence to determine whether she is the guilty party.
A recurring conversation in the film centers around none of these characters being good people. Clarissa (Marisa Abela) laments that no one tells the truth.
If you ask someone what they are doing on Saturday, they can say, “black bag,” which means it is classified. This becomes the excuse to lie to anyone.
One character tries to keep her toe in the pool of virtue. Zoe (Naomie Harris), a psychiatrist who was raised Catholic, was asked during a polygraph examination if she believes in God. She says she does, and her morality will play a large part in the story’s outcome.
The most sacred aspect of the film is the bond between George and Kathryn. They love each other deeply. They must keep secrets from one another but hold tightly to their union as man and wife, which also affects the outcome.
“Black Bag” is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who also directed the multi-superstar (Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts) “Oceans” films. Soderbergh brings a quick sense of pace to the story, and not a single frame is wasted.
The script was written by David Koepp, who also penned “Jurassic Park” and Tom Cruise’s first “Mission Impossible” film. Koepp’s tight storyline allows Soderbergh to focus on the action. Even at 90 minutes, the film portrays excellent character development.
A thematic highlight of the film is the power of commitment to another. The characters work together and sleep together, but only George and Kathryn have any semblance of a normal life, indicating they both meant what they said in their wedding vows.
Do they kill people? Yes.
Do they keep secrets? Of course.
Do they love each other? Amen, and yes. This is a very adult movie that I deeply enjoyed.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by David Koepp
Michael Fassbender: George
Cate Blanchett: Kathryn
Tom Burke: Freddie
Marissa Abela: Clarissa Dubose
Rege-Jean Page: James
Naomie Harris: Zoe
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Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is married and has two boys. His love is for movies, and he can be found in a theater most Fridays.
