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‘Black Bag’ spy thriller takes cerebral path, eschews action
‘BLACK BAG’ Rated R
In the popular culture, the espionage genre is likely no better personified than by the exploits of a suave, debonair British intelligence officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known to all as the United Kingdom’s fabled MI6.
That would, of course, be Commander James Bond, the fictional character created by Ian Fleming in a series of books first adapted to film more than sixty years ago, starting with “Dr. No” and running for a total of twenty-five titles under the banner of Eon Productions.
The official James Bond franchise was launched when the little-known Scottish actor Sean Connery got his breakthrough as Agent 007 for a total of six films, ending with 1971’s “Diamonds Are Forever,” only to return a dozen years later in the unofficial Bond film release of “Never Say Never Again.”
While a total of six actors have portrayed Bond over the decades, the series can be distilled into the essence of international intrigue, inventive gadgets, thrilling action, and humor from a stylish, quick-witted spy who likes his martinis “shaken, not stirred.”
Not all spy films are steeped in explosive action and spectacular car chases that have become so familiar with Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne character or Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise inspired by a long-running TV series.
Think of Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” a spy thriller where mistaken identity finds Cary Grant’s character pursued by foreign agents and the major action scene is when he is pursued by crop duster in the middle of a cornfield.
Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag” is much closer to Alfred Hitchcock’s masterful turn than any of spy thrillers that invariably have a spectacular car chase or other daring feats that defy believability.
In other words, don’t come looking to “Black Bag” for shootouts, daring stunts, and death-defying car chases. Nor is the main character a playboy in a tuxedo challenging a nemesis in a game of baccarat in Monte Carlo.
Michael Fassbender’s George Woodhouse is an elite operative at Britain’s closely guarded National Cyber Security Centre, or NCSC, who’s assigned the sensitive and urgent task of ferreting out a mole in the agency before a destructive cyber worm called Severus is activated to catastrophic effect.
One weakness for George is his unwavering devotion to his wife, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), one of NCSC’s most powerful and trusted agents. The problem for George is the list of five suspects to be the mole also includes his wife in the group of colleagues in the organization.
The dilemma for the unflappable George is whether he can separate his devotion to his wife and his loyalty to his country. In the early going, Kathryn’s secretive travel to Zurich is enough to raise a few eyebrows, causing her husband to feel like a voyeur while watching surveillance video.
George and Kathryn make an interesting couple. While both are cool and relatively calm, the impeccable husband seems almost devoid of emotion and the wife is a cunning operative not to be trifled with.
You would think pillow talk for a married spy couple might reveal gossip about betrayals, infidelities and deceitful dealings. But one is always quick to invoke “black bag,” spy jargon for the place where an agent stashes secrets.
Government work must pay exceedingly well for spooks. George and Kathryn, similar to the Nick and Nora Charles bantering Dashiell Hammett fictional characters who solve mysteries, live in an upscale London home fit for elegant parties.
To get to the bottom of the mole situation, they invite their four suspected colleagues to a dinner party that will test their relationships and might very well result in the unmasking of the mole.
The guests are the boozing, womanizing Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke), who resents being passed over for promotion, and his current colleague girlfriend, cyber expert Clarissa (Marisa Abela), who’s not above subtly testing George’s marital fidelity.
Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris) is the agency’s manipulative therapist whose sole focus is always on breaking an agent down to find their truth. That doesn’t keep Colonel James Stokes (Rege-Jean Page), who reports to George, from becoming both Zoe’s patient and her lover.
“Black Bag” may be summed up as a smart caper and a sleek, sensual thriller with plenty of twists and anxious moments of duplicity and betrayal that runs counter to the usual fare for films in the espionage genre.
There might be a James Bond connection after all. It comes in the form of former 007 Pierce Brosnan’s Arthur Stieglitz, the agency’s elder statesman, a veteran espionage expert who heads up NCSC and is as mysterious as anyone else working under him.
The complex characters portrayed by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett are most endearing, and these talented actors are supported by a talented group of colleagues at the agency who add value to the deception and intrigue.
Unlike popcorn entertainment films, “Black Bag” demands an attention rooted to a thought-provoking challenge. In summary, it’s a smart, cerebral thriller.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
