Matthew Lomas
Matthew LomasIt has been quite a while since I have seen a great spy film. The last one that I can recall was Daniel Craig’s curtain call for his version of James Bond with No Time To Die. Due to this, I was very excited when I saw the trailer for Black Bag. It looked like a sleek, low-profile spy drama with some excellent movie stars and rising talent within the industry. When I entered the theater, I was excited. When I left the theater, I was bored.
For those who don’t know, Black Bag is a film focused on the relationship of Kathryn St. Jean (played by Cate Blanchett) and George Woodhouse (played by Michael Fasbender), two spies who get wrapped up in the hunt for a traitor within their agency. After speaking to an informant, George is convinced that his wife might be the traitor and he only has one week to finish his investigation. This begins a series of events that should be interesting but falls absolutely flat for several reasons.
The first reason why Black Bag falls apart is the pacing. There are so many different scenes that could’ve been replaced or significantly cut. Without getting into too many details, there is a conversation between two characters that goes on for about five minutes and easily feels like fifteen minutes. This is due to the lack of dialogue that moves the plot along and the fact that nothing comes from this conversation occurring.
Scenes like this happen quite often in the film and they suck out any tension that the story was trying to make with the one-week deadline that George has. While I think a lot could be replaced, cut, or added to make Black Bag a better film, it feels like it was already significantly cut. The way this project is done makes it seem that this was supposed to be a limited series that got chopped up and served as a theatrical release.
The second reason this movie falls apart is the lack of connection with any of the characters. A good story would get you to root for a character (likely George) with Kathryn being the fence character where some of the audience likes her for the whole film and others despise her because she may be a turncoat. There was nothing in Black Bag that made me connect with the character. Part of this seems to stem from the lack of on-screen chemistry between Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.
Both actors appeared to be so absorbed in the tiny nuances of their character’s respective personalities that they forgot about coming off as a couple. There are times in the writing where it seems like this is on purpose, but by the end, it just seems like they are only with each other for the sake of what is written in the script. The two other couples that are featured prominently in this film have much better chemistry with each other, which only hurts the performances of Cate Blanchett and Michael Fasbender.
The threat sitting at the core of Black Bag is a rather grave threat when put into consideration. The problem with this threat, which I will keep hidden to avoid spoilers, is that the writers do not reveal what this threat is until two-thirds into the film. If this threat was revealed around the same time as the rumors of a traitor within the agency, then the connection would work. Instead, both of these things seem rather disjoined and threw me for a loop in terms of which thing is more pressing. The other problem is the fact that no one seems to have a significant response when this bigger threat is revealed. Michael Fassbender’s character has a bit of an emotional response when he worries about what his wife could’ve gotten into, but that is the most emotion that is shown in this entire film.
Black Bag is a poor man’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It is hard for me to figure out if the problem stems from the writing, the editing, the performances of the cast, or a disaster triangle between the three. I look forward to seeing some of the behind-the-scenes as to what made this picture come together, but I will be a happy man if I never have to watch this movie again. If you are looking for some stealthy entertainment, consider checking out Keiran McEwen’s review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows right here.
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10 Black Bag
0.00
Pros
- It is watchable
Cons
- Horrible Pacing
- No Chemistry Between Leads
- Odd Writing
- No Notable Sound Design
- Threat isn't around long enough to be interesting
