Black Bag Is A Mixed Bag

Black Bag revolves around the story of a traitor within British Intelligence and the man, George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender.) charged with hunting them down. The plot gets tricky when we learn the traitor might be Woodhouse’s own wife.

Soderbergh's direction in Black Bag showcases his ability to reinvent and surprise his audience.  Focusing on limited locations and intimate storytelling, Soderbergh attempts to prove that sometimes less is more.  With a distinct stage play quality, the driving force of this film is the dialogue.  While at times too complex, the intellectual battles and psychological warfare amongst characters keeps it interesting.  It is during two dinner scenes in particular that I witnessed top-tier acting all around.  Kudos to both Marisa Abela (Back To Black) and Tom Burke (Furiosa) for being more than just pawns and leaving the audience gobsmacked at their true motives.   

While enjoyable in regards to character development, I must admit I was expecting some James Bond-style action.  Since this story is about spies would it have been so hard to add some close-quarters combat or even Kraft Maga?  Moreover, be prepared to be habitually confused by the plot, but it’s Soderbergh, so at least it will be stylishly perplexing.