Black Bag - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Black Bag



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
Amusingly enough, I didn’t pay attention to Black Bag’s press releases or theatrical experience. I saw the poster for it, but I had too many balls in the air to pay THAT much attention to what I assumed was just another spy thriller. Watching the trailer last month for the film, I thought to myself “huh, this looks kind of Steven Soderbergh-ish”, only to look up the IMDB information and realize “oh, it IS a Steven Soderbergh film”. At that point, I was totally on board, as I’m a massive Soderbergh nerd, and have been ever since I saw Ocean’s 11 as a young man. Throw in Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, AND Pierce Brosnan (who I’m ecstatic is seeing a career resurgence) and you can bet your last dollar I was excited for this viewing.

Straight off the bat, I loved the vibe going into the film. Black Bag is a very tight and lean spy thriller that has every last ounce of fat taken off the bone right from the get-go. The story focuses on senior British intelligence agent George Woodhouse (Fassbender), a legendary agent who has been tasked with rooting out a spy in their agency’s ranks regarding a new operation known as “severance”. The suspects are all members of the agency that George works with, including his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). You see, George isn’t just a legendary agent. He’s legendary at being an absolute bloodhound who excels at reading people and sniffing out liars.

Initial investigative probes go well, leading George down the path of suspicion, only to conclude that all roads to the mole lead straight to his wife. And now poor George is forced to choose loyalties. Will he turn his wife over to his superiors for further investigation? Or will he side with his wife and betray King and country? Luckily for everyone involved, George chooses the third option. The one where he starts using every tool in his arsenal to figure out what’s going on, and why these clues leading to his wife all seem a bit TOO convenient.

As I said, Black Bag is a very lean thriller. Clocking in at just barely over 90 minutes, there is not a single second of filler material anywhere in the script. The second the groundwork for George and his investigation is laid, Soderbergh just goes for broke, careening straight towards the finish line with bulldog intensity. Supplementing the fast pace is a very intense and double-backing narrative that keeps the audience guessing at WHO the real villain is. Not to mention the fact that there are layers upon layers in the narrative, shifting us from one point of view to the next as George realizes that his entire mole hunt is superfluous compared to the larger game that both he AND the audience aren’t privy to until the final act.

Maybe not perfect, but Black Bag is a fantastic, slow-burning thriller that somehow manages to move forward at an exhilarating rate. Fassbender is downright fantastic as the near autistic George Woodhouse. He plays the character with less bravado and excitement than, say, Bond or Ethan Hunt, but more of a highly intellectual man who uses his brain to trap and manipulate the data until it works out for him than your typical action spy hero. BUT, while I love to see Pierce Brosnan getting more silver screen time, I was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t in the movie more than he was. I understand he did a great support role with director Stieglitz, but I really would have loved to have seen him play a more major role (but that could simply be my bias towards Brosnan showing)




Rating:

Rated R for language including some sexual references, and some violence.




Video:

Soderbergh actually was his own cinematographer in the film (under the moniker of Peter Andrews), and while he utilized RED digital cameras for his source, he has textured and layered it visually to appear like the 1960s spy thrillers he obviously takes a TON of inspiration from. There are plenty of overlit, highly saturated, hazy shots to give the film a dreamlike quality. But also enough foresight to bring things into focus in a much more neutral tone when George is inside the headquarters doing a polygraph test, or inside his own home, focusing on a Glock 17 on his wooden table. Fine details are generally good, but Soderbergh’s distinctive visual aesthetics mentioned above sometimes keep things a bit hazy and rob the image of some detail (no matter if intentional or not). Black levels are also generally good, but once again, that hazy, dreamlike quality can make a few indoor shots look a bit murky, black levels included. Overall, the image is very pleasant and charming, with a hyper blend of Munich and Neo Noir film making, resulting in a very unique watching experience.









Audio:

Given “only” a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track by Soderbergh, Black Bag’s 5.1 mix is an auditory treat from the very opening steadicam shot as George traverses from the streets, into a club, and back home again. The film is distinctly quiet and subdued in many ways, but makes great use of the surrounds and LFE channels when needed. The dialog-centric nature of the film leaves a ton of the runtime in quietly whispered words, and the ambient sounds of the locations take the brunt of the heavy lifting. But those moments of more excitable elements shine when called upon. Scenes like that opening club shot pulsate with LFE and the cacophony of the nightlife, and the slamming thud of a 9mm gunshot going off in an enclosed apartment leaves your ears almost ringing. Overall, this is a very nuanced and delicately balanced film that can swing from one end of the spectrum to the next without any warning.











Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Company of Talent – In the world of spies, there are no small players. Join the ensemble cast and learn about their distinct character motivations, secrets, and overall creative approach to bringing each role to life under the direction of Steven Soderbergh.
• Designing BLACK BAG – Enter the world of espionage and collect intelligence on the production design, costumes, makeup, and special effects that came together to embody the looks of each character and the aesthetic of each space they inhabit.

Final Score:

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Black Bag is a fun little thriller that goes off the beaten path for anyone expecting a James Bond-like spy movie. It’s pure Soderbergh to the core, as he shows multiple angles, multiple motives, and delicately intertwines the idea that there is very little black and white in the world of professional liars. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but like usual, the extras are a tad anemic. Still, don’t let that overshadow the fact that Black Bag was one of the most entertaining spy thrillers that I’ve seen in quite some time. Recommended as a great watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Marisa Abela
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: David Koepp
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: R
Runtime: 94 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 13th, 2025

Recommendation: Great Watch

 

[tripplej]

thanks for the review. Never heard of this prior to this review. Will check it out.

 

[Todd Anderson]

On my list! Great review Mike!