Black Bag

From the posters etc I actually thought this might be a John Le Carré film, the lead character is called ‘George’ after all, and he dresses like it’s the Cold War. Well it isn’t, but it might as well be, and it’s a wonderful take on the genre.

In short, a spy (Michael Fassbender) is handed a list of potential traitors in his organisation. Unfortunately one name on the list is his wife (Cate Blanchett).

It’s a cool blend of a modern day setting with old fashioned tradecraft. Fassbender looks like Harry Palmer or Sterling Archer (are we bringing the roll neck back?), and Blanchett borrows straight from the femme fatale wardrobe. They stick out in the modern world of drones and satellites, and it gives some depth and intrigue around the characters to draw you into the story.

The Le Carré element shows through the plot, which is low on action and high on backstabbing office based drama. The writing is sharp and funny when it wants to be.

I probably wouldn’t have gone to the cinema for this were it not Steven Soderbergh directing, who always manages to make something interesting even out of what sounds like pretty well-worn material. Clearly I wasn’t alone in thinking this, the room was completely packed out.

Black Bag is not essential viewing by any means, but it’s another excellent film from one of the most dependable filmmakers.