“If Severus is deployed as intended, thousands of innocent people will die.”
The dilemma: a leaked code. The stakes: The possibility of thousands of lives being lost. The elements of this scenario are central to the narrative of “Black Bag,” the latest film from prolific filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.
“Black Bag” focuses on George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), a British intelligence agent whose wife, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), is accused of committing treason with the leaking of a special code known as Severus. As he is determined to clear her name, the possibility of a mole soon emerges in the agency, which could result in dire consequences due to the intrinsic nature of the situation and its effects. Some of the suspects include George’s and Kathryn’s group of friends/coworkers: the sharp-witted specialist Clarissa (Marisa Abela) along with her partner Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke), Dr. Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris) who is also the therapist for the agency, and her partner Col. James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page) – along with the agency being headed by the stern, short-tempered Arthur Steiglitz (Pierce Brosnan).
In the role of Woodhouse, Michael Fassbender gives a great performance as his character. Fassbender matter-of-factly delivers several of his lines, with the pure determination of the character being shown through his portrayal.
As Kathryn, Cate Blanchett is also great with her and Fassbender’s dynamic perfectly in synch with the love and dedication that these characters have for each other.
Steven Soderbergh, who also serves as the film’s cinematographer and editor, directs a tantalizing take on the spy thriller, relying on the dialogue-heavy script in crafting this film. Soderbergh is also working with a higher budget than some of his previous films, such as 2022’s “Kimi” and 2024’s “Presence,” with the on-location shooting reflecting this. Through his direction, Soderbergh captures the intensity of film precisely on the target, such as in a scene where George and Clarissa hijack a camera to figure out Kathryn is traveling to Zurich, with the dire situation being reflected in both sound and vision – specifically with the performances, editing, and soundtrack in the scene. As for the cinematography, Soderbergh captures some quite fitting shots for this film, which include a tracking shot featured in the opening sequence.
The soundtrack is also a standout element in the film. This is heard through the jazzy electronic pieces composed by frequent Soderbergh collaborator David Holmes, along with the usage of Squeeze’s track Up The Junction — a piece of classic new wave — featured during a scene at a pub.
The writer of the script for “Black Bag,” David Koepp, crafts a truly stellar script. Koepp, who previously collaborated with Soderbergh, writing the script for last year’s “Presence,” delivers a thriller that contains dashes of humor sprinkled throughout his screenplay – with one example of this being when each of Arthur’s coworkers is forced to take a polygraph test in the second act to prove their innocence. This is a showcase of Koepp’s razor-sharp dialogue in this scene (such as with some of Clarissa’s lines), with many other lines in the film dripping from his pen. Another example takes place during dinner at George and Kathryn’s house during dinner, with a cutthroat monologue delivered by Freddie (which also serves as an example of Tom Burke’s excellent supporting performance), revealing George’s troubling family history to the other guests, each of his words oozing from his sneering tongue, marinating in the air encompassing the dining room.
“Black Bag” presents an engaging spy thriller to the audience and delivers on that promise. The film feels like a kind of lost art, with one of the only recent instances of a film from this subgenre getting a theatrical release being the 2020 Cold War thriller “The Courier.” With a plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat and engaging performances, “Black Bag” exemplifies why Steven Soderbergh is one of the hardest-working and most versatile filmmakers in Hollywood today.
What is your knowledge of Severus?
“Black Bag” is now playing in theaters.
