97% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 160 reviews)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Rege-Jean Page
From: Focus Features
Thankfully, this movie... didn't fumble the bag. I'm middle-aged but occasionally I hear “the new phrases” said by “the kids.” Sometimes, I even think they are OK instead of “aggravating” or “dumb!” Just recently I was complaining about the dearth of serious adult dramas that can be viewed in cinemas... at least ones that are not lousy or worse. Well, this is exactly the sort of film I'd prefer taking a chance on rather than all the slop out there which just isn't for me. I wish there'd have not been as many F-bombs (I swear, I'm not a prude, honest) but otherwise Black Bag avoids all the modern movie tropes I've come to loathe.
On one occasion I saw a trailer for the film; it at least made me interested and didn't turn me off in general, which is what too many trailers do in recent years. Thankfully, this was my first theatrical Steven Soderbergh experience. The film is an espionage thriller although note that the movie is dialogue-driven and does not contain much action at all. That was irrelevant in this case when the entire cast of just several main players captivated and it had a simple premise where an older married couple were both spies and husband Michael Fassbender suddenly has shades of doubt towards the spouse he loves because some circumstantial evidence is making Cate Blanchett appear to be a player in a scheme involving a weapon that could cause catastrophic damage.
All these years, I probably shouldn't have brushed Soderbergh off just because the Oceans films look (and probably still look) like lame nonsense. I can't explain why he announced his retirement years ago only to then immediately go back on it, but that said, what little has been tackled as all been rated high by me. With Black Bag, I enjoyed both the actors I was familiar with (like the leads, Naomie Harris, and Pierce Brosnan) along with the ones I wasn't, like Marisa Abela, Tom Burke and Rege-Jean Page. The movie was directed, shot, and edited well (I know, by the same person) and what a unique, bold, and awesome jazzy score from David Holmes. While not outright stated, Fassbender's character is rather blatantly who has a certain kind of disorder; you'll probably see the hints of that throughout.
Black Bag is well worth checking out if the general premise & what I've said about this stylish espionage thriller entices you. One funny note about the theatrical experience last night: a different cineplex was visited; they had A24 chocolate! Yes, for at least the past few months now, A24 has had several different chocolate bars featuring their branding. I had never seen it anywhere until last night. The Salty Peanut Crunch: pretty good.
No comments:
Post a Comment