It’s been a very long time since a stand alone spy thriller has shone up in the theaters with a great plot and cast that is more than worth the price of admission. You don’t have to wait any longer. This one stands in the line of the John le Carre kind of books and films, and has the British style and intrigue to boot. It keeps you guessing until the end of the film. Here is the tease on Rotten Tomoatoes— “BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.”
One of the major themes in this svelte film (it clocks in at less than 2 hours, and there is no wasted space) is — How important is always telling the truth, especially in the espionage business where telling lies is a daily and required activity to deceive the enemy? And does one prioritize loyalty to one’s spouse or family, or to to one’s country in an national emergency situation? What if your own spouse appears to be guilty of betraying your country? At the heart of this film is the marriage of George and Katherine, who are both part of the British spy network. These are two people who really do love each other and also their country. As another character in the film says, unless one marries in house, there will be too many things that are ‘black bag’ i.e. hidden from the spouse, too many things one can’t share with one’s spouse or family or really anyone not in the ‘need to know’ category.
Both Kate Blanchett and Michael Fastbender are spectacular as world-weary spies caught in a web of deceit and Pierce Brosnan is excellent as the head of their bureau as well. And good news— there is precious little violence, no sex, and moderate language issues, which makes one wonder why this film got an R rating. I do not doubt this will be the best film of this genre this year. Indeed,I’d say it’s the best for over a decade as it does not rely on lots of special effects or CG or Mission Impossible kinds of action. It is in short, much more believable, like the novels of le Carre.
English (US) · 