Pop Commentary

The new movie “Black Bag” is fabulous! From the intense dialogue and action to the stunning clothes and interior design, I was transfixed.

“Black Bag” is a British spy drama about two married intelligence agents played by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. When the wife is suspected of betraying the U.K., her husband faces the ultimate test – staying loyal to his marriage or to his country.

I saw the trailer for this movie several times in the theater, but I don’t think it did the film justice. I basically went to see the movie just for Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was.

The movie has a stacked supporting cast as well, including Pierce Brosnan, Rege-Jean Page, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, and Marisa Abela.

Aside from the two leads, Abela was the standout for me. I’m only really familiar with her playing Amy Winehouse in “Back to Black,” which I think she was great in. She was really captivating in this film as well and I want to see more from her.

The film is a cool 94 minutes and I wish studios made more movies that length. They’re so much more digestible and don’t take up an entire afternoon or evening. In that short time, the filmmakers were able to tell a captivating story with intimate one on one scenes. Since everyone was a spy, it was entertaining trying to figure out what everyone’s motivation was.

I will say, the spy jargon and names made the story a little hard to keep up with at times, especially in the beginning, but you get used to it for the most part and it all comes together in the end in a satisfying way, like a good novel. I want to watch it again now that I know how it ends and can connect the dots of what happened.

My favorite part of the film was probably their dinner party with all the agents. I love a dialogue-heavy scene with a bunch of intelligent characters.

The fashion in the movie was also top tier. Cate Blanchett’s outfits were sublime. Specifically, she wears a fabulous leather coat and sleek pants. She looked so good.

The cinematography was unique and beautiful. The director would blur the focus in some scenes which made for a cool effect. The lighting in the house was also gorgeous. 

I really liked this film and I agree with others who are saying this is the best movie of the year so far. I’d suggest it to anyone who likes spy movies, a visually pleasing aesthetic, or just great acting.