BLACK BAG TRAILER 1
Steven Soderbergh directs Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as married British intelligence agents in a harrowing race against the clock. It’s a recipe for a sexy spy thriller, but this time around it falls flat. This is the 1st trailer for Black Bag.
The trailer opens with Kathryn Woodhouse (Cate Blanchett) and her husband George (Michael Fassbender) enjoying their home life as married intelligence agents for Great Britain. As George narrates, the two fully admit their marriage is a professional weakness, and have struck an uneasy balance between work and home.
After Kathryn leaves for an assignment, George is tasked with finding an internal leak that could endanger millions of lives. To his shock, the prime suspect is Kathryn who the government declares an enemy of the state. All eyes are on George, who has to make the terrible choice between his devoted wife and the country he loves. And as George goes off-the-grid to find Kathryn, the country tips ever closer to war.
On paper, this trailer should have blown audiences away. Director Steven Soderbergh made his name on sexy spy thrillers with witty dialogue and crackling chemistry. But, in this trailer, the biggest sticking point is the performances of the two leads. Blanchett and Fassbender are two accomplished actors with frustratingly little chemistry. Their flat, halting delivery makes them feel like two people who have barely met, much less shared a relationship together.
And, with a premise like Black Bag, the audience’s investment lives and dies by their ability to buy into the leads. With the action feeling too lifeless and standard to carry the film on its own, and the dialogue lacking the trademark Soderbergh-ian wit, I found myself with little to cling onto watching this trailer.
The idea itself feels fresh, but the execution often delves into Hollywood standard fare, which is disappointing for those of us expecting more from one of Hollywood’s biggest modern auteurs. In a crowded field, Black Bag made a “meh” first impression, which in some cases is more detrimental than being outright bad. It feels like a film destined to be ignored and outright forgotten about, regardless of any nuggets of quality buried within.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag will release theatrically in the US on March 14, 2025. The movie stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender in the lead roles.
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