BLACK BAG 

by Michelle

What does it take to make a great spy thriller? Forget about big explosions, lengthy car chases all around the world, overuse of scenes relying on computer work, and tons of fake blood after more fatal face-offs than targets on a shooting range. It turns out, this is all you need:
To start, take six spies (two couples and one married couple), give them a boss who appears only on a few but important occasions, add a seemingly simple but eventually very intriguing and complex main conflict, throw in an intense dinner party, a big touch of vintage, almost film noir styling, clever camera work and a simple but very catchy and fitting and atmospheric music theme.
Now come the main ingredients: a cast of seven brilliant actors, fitting their screen characters to the teeth, who simply KNOW how to act, and a director who simply KNOWS how to set up and direct a great story. 
And that's how you end up with Stephen Soderbergh's Black Bag.

To say I was excited to see this film is an understatement. One of my favourite actors playing in it, the genre and the intriguing trailers made me believe this wouldn't be just another Hollywood thriller. And I was right; it was so much better.

The premise of the story is quite simple: George (Michael Fassbender) finds out there is a mole in the special agency he works for. There are five suspects among his colleagues - including his own wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), a cold-blooded spy herself, yet absolutely devoted to her husband. But of course, because no spy on a separate, secret mission can discuss anything related to their mission with anyone not involved (they have to "put it" into a black bag), George has to keep his task to find the mole secret even from his wife. In his quest to find clues as to who the person he is looking for is, he employs an unusual tactic for the start - he invites all the suspects for dinner at his house...

Everything that evolves from that point is a series of very engaging, sometimes humorous, but above all highly suspenseful events, heavily presented by excellent use of clever dialogues, gradually revealing not only the leads to the mole's identity but also (if not even more) the flaws and weaknesses of the individual characters, making some of them re-evaluate their own life choices.  

While watching this film, I couldn't help but smile at how much it gave me the vibe of the golden, bygone era of most of the crime and spy thrillers of the 1950s-1970s. The main focus of those was on psychology and the exploration of the human (or inhuman) side of the characters. Since a very young age, I have loved films like Three Days of Condor, Wait Until Dark, Charade, In The Heat of the Night or All the President's Men, and they all carried these traits. While watching Black Bag, I felt like I was transported back to those times, while still watching a contemporary work as powerful, interesting and relevant as any of them. 

At the time of writing this, the film is still in the cinemas, so to avoid spoilers, I won't focus on the details of the plot and will mention only some of my personal highlights:

- Tom Burke
For me (honestly without any bias), the greatest element of this film. His versatility always astounds me, but it's the way he can conjure up any mood and behaviour of a character that gets me the most (from a drug-spiked and often hilarious guy with a problem to keep his hands off other women than his girlfriend, all the way to an angry and desperate man, feeling like an emotional loser). There are a few scenes in this film that are absolutely golden, mainly because of him. Once you have watched the film, you will understand. Besides, Freddie (his character) is technically the only character who breaks the tension at times, having the most amusing lines in the film 😁

- the dinner scene
I heard so much about it before watching the film that it was probably the scene I was looking forward to the most. It was fantastic!! Think of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? meets any great Agatha Christie detective story. The way Soderbergh and the writer David Koepp used dialogue here is absolutely masterful. Sometimes you don't know which actor/character to watch more: Fassbender's razor-sharp interrogative poker face, Naomie Harris's conflicted emotions, Marisa Abela's sadness and disappointment, Regé-Jean Page's part-suspicious and part-disbelieving nervousness, Burke's playful teasing and ease (and appetite) at first and anger and despair next, or Blanchett's mostly silent and observant coolness making you feel like you're watching a fox in a hen house, looking for its next victim? The twelve-or-so minutes of this scene are sheer delight, reveal a lot about each character and are some of the best in cinema history. And what happens at the end of it is... well, as unexpected and "whoa!" as hilarious, considering Burke's reaction! 😂😂

- the cinematography and lighting throughout the entire film

Peter Andrews (although surely guided by Soderbergh himself) did a marvellous job behind the camera. From long shots (following various characters in the same cut), to a range of wonderful angles and close-ups of faces at decisive moments, the brilliant use of camera makes many scenes feel quite intimate and yet fully focused on the characters, as if not wanting to miss a second with them on screen.
It has become fashionable in the past decade or longer to use little light while shooting, possibly to create a darker and more intense atmosphere. Luckily, Black Bag is anything but dark to the eye. Even in the evening scenes, you can still see everyone and everything perfectly clearly without often straining your eyes to decipher what is happening on the screen. Without the loss of colours and light, the intensity and suspense are still there. Another example of how you can make a modern atmospheric and tense thriller by using traditional lighting methods.

- Cate Blanchett's supremely cool and mysterious character portrayal

Until the very end, you don't know what side Kathryn is standing on - the good or the bad. Blanchett plays the cool-headed and self-assured (more than less) agent aware of her superb spy skills really to perfection.

- the polygraph test scene
Together with the dinner scene, this is my favourite. Using a similar rhythm although having the characters separated, the suspense created in these few minutes is absolutely brilliant, and it's great to watch each character unwillingly reveal more of themselves as people. 

- the performances of the whole main ensemble

Regardless of whether it's the screen veteran Pierce Brosnan (as the head of the agency), big names Blanchett and Fassbender, the British long-time miracle Burke (patiently waiting at Hollywood's gates), or any of the other main cast members creating this intricate web of spies, they are all at the top of their game - each very different but highly interesting.
Big ensemble films can be a curse sometimes, with not matching the right people with the right skills, but Black Bag is definitely not the case. 

- the final reveal scene

Agatha Christie comes to my mind again; it's an absolute joy to watch. And Freddie's line (and Burke's delivery of it) to his girlfriend (Abela) after the main "event" is... another moment to die for!😂😂

Not since Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy have I enjoyed a spy thriller as much as this one. It's a fresh and modern story with a beautiful touch of Hollywood's golden era (which, I admit, I am a deep admirer of).

I can't wait to watch Black Bag again... and again... and again... And I'm overjoyed that Soderbergh put it out in its first run only in the theatres and not straight on the streaming platforms, for it will definitely be released on DVD/Blu-Ray and I will be able to get it and watch it any time I want, and not having to rely on streaming subscriptions left, right and centre.

Yes, you can call me old-fashioned, but maybe some things shouldn't follow the mainstream just to please. Sometimes they should swim against it.

Just like Black Bag.

The Seagull by A. Chekhov
(the Barbican Theatre, 2025)

    I probably should have done it after being stained with fake blood at the end of Richard III with the excellent Martin Freeman in 2014. I should have done it even more after Benedict Cumberbatch blew me away as the Danish prince in Hamlet in 2015. This time, I will definitely do it, no excuses, because what I've witnessed on the afternoon of 5th March 2025 in Barbican Theatre in London was nothing short of spectacular. Not reflecting on it would be a travesty concerning my memories, feelings and perception. So this is my first written reaction ever. Because I do want to remember every bit of this performance forever...

Maybe I should start with the title - The Seagull, a play by Anton Chekhov, which I read mere days before the performance to get me into the frame. I liked it, so naturally, I was curious how it would translate onto the stage, especially having heard about it being a very modern take on the classic. There are instances when I'm not very keen on modernising classics on stage or screen, but if these adaptations are done with taste, class and wit, I am more than happy to watch and enjoy them. I am happy to say that Thomas Ostermeier's modern version of The Seagull falls into the second group, and I literally couldn't take my eyes and ears off the stage.

I've always loved big productions on stage, with wonderful set designs and period costumes. However, I have loved good storytelling even more. Sometimes, all you need to create a miracle is a brilliant source material, a  few deckchairs, a table, a bit of fake green and a few great actors. In this case, ten extraordinary actors from which to pick the best one would be probably impossible (without being biased). Admittedly, the actor who "made me" want to see this play was the inimitable Tom Burke, who has been one of my all-time favourite actors for a while now. Finding out that Cate Blanchett would lead the cast made the prospect of seeing my first theater play since 2017 even more enticing. What I didn't expect was that all ten cast members, including the likes of James Watkins, Emma Corrin, Zachary Hart and Tanya Reynolds, would give us all a masterclass in acting, each in their own style and way, but each leaving a great impact in my mind.

The Seagull is not an easy play, although at least half of it is every bit a comedy. Its themes of unrequited love, loneliness and unfulfilled ambitions are as relevant today as they were when Chekhov wrote the play. It's equally as hilarious as dark and tragic, in more than one way. However, I (and my husband, too) didn't even notice how those almost three hours flew by and were totally engrossed in the story and the exquisite performances by the whole cast. The director did a brilliant job by modernising it and still retaining the original dialogues and essence of the original play.

Putting aside the storyline, here are some of my favourite moments from this particular performance (no spoilers for those who are still about to see the play, or read it):

- the beginning of the first act, mirrored at the beginning of the third act... Zachary Hart being hilarious without even saying a word at first 😂 

- Tom Burke's first line in the play, especially its delivery - properly cracking up the entire auditorium (I don't think I've ever been more excited about hearing an actor finally say their first line when finally having the chance to watch them on stage, and this one was so worth it!)

- Tom Burke's shorts... to be precise, two pairs of them and bathing trunks... I sent my friend a photo (from the Internet) of Tom sitting at the table in his shorts and her first reaction was "Were you close enough? In the audience I mean, ahem." My answer? "Yep, close enough..." 😂 Just kidding, although we were sitting pretty close to the stage LOL 😂

- Tom Burke's inimitable and glorious way of expressing humour, heartache and narcissism in equal measures

- Tom Burke... Because this man makes every scene in which he says at least one line his own, and because no real explanation is needed. Period.

- Cate Blanchett making Tom Burke almost unable to say one of his lines with another hilarious improvisation - making him chuckle every time he tried to say the line; he finally managed it on the fourth go! 😂😂 (I just loved their interactions, the funny ones were to die for!)
- Cate Blanchett's epic energy (it's my wishful thinking that I'll be as energetic and flexible at 55...) and singing skills!
- Cate Blanchett's hilarious, often hysterical yet fitting (I suspect) improvisations -  appreciated not only by the out-of-character grins and chuckles of her fellow cast members

- Jason Watkins', more precisely his character's hilarious dislike of the countryside and managing to shock and make not only the audience burst into laughter in the most serious moment (his whole performance was excellent)

- Emma Corrin's beautiful portrayal of a naive, poetic and consequently lost soul

- Zachary Hart's brilliant singing skills!

There were more, but I would be writing essays on it... However, I will mention one more, a very poignant and moving moment between Tom and Cate that will stay with me forever and once again, I was reminded that actors are only humans too... 

In one of the emotionally charged dialogues between Arkadina (Cate) and Trigorin (Tom), there are a few strongly emotional lines from Arkadina, as she feels she's losing her lover to another woman. When she says she is just an ordinary woman, Trigorin's response is "No, you're not. You are extraordinary." 
After those words, Cate was supposed to go on, but her voice suddenly broke, and she went down to sit on the floor, hiding her face in her hands. I think she was hit by the truth of her own lines (if you read or watch the play, you'll know which scene I'm talking about), either having experienced something similar in her own life, or unexpectedly being hit by the sadness of those words. You would literally hear a pin drop, it was that quiet in the audience.
After a few seconds, Cate made a little movement with her hand to Tom, saying "Sorry". Tom remained quiet, standing in the exact same position in front of her, with the same calm and understanding facial expression, graciously and knowingly letting her take her own time to recover. She said sorry a few more times, then turned toward the audience, still sitting on the floor, wiped away a few tears and started repeating the same lines, but this time in a very different voice - quiet, almost broken, making them raw, even more real and human than before; it didn't feel like acting at all. Tom's empathy and impeccable intuition shone once again as he adapted his own voice and repeated his lines more quietly, too, gently playing along with her way of getting back to the place they were in before. Maybe it was just me, but I felt strong ambiguity in his words; the "You are extraordinary." hit very differently the second time around...
After that, a few more beautiful but painful lines followed and I thought, it was Cate's best delivery in the whole play, very natural. And then she slipped back into her role, as if nothing had happened.

No one can write a moment like this. It comes unexpectedly, without warning, and one really has to witness it to understand the true impact of what these actors often deal with in real time in front of hundreds of spectators day after day.

I seriously didn't want it to end, wishing I could watch it go on forever, but maybe that's what great art is - making you want to stay in the world which in many ways resembles your own, even though it is not. 

I agree with my husband: there is nothing comparable with feeling the actors on stage so close to you and making the story's world real to you... I would add that there's also nothing like the energy and emotions filling the air around you, coming from the stage. No TV or cinema screen can replace the live contact between the actors and the audience, when you can literally smell the characters' joy and happiness, or grief and depression, boredom, silliness, or thoughts of evil or despair permeating the air around you. And especially, when you expect the inevitable to happen and still are struck as if by lightning when it happens... 

I often think it's such a shame that the moment the actors leave the stage, everybody in the audience rises and rushes to get out of the theatre. I wish I could stay sitting for that little bit longer, so I would be able to process everything I have just witnessed, which would allow me to transition to the reality unhurried and able to think about what I've seen. It feels like finishing a film on TV and the credits, instead of starting to roll, they are cut off, and the next image you see is from some commercial. So, as we climbed the stairs on our way from the auditorium, following the crowd, I was trying to hold on to as much as possible, trying to keep all the memorable, hilarious and deeply moving moments of brilliance from just minutes ago safely in my mind. 

As I was about to take a photo of the huge poster outside the theatre, taking out my phone, I noticed my hands were shaking. Only for a little while, but still... I never had such a powerful reaction to a performance of any kind. 

I wish I could see it again. I wish I could tell everyone involved in this production what a stunning job they've done. However, I am grateful that I got to witness greatness up close and personal, adding one of the most precious moments into my memory box.

And that is definitely something to treasure and remember forever. 💓