DIANE DE BEER reviews:

BLACK BAG

DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh

CAST: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Gustav Skarsgǻrd

RATING: *** and a half

It’s quite serendipitous that while watching and then thinking about this latest espionage thriller currently showing on local Ster Kinekor screens, the US is again struggling with the latest scandal by what seems a most inept group of security heads.

That’s how seriously spying is taken in our modern world as different governments keep check on different countries to try to manage a world where we will all be safe.

Obviously the making of the movie happened long before all this played out, but be warned of a slew of spy movies popping up in the not too distant future. Those telling stories are already encouraged by the popularity of series such as Slow Horses and Day of the Jackal, both brilliantly made.

Casting plays a huge role, with Gary Oldman and Eddie Redmayne the stars in those two shows and here Soderbergh has gone for star power  –  Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. Strengthening his case even more, they’re playing husband and wife.

And upping the ante, the one is investigating the serious offense of leaking sensitive information to the enemy. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

The scene is immediately set with a dinner party to which all the possible suspects are invited and we find them seated around the dinner table. Naturally, it takes a while to discover who is who but that’s the fun part of a spy movie. The story shouldn’t be so oblique that you never get to unravel it, but it also shouldn’t be too obvious so that you get to the solution long before it is revealed in the movie.

That certainly isn’t the case here. George (Fassbender), however, is facing a dilemma. What if his wife Kathryn (Blanchett) is the culprit? And that is where the tension and the intrigue lie.

It’s all about style and luckily enough substance as these two actors play the game with great skill. Fassbender is the perfect spy with his inscrutable expression and formal manner while Blanchett, very fetching with long brunette hair, is much more vibrant and the one that you suspect could get in trouble because of her exuberant nature.

These might sound flimsy, but this couple have no problem playing their different roles and keeping you guessing. Is the story important? Not so much, which is fortunate because it could take you some time to get it worked out.

But that’s probably the point. If that’s what you like from your movies, this is it. You won’t get a better combination than Soderbergh and his pick of actors, which include an ageing Pierce Brosnan as their boss with Naomi Harris, Marisa Abela (recently seen in Industry) and Tom Burke completing the strong line-up.

It’s fast, extremely easy on the eye and yet the tension takes hold right from the start because the stakes are high. All the ingredients of the spy thriller are there, perhaps too perfectly to give it a strong beating heart.

Both the television series mentioned above focus more on the characters. With Oldman as the odd ball Jackson Lamb you’re immediately hooked and, with  the tension created by the high stakes with Redmayne as the assassin, you’re also pulled in. With a movie, it relies more on the story because of the time constraints. This one falters because it has less time to embroider, but it is a much faster ride and more exhilarating as the denouement is the ultimate goal. Need a few hours of escape? This will do it!