BLACK BAG

Married couple George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) work for the same British intelligence agency. When a government software program by the name of Severus gets stolen, George's boss Philip (Gustaf Skarsgård) asks him to investigate the rat within their house. However, there's a small problem: one of the 5 people George is tasked to investigate is his loving wife Kathryn. Will George put his marriage over his career and country or is he love for her deeper than all of that? The story makes for quite the conundrum and Fassbender takes the bull by the horns with his portrayal of George, who is an extremely intelligent man who can spot a liar without a polygraph (it should also be noted as part of George's job is in fact to perform polygraphs as well). Like many others who are incredibly intelligent, George lacks any type of human emotion and empathy, coming off as robotic at times, but Fassbender still plays the crap out of it. I believed his affection for Kathryn more than I believed her affection towards him. Although lacking emotion George's feelings towards Kathryn seem genuine while hers come off as manipulative at times. The other standout performance for me was from Marisa Abela who plays Clarissa, another of the 5 suspects George is tasked with investigating. She's unapologetic in regards to the life she lives and the choices she's made. She's outspoken, speaks up for herself, and doesn't sugarcoat her feelings. The film is concise and tight, never dragging or feeling bloated for the sake of a specified runtime. Like any good spy, director Steven Soderbergh is in and out without overstaying his welcome. He's got another hit on his hands here. 6.5/10