Black Bag
I have to laugh at the trailer for 2025's BLACK BAG. So marketed. I know, that's what trailers are supposed to do. Get you to watch. Better yet, get you to park your ass in a theater seat. Actually pay to see the damned thing. Featured prominently in the trailer is an exploding jeep. Falsely portraying this spy thriller as action packed. Maybe a junior James Bond outing. You note that David Koepp, who penned the first MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, wrote it. Then you also note that Stephen Soderbergh directed. Uh oh. Yes, BLACK BAG is not what many spy thriller enthusiasts expected. Maybe even fans of John Le Carre novels were bored. Such a talky movie. And not always spy stuff. What Soderbergh unsurprisingly really made was a relationship drama. Another probing psych session. This one seems inspired more by Mike Nichols films like WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFF and CARNAL KNOW...
