It’s a tricky time of year, movie-wise. We’ve moved out of Spooky Season, but while some Christmas die-hards might argue otherwise, it doesn’t really feel right to start indulging in Yule-tide entertainment just yet. And apart from Planes, Trains And Automobiles, there aren’t that many Thanksgiving themed films.
Might I suggest an alternative? Something smart but low-key, comforting but not overly sentimental, a cozy movie with just a little bite to it: Stephen Sodeberg’s 2025 spy thriller, Black Bag, currently available on DVD in the library’s A/V collection.
Black Bag stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as a pair of married intelligence agents working for the British government. Early in the film, George Woodhouse (Fassbender) learns that there’s a mole working in the agency; it’s his job to find out who that mole is, which includes investigating his own wife, Kathryn St. Jean (Blanchett).
It’s a good premise, but what makes the movie so satisfying is the thought and care that went into every element. Characters behave intelligently, and while they make mistakes, the mistakes never read as contrived; the performances are all around excellent (Fassbender is my favorite of them, but there are no weak-links); and the whole thing comes in at a breezy 93 minutes.
Saying something is “made for adults” can be a loaded phrase. Here, though, it’s just the pure pleasure of watching clever people spar against each other, holding secrets and following their hearts more than they might realize. If you want a tense yet still relaxing evening watching great actors exchanging witty dialogue, look no further.
