OK, So Steven Soderbergh's 'Black Bag' Isn't REALLY About Spies
Black Bag uses its espionage elements as a means of exploiting the complexity of adult relationships.
Spy stories have become dominant within popular culture, and not just because of the success of major franchises like Mission: Impossible, Jason Bourne, The Kingsman,and James Bond; there are many prestige television shows that examine espionage, including The Old Man, The Agency, Black Doves, A Man on the Inside, and Special Ops: Lioness. Given that many of these have managed to push the genre forward by exploring current political and social issues, the prospect of Steven Soderberghmaking an old-fashioned spy thriller about identifying a mole within a powerful institution may have seemed rather antiquated. Thankfully, Black Bag uses its espionage elements as a means of exploiting the complexity of adult relationships, and puts much more emphasis on dialogue and performances than it does on action and adventure.
