Tag: Spy

Black Bag (2025) | REVIEW

Michael Fassbender in BLACK BAG — PHOTO: Focus Features / Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Steven Soderbergh — Screenplay by David Koepp.

When it comes to filmmaking, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who is a more prolific filmmaker than Steven Soderbergh. Since the 2020s began, he has had six feature films released — some in theaters, some on streaming services. Incredibly, it’s not like his films suffer from the speed with which he gets them out for the public to see. In the case of No Sudden Move (2021) and Kimi (2022), those were some of the best surprises of their respective years. Soderbergh is also quite experimental, as he has tried his hand at using iPhones to shoot major motion pictures, like Unsane and High Flying Bird. His latest film, Black Bag, never feels like an experiment, rather it feels like Steven Soderbergh at his very best. It’s a sleek relationship spy drama with a terrific ensemble cast led by Michael Fassbender in top form.

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REVIEW: No Time To Die (2021)

Daniel Craig as James Bond and Ana de Armas as Paloma in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s NO TIME TO DIE — Photo: Nicola Dove / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios / Universal Pictures.

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga — Screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

When I rewatched Sam Mendes’ SPECTRE the other day, I was reminded of the fact that the previous film in the Bond-franchise was released all the way back in 2015. A lot has happened since then, so much so that you may have even forgotten about all of the behind-the-scenes drama that transpired long before No Time To Die became the first major film to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After several rounds of rewrites, the shift in director, production, and the pandemic, the fifth and supposedly final film in the Daniel Craig-era of the James Bond-franchise has now finally been released. Thankfully, in spite of the real world drama that threatened to ruin it, this is actually a spy epic that is suitable as a true tribute to Daniel Craig’s bumpy but extraordinary time as the iconic agent. It isn’t the best film in the Craig-era, but it is a very memorable chapter in the franchise.

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REVIEW: Tenet (2020)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Tenet — Directed by Christopher Nolan.

In December of 2019, I sat down in an IMAX theater to watch the ninth episode of the so-called Skywalker-saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Accompanying the latest Disney space opera was an early preview of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Tenet. The lengthy, overwhelming, and jaw-dropping clip was riveting and showed a lot of promise. As a Star Wars fan, it hurts to admit that that clip was so good, in fact, that the Disney-film it preceded struggled to live up to it. In fact, during the last eight months, I’ve thought a lot about that preview, while I have yet to revisit The Rise of Skywalker. Christopher Nolan’s ambitious spy flick has, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, been proclaimed to be the potential savior of the theatrical experience, which has, understandably, struggled immensely this summer. Continue reading “REVIEW: Tenet (2020)” →

REVIEWS: Rewatching the Mission: Impossible Films

I know I’m a little bit late to it, but I’m finally seeing Mission: Impossible – Fallout in theaters today. So, last night I decided to marathon the five films that came before it. I ended up taking some notes, and, in this article, I’ve presented them here as reviews or smaller bite-sized mini-reviews, along with an estimated review score for each of the previous films except for Rogue Nation, which I reviewed in 2015. Continue reading “REVIEWS: Rewatching the Mission: Impossible Films” →

REVIEW: Atomic Blonde (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Focus Features

The following is a quick review of Atomic Blonde – Directed by David Leitch.

Atomic Blonde is an action spy film set in the lead-up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The film stars Charlize Theron as Lorraine Broughton, a top spy for the MI6, who has been sent to Berlin to investigate the murder of another agent (played by Sam Hargrave), as well as retrieve a list that contains information about a double agent known only as ‘Satchel.’ In Berlin, Broughton is backed up by David Percival (played by James McAvoy), in her search for the aforementioned list. Continue reading “REVIEW: Atomic Blonde (2017)” →

REVIEW: Kingsman – The Secret Service (2015)

20th Century Fox poster for Kingsman: The Secret Service

The following is an updated spoiler-filled review of Kingsman: The Secret Service – Directed by Matthew Vaughn

If you’re like me, then you like the Daniel Craig Bond-films. But, then, if you are like me, you probably think that some of them take themselves too seriously. In what is a nice break from serious spy flicks, Kingsman takes over and successfully manages to captivate its audience. If you want to know what the love-child of The Spy Who Loved Me and Kick-Ass is, then watch this film and find out. Continue reading “REVIEW: Kingsman – The Secret Service (2015)” →