Steven Soderbergh’s new spy thriller Black Bag looks set to be a major success, with Michael Fᴀssbender’s lead role as British NCSC agent George Woodhouse up there with his best work. However, this wouldn’t be the first spy thriller that Soderbergh and Fᴀssbender have worked on together, with the 2011 movie Haywire pulling in similarly positive reviews from critics. The film sees Fᴀssbender starring as a British Secret Service agent, just as he does in Black Bag.
In addition to Fᴀssbender’s onscreen espionage abilities, Haywire also showcases his acting in thrilling fight scenes, as well as the darker side of the MI6 agency made famous by James Bond and his boss Q. Those who enjoyed Black Bag will love this riveting spy movie, which is now available to stream on Amazon’s Prime Video service.
Haywire Is A Pulsating Steven Soderbergh Thriller Starring Michael Fᴀssbender
Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 Spy Movie Shares A Lot In Common With Black Bag
In Soderbergh’s Haywire, Michael Fᴀssbender plays an MI6 agent named Paul on the wrong side of the movie’s story, as he attempts to kill its protagonist Mallory Kane, played by Gina Carano. Their gripping fight scene is one of the highlights of Haywire, with the two characters going at each other in furious hand-to-hand combat, inside the H๏τel suite where they’re supposed to be working on a mission together. The sequence is superbly choreographed and sH๏τ at close quarters.
The movie is acted and directed with Soderbergh’s trademark slick and fast-paced style, not allowing us to pause for breath.
Carano’s Mallory works for a private intelligence firm, which sends her on a fool’s errand in Europe. Mallory must navigate dangers seemingly coming from all sides, as she no longer knows who she can trust on her mission. The movie is acted and directed with Soderbergh’s trademark slick and fast-paced style, not allowing us to pause for breath. It strips the spy thriller genre back to basics much like Black Bag does, focusing on the essence of suspense and subterfuge.
Black Bag Is Fᴀssbender’s First Collaboration With Soderbergh Since Haywire
The Two Should Collaborate More Often, Based On Their Latest Success
Soderbergh’s latest spy thriller is the first time he’s cast Michael Fᴀssbender in one of his movies since Haywire. Strangely enough, the two movies serve as ideal companion pieces, and fans of one should make sure to check out the other. Black Bag might have earned Soderbergh his best Rotten Tomatoes score this century, but Haywire isn’t far behind in terms of critical reviews. 80% of the critics aggregated on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a positive score when it was released 14 years ago.
After watching the surveillance game of blind man’s buff that is Black Bag, Haywire will feel a little more action-packed, albeit with the same breakneck pace and suspenseful sense of misdirection that’s made Soderbergh’s latest work such a hit. Given the success of his two collaborations with the director so far, Michael Fᴀssbender might want to consider working with Steven Soderbergh again sooner rather than later, without waiting another 14 years.
