‘Black Bag’ May Be the Apotheosis of Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Little’ Films. It’s Time for Him to Take a Bigger Swing

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Some notable film directors, such as Hitchcock and Tarantino, have their unique cinematic styles that create genres of their own. Contrastingly, Steven Soderbergh didn’t follow this pattern until he began creating his “smaller” projects: the thoughtfully structured independent films with a modest budget. He started directing these in between his high-end productions as a means to rejuvenate himself and remember that filmmaking should be enjoyable.

Soderbergh’s first self-proclaimed “small” project was either “Full Frontal” (2002), a Hollywood satire featuring big names and made on a budget of $2 million, or it was “Bubble” (2005), a crime drama set in Middle America that explored existential themes. In another sense, however, Soderbergh’s true first “small” film was “Schizopolis,” an experimental, self-made production he released in 1996 following the challenging experience of directing “The Underneath.” This was his attempt to clear his creative palate.

During that particular Toronto Film Festival, I shared breakfast with Soderbergh. Our conversation lasted for hours, fueled by his exhilaration over returning to his amateur filmmaking days in “Schizopolis,” and simultaneously over his new project, “Out of Sight,” which he was about to direct. Seven years after “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” he felt like a rejuvenated director.

These short films serve as a creative outlet for Soderbergh, maintaining his passion and connection to filmmaking. For over two decades, he has taken on the roles of both cinematographer and editor, a unique advantage that few directors possess. This self-reliance allows him to wield almost complete control over his projects, making him the sovereign in his artistic realm. Yet, it’s important to note that despite his significant contributions to cinema, Soderbergh can still be seen as a prominent figure working within a rather compact film industry.

Over time, these small-scale films by Soderbergh have become a genre on their own, and as his fans, we each have our preferred choices. Here’s my personal take: My top three picks are “The Girlfriend Experience,” “Kimi,” and “Bubble”; “Side Effects,” “The Laundromat” and “Let Them All Talk” are decent; “Full Frontal,” “Haywire,” and “Presence” are just okay. In general, it’s a solid body of work. And let’s not forget his latest release, the critically-acclaimed “Black Bag,” an engagingly intense spy thriller about married British agents – reminiscent of a John le Carré romance – that carries a $50 million price tag. However, I still consider it a small Soderbergh film, possibly even the pinnacle of this genre, due to its intricate and enigmatic puzzle-like nature. In terms of quality, I rank it at the summit of the Soderbergh’s small films hierarchy. I don’t believe he will ever create something better than this masterpiece.

However, this raises an interesting point. For Soderbergh, producing small films seems to serve as a means of maintaining his sanity and focus, yet through underachievement. Despite the fact that I’ve greatly appreciated many of these films, almost none have made my top 10 list (with the exception being “The Girlfriend Experience”). I believe this is because the process of making them holds more significance for Soderbergh than the final product. In a way, he resembles Woody Allen during his era of producing another acceptable comedy each year. Soderbergh’s films are decent and occasionally vivid, but I would argue that he has been thinking small for too long. The majority of the movies he creates today can be classified as genre films. Regrettably, this appears to be playing it too safe.

25 years ago, Steven Soderbergh released “Traffic,” an intense drama about the drug war that surprised everyone with its success (grossing $124 million). Today’s film industry is different, but Soderbergh, who is considering a post-COVID sequel to his 2011 thriller “Contagion,” has the talent to break free from genre limitations. While some films are currently being overpraised for taking big risks, it’s high time for Soderbergh to take a significant leap. As a master of his craft, he should no longer play it safe. He needs to demonstrate once more that he’s not just a brilliant puzzle solver but someone who can captivate grown-up audiences by creating a film so realistic and gripping that it seems to burn the air around us.

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2025-03-27 06:48