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The creative direction of the film was supervised by Josh Brandon, while Angela Bourassa and Adam Pachter focused on writing the screenplay. The film’s plot begins when two women with the same black suitcases get into a bus, from which a deadly game of cat and mouse begins when one of the women realizes she has exchanged her bag with a murderer’s suitcase. The movie stars Laura Vandervoort, Olesya Rulin, Drew Pollock, Ryan Francis, and Bruce Davis.
This is a title that is best judged from further viewing as the film can be easily critiqued just a few minutes within it and e cited as problematic. That’s due to the fact that the initial tone felt too romantic, like a hallmark of Lifetime’s movies. This is one of the few instances where something feels weirdly off but hidden under those issues is a competent, low-key thriller. One feels like a simpler, mysterious whodunit style thriller feels sorely underappreciated these days where everyone is trying for something over complicated or grand. Black Bags pays homage to an earlier era of cinema, where focus was placed on solving crimes through dialogue, a trend seen most in 1940s and 1950s murder mysteries.
There is a great story behind its weaknesses. Adam Pachter and Angela Bourassa start with a strong premise that isn’t overly complicated, reveals itself steadily, and is not too slow. The pacing and progression are just right for you to remain engaged. It manages to maintain a neutral tone, relatable but still sinister, rather than overly emotional. It is no coincidence that the few films of these sorts have a woman co-writing the screenplay. The leading female characters are extremely well written which goes on to say that female writers do bring a certain level of depth to the female characters. Through all the intelligence, strength and resilience, there is a hell of a lot of vulnerability.
One more reason why the characters are incredibly crafted is the performances from Laura Vandervoort and Olesya Rulin, firstly in that they have a fantastic connection. It is interesting to observe how these two women relate to one another and how that changes as the story progresses. In the second place, it is good to note that they never really overdo it, the tone can get rough, aggressive or even deeply emotional but it does not cross the line. From the beginning to the end of the film, both Vandervoort and Rulin’s characters undergo a transformation, and you witness various sides of their performances, all of which are great. After the credits roll, you might wish you could continue watching them.
There are multiple ways in which Black Bags is damaging its reputation and the first one is the cinematography. The story itself has a dark undertone to it, but very little of that comes through in the visuals. The texture and tones that Timothy Riese’s texture and tone to the aesthetic throughout keep hitting that note of Hallmark movies and it’s not something so good. The same applies for the direction, it starts hitting a mundane feel when there is a need for it to scale the intensification, the plot gives it room but the capitalizing is not there.
Black Bags has put itself in a position to be underestimated which is unfortunate given that there is a well-crafted thriller lurking behind the overly rosy world. Laura Vandervoort and Olesya Rulin give captivating performances, their chemistry is really fun to watch develop. It also moves this is much more confident than its lacking visual quality would imply. It also really needed that boost of sharpness to the aesthetics.
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