Black Bags

2023

Thriller

7
IMDb Rating 5.6/10 10 641 641

Director

Josh Brandon Photo
Josh Brandon

Top cast

Kenda Henthorn Photo
Kenda Henthorn as Bus Station Patron
Ryan Francis Photo
Ryan Francis as Jack
Laura Vandervoort Photo
Laura Vandervoort as Sara
Olesya Rulin Photo
Olesya Rulin as Tess
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
802.01 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 27 min
Seeds 8
1.45 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 27 min
Seeds 14

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Armin_Nikkhah_Shirazi 7 / 10

A good small-scale twisty thriller

BLACK BAGS tells the story of two women whose fates are ostensibly intertwined by a switch-up of their luggage. There are many twists and turns in the story, so saying more would spoil the movie.Although the switched luggage trope might seem like a meagre source for driving plots, the thrillers I know of which are based on it have turned out to be more or less good movies (or at least movies I liked), such as Roman Polanski's FRANTIC (1988), 8 HEADS IN A DUFFEL BAG (1997) and, though not a thriller but a classic nonetheless, WHAT's UP DOC (1972). BLACK BAGS joins this small group of good movies.What impresses most in the movie is the acting by the two main characters, which is thoroughly believable and renders them real. Worse acting could have sunk this movie, since the story, though well-constructed, increasingly pulls on our suspension of disbelief. However, the quasi-philosophical questions about motherhood, and its relation to questions of good vs. Evil are raised in an organic way which make up for that, in my viewI also like that the movie deviates from the standard progression common in thrillers; the third act seems almost like a different kind of film, but nevertheless joins with what came before quite well, something which is not easy to pull off.The direction, cinematography and editing were a little bland. I feel like there were opportunities for more tension and suspense which were missed. However, at no point was I bored and despite the criticism, these aspects of the move were definitely not bad.The audience for this would consist of people who want to watch twisty indie thrillers with a greater-than-usual emphasis on fleshing out characters. Another such movie which is quite good, though not based on a switched luggage trope, is BULLITT COUNTY (2018).
Reviewed by Tweekums 7 / 10

A solid 'switched luggage' drama

As this film opens we see a heavily pregnant woman, Tess, collecting essential medication. She then heads to the bus station, loads her luggage into the storage area before boarding. Another woman, whim an identical bag, boards and sits next to Tess. She introduces herself as Sara. When Tess disembarks at the terminus Sara is asleep. She takes her bag and returns to her remote house. Just as she is opening the bag the doorbell rings... it is Sara saying their luggage has been switched. When Tess goes to get the bag it falls open and she sees something shocking inside... something that suggests Sara may be very dangerous. She closes it and gives it back but it is clear Sara knows that Tess has seen the contents. Sara starts explaining things but can anything she says be believed?I didn't really know what to expect when I started watching this and early on I expected to the disappointed. Opening scenes suggested something overly melodramatic with the 'wicked' Sara making a mistake that made no logical sense... i.e. Keeping the item in the case. However as the story progressed it started to get more interesting and unlikely details were mostly explained. There were some good twists and turns before a denouement that I didn't predicted until very close to the end. The film is almost entirely carried by its two leading ladies' Olesya Rulin and Laura Vandervoort really impressed as Tess and Sara respectively. There is less action than one might expect but there is still plenty of tension. Overall a solid enough psychological thriller; I'd recommend it to fans of the genre with ninety minutes to kill.
Reviewed by henryforastero 7 / 10

Low budget does not equal low artistic quality: Kudos to Vandervoort and Rulin.

Black Bags is more of a suspense thriller than an action thriller. It deals with a bus trip and the mistake that occurs when two young women, one of them pregnant, exchange their black, identical suitcases, apparently unaware of the problem until they arrive at their respective destinations.The pregnant young woman is called Tess (Olesya Rulin) and the other woman, somewhat older and also quite psychologically disturbed, is Sara (Laura Vandervoort). They had been talking during the trip and apparently had sympathized with each other. But when Tess discovers a drop of blood on the carpet she decides to open the suitcase and to her horror finds a human head torn from its body. So when Sara rings the doorbell to exchange suitcases, Tess only feels like running away and not seeing her because now she considers her a highly dangerous psychopathic killer.The interesting thing about this low-budget film is that it reveals things as it goes along and in this way the situation that seemed accidental gradually takes on a more sinister tone until it reaches its outcome that ends up explaining the whole situation.It is a great interaction of these dissimilar personalities, the apparently homely and pregnant woman and the distraught and somewhat irascible mysterious traveler who confesses to having a seriously ill daughter who needs a very expensive treatment to cure her. Laura Vandervoort, who is the actress best known for the TV series she acted in: Smallville, V and Bitten, V-Wars and some films such as Into the Blue 2, The Reef and Coffee Shop did a very good acting job as did her co-star Olesya Rulin. The low budget of the film is not an obstacle for the story and the acting of the two protagonists to be a highlight that elevates this film to the category of very interesting. At least in my humble opinion.
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