The demise of the mid-budget movie is something that film lovers have been documenting for the past few decades, with increasing alarm. It used to be that, in between the blockbusters and arthouse indies, you could watch a movie starring A-list actors geared towards adults. Steven Soderbergh was one of the reigning filmmakers of these kind of no-muss, no-fuss movies, helming star-powered capers or smart dramas that never tried to appeal to the inattentive masses who watched from behind their phones. And, like a captain going down with his ship as a small string quartet plays a mournful dirge, Soderbergh is still championing the kind of smart, satisfying mid-budget movie with his latest, the wildly fun spy thriller Black Bag.
