Film Reviews

March 14, 2025

Lean, slick, and emotionally satisfying—this seems to be the type of package director Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp strive to deliver when they work together. The pair has teamed up three times now, following "Kimi" (2022) and this year's underseen ghost story thriller, "Presence," and their latest, "Black Bag," helps solidify their M.O. that short (each film averages only 90 minutes), direct, and gratifying are what we can expect when both their names appear in the credits. This isn't to say their collaboration must always render a movie with the same characteristics—in fact, we should hope it doesn't—but right now their formula has them on a winning streak.

"Black Bag" is a brisk, polished thriller with an intelligent yet still casual plot, performed by actors who sink their teeth into the often-sassy dialogue. It seems self-conscious about its craftiness, but it never goes too far or descends into smugness. On the contrary, its slyness only adds to its watchability, because we feel the filmmakers and cast are using subtle trickery, drama, and sometimes humor to entertain us in a page-turner kind of way. Sure, it's manipulating, but we're onboard with it because it's so fun.

Even as a digestible crowd-pleaser, "Black Bag" is a movie that begs to be seen at least twice, because the plot moves at such a fast pace. It's essentially a whodunnit, a sort of snazzy and high-tech rendition of Clue, set in contemporary London, with six main suspects. They include George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his wife, Kathryn St. James (Cate Blanchett); Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke); Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela); Col. James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page); and Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris). (The characters' full names are so catchy, I included them here.)

The crime: a highly dangerous cyber weapon with the code name "Severus" has made its way out of the National Cyber Security Centre, where each of our suave and good-looking players works. George and Kathryn are both intelligence agents, as is Freddie, although he's of a lower rank; Clarissa is a tracking satellite operator; Stokes is a surveillance agent; and Vaughan is the in-house psychiatrist, which makes her privy to many of the group members' secrets. Collectively, they fall under the authority of the NCSC's debonair but cantankerous director, Arthur Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan).

Disclosing the nooks and crannies of the plot would be doing the movie a disservice, because one of the most entertaining aspects of "Black Bag" is watching George, who has been charged with finding the mole among his colleagues, uncover and decipher clues. Plus, the script makes it possible that we can't necessarily rule George out as either hero or traitor. Anyone could be the source of the Severus leak.

What I can tell you is also what the trailer reveals, which is that when George is told Severus has gotten out, his superior (Gustaf Skarsgård) tells him there is reason to believe Kathryn is behind the scheme. Suddenly, George has a conflict of interest, because while he and Kathryn love each other, which we wholeheartedly believe thanks to Fassbender and Blanchett's chemistry, he also hates liars. Like any good mystery, the plot thickens the more George digs and presses his cohorts for information, and like any good sleuth, George doesn't buy into simple explanations.

Fortunately, neither does "Black Bag." What's surprising about this movie is there's actual substance behind its suavity. Even with its zippy dialogue from Koepp's screenplay, peppy editing from Soderbergh (using an alias), and warm lighting with heavy shadows from cinematographer Soderbergh (using another alias), the plot isn't treated as "beside the point." Soderbergh and company aren't merely trying to dazzle and entrance us with the film's superficial qualities and therefore not take the underlying mystery seriously. On the contrary, the film's panache and story complement each other, and both have weight and are memorable. "Black Bag" will likely remind viewers of Soderbergh's original "Ocean's 11" in that, despite coming across as smooth and tasty now, it also has the ability to age well, like a good wine, and we can see ourselves returning to it every few years, perhaps to watch with friends or family who haven't seen it, and remind ourselves of why it's rewatchable—because it's great to look at and listen to but also because it's got an engaging mystery, one capable of revealing new connections and insights each time we try to keep up with it.

"Black Bag" probably wouldn't have come together as well as it does without its strong cast. As I mentioned, Fassbender and Blanchett have a playfulness and skepticism about them that convinces us they're really married and are happy with their nuptials, which raises the stakes on us emotionally when we think that either George or Kathryn may have to take the other down. The other actors are just as enthusiastic and credible, bringing to the table qualities that give their characters a unique personality beyond their fun names. Each seems dedicated and avoids mailing any part of their performance in, which might have been tempting because in the back of their minds they might have figured the film's aesthetics could help cover up any of their flaws. But no, they’re all in.

About the film's aesthetics, they are rich and strangely calming for a spy thriller. In addition to the aforementioned lighting, the locations, production design, costumes, and even the black cars have an understated elegance, but Soderbergh is careful not to let them cross over into arrogance or ostentatiousness. His team's choices feel deliberate, in service to taking us into this twisted world of privileged intellectuals, bloated egos, dogged determination, and obstinacy. George's fastidious cooking, Kathryn's silky wardrobe, Dr. Vaughan's neatly arranged office—everything on-screen is there, as it is, for a reason, and we appreciate the details. As silly as it sounds, we feel sophisticated watching this film.

Along with its spry energy, "Black Bag" has a style, rhythm, and intelligence that reminds how fun, entertaining, and respectable movies can be when all its parts are working together. It's safe and familiar, yes, and a genre picture for sure, but it's one that's been put into the hands of filmmakers and a cast who want to see that, within the scope of a genre picture, we get more than just a safe and familiar experience out of it.