Black Bag
March 12th, 2025
MOVIE: BLACK BAG
STARRING: MICHAEL FASSBENDER, CATE BLANCHETT, TOM BURKE, MARISA ABELA, REGÉ-JEAN PAGE, NAOMIE HARRIS, PIERCE BROSNAN
DIRECTED BY: STEVEN SODERBERGH
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 4 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 93 MINUTES
The metaphor I came up with to describe Steven Soderbergh is that he’s the Steph Curry of cinema. To compare him to one of the NBA’s greatest 3-point shooters of all time, a 4-time NBA champion, and a 2-time MVP might seem bold, but I can’t think of any other filmmaker who makes movies quite like Soderbergh. He does not miss. And when he does, you’re left in shock—hello, Magic Mike’s Last Dance. His newest film, Black Bag, is his second movie released in 2025 (I haven’t seen Presence yet), and it’s already one of the best of the year. It’s an incredibly cool spy thriller, an Agatha Christie-like whodunit, set in a world with Mission: Impossible technology, and dripping with ultra-sexy style. Black Bag is a great spy thriller, or, in Soderbergh’s case, his latest great success.
The plot can be summed up in three words: find the mole. It begins with agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), who learns from a source that someone in the agency has betrayed the country, leaked government secrets, and plans to help a Russian terrorist. Like any good investigator, Woodhouse organizes a dinner (laced with truth serum) and invites all the potential suspects: Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke), surveillance wizard Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), field agent James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), and the company psychologist Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris). And then there’s Woodhouse’s wife, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett)—the person he loves and trusts with his life. But, as we know, love and secrets make for a messy business.
What makes Black Bag such an excellent piece of cinema is the combination of everything. Soderbergh’s direction is a tour through his greatest hits. There’s the sexiness of Out of Sight, the immediate spy-thriller tension of Haywire, the smart blocking of scenes like in Side Effects, and the single-take cinematography, possibly shot on an iPhone, reminiscent of Unsane. It also helps that the screenplay was written by Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp, who strikes a unique balance between telling a story about cutthroat spy work and a cat-and-mouse game between a married couple. Think Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Marriage Story. The film is packed with deception and intrigue.
It’s also hard to pin down Black Bag when it boasts such a murderer’s row of actors. Blanchett and Fassbender have an icy, electric connection, both looking cool in high-fashion clothing while shooting daggers at one another across the room. The film’s ensemble is so strong that Pierce Brosnan, as the agency director, feels like the cherry on top. He brings his classic Bond swagger to a role where he thinks he’s the big fish but is surrounded by sharks.
Black Bag is spectacular. I searched for anything that bugged me or felt like a false step—and came up empty. It’s a talkative film, full of rich dialogue for grown-ups, the kind of drama we used to see all the time in the ‘90s. Ultimately, the praise belongs to Soderbergh. He scores from every part of the floor. He’s a legend, and with Black Bag, he’s just putting on a show.
4 STARS
BLACK BAG IS PLAYING IN THEATERS FRIDAY MARCH 14TH, 2025.
Written by: Leo Brady
