TMS Movie Review: Black Bag

(Claudette Barius / Focus Features)

Without a doubt, no one works harder in Hollywood than filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. Not only does he always have a project in the works, but sometimes more than one throughout a single year. Case in point, his new film, Black Bag, is out only two months after his previous movie, Presence. While the latter was a supernatural family drama, the former is a melodrama disguised as a traditional spy thriller/mystery. Those who miss Soderbergh’s roots a la Out of Sight (1998) and Ocean’s Eleven (2001) are in for a nice treat with Black Bag.

In the span of a week in modern day London, England, secret intelligence agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is made aware there’s a traitor within the government agency he works for, and must conclude who it is based on five close colleagues: Colonel James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), company psychiatrist Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), secret agent Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke), IT expert Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), and George’s own wife and fellow agent, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett). Pierce Brosnan co-stars as the characters’ superior who demands the spy be revealed, and Gustaf Skarsgård makes an appearance as the co-worker who tips off George.

(Claudette Barius / Focus Features)

Black Bag is the third collaboration between Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp, reunites Soderbergh with his regular composer, David Holmes, as well as with Blanchett 19 years following The Good German (2006). Though the new feature might look like a throwback to the days when we received cool and sexy espionage flicks with older actors for older audiences—which it very much still is—it’s also surprisingly a melodrama on the behavior between couples. The first 20 minutes even feel like a soapy one-act play, in a good way. George & Kathryn are married, while James & Zoe and Freddie & Clarissa are also together, and they’re all connected to each other’s jobs. Probably not surprising to longtime film fanatics is how Black Bag also feels like an homage to Koepp’s buddy and old collaborator, Brian De Palma, which completely jells with Soderbergh’s direction. The sexual tension is even more effective here than it was in something like Halina Rejin’s Babygirl (2024) earlier. Blanchett and Fassbender expectedly deliver as the leads, and the supporting cast is made up by a fine group of UK talent; including James Bond alums Brosnan and Harris. I particularly enjoyed Abela’s cheeky, foul-mouthed performance as the youngest agency employee, reminding me a bit of recent ‘it’ girl Mikey Madison.

Along with a tight 90-minute runtime, Black Bag is a solid watch for dedicated movie lovers.