Black Bag (2025 | USA | 93 minutes | Steven Soderbergh)

Should he choose to accept it, George Woodhouse has a mission: find who is the treasonous spy from his elite British spy agency. He only has one week and his wife Kathryn is one of the five suspects. That kicks off the deliciously fun thriller Black Bag, the newest film from auteur Steven Soderbergh and Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.

Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett are the Woodhouses, the power couple of UK espionage, and the anchors of one of the most telegenic casts I’ve seen in a while. Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Rege-Jean Page, and Tom Burke fill out the cat and mice roles with enough style to burn. George’s mission first begins with a dinner party that has some parlor games that go south quickly and end with a stabbing. Along the way, there will be plenty of crossing and double-crossing. I’m not sure I could describe the intricacies of the plot without sounding like a crazy person, but that’s hardly the point. Or, if it is, I failed.

Black Bag is a sleek, sophisticated, and sexy thriller with some exceptional filmmaking from Soderbergh. At 93 minutes, not a moment is wasted. Once the plot is established, momentum propels the film like a brisk clip. This is not an action film, though. Soderbergh and Koepp are interested in the letting the story unfold while allowing us into the minds of the exceptionally cerebral players. Why does each character do what they do? Are they being manipulated? Or are they doing the manipulating? Is remaining loyal to your country and your partner mutually exclusive?

Fassbender and Blanchett have great chemistry as the married couple who by design have to keep secrets from one another while also remaining dearly devoted. They also play well to and against each other’s strengths as he’s more business-forward who doesn’t let his emotions get in the way of his job. She has an EQ rating in positive digits.

There was something so refreshing about watching a movie like Black Bag, because it’s so entertaining and doesn’t waste a moment of everyone’s time. Each scene feels necessary to the story while it breezes along. When the story comes to the payoff, it’s cathartic.

Black Bag is all killer, no filler.

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Black Bag is in theaters now.