Black Bag
Steven Soderbergh has shown his ability to move between genres over the years, from prestige awards dramas like Erin Brokovich and Traffic, comedic thrillers such as the Oceans trilogy, Logan Lucky to horror, with Unsane and Presence earlier this year. His latest sees him take on espionage in the London-set Black Bag. We follow George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), investigating a serious breach in UK intelligence that could result in thousands of innocent people dead.
This may sound like John le Carré territory with moles in British spy networks but as you’d expect with Soderbergh, it’s not quite what you think. George is handed a list with five names on it, one of which is his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). George detests liars; can he have been with one all these years?
We begin with George inviting the suspects to his and Kathryn’s home for an incredibly awkward and entertaining dinner where secrets are revealed, but no closer to revealing the mole’s identity. This begins George’s inquiry with plenty of twists and turns as he tries to figure out how deep the betrayal goes.
What helps Black Bag to shine is its cast: alongside Fassbender and Blanchett, we have Pierce Brosnan on scenery-chewing form and another Bond alumni in Naomi Harris. Regé-Jean Page, Tom Burke and Marisa Abela round out the cast, all bringing their A-game. The actors re aided by a script from David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way), who has worked with Soderbergh on recent films Kimi and Presence.
All the potential suspects have their unique quirks and issues, with many seeing the agency shrink Harris’s Dr Zoe Vaughan. Films of this nature can be overly serious, but Soderbergh peppers in plenty of humour and dry wit that help separate this from a wealth of other UK-set spy films and shows that have trodden similar ground. He finds the perfect balance between suspense and comedy.
This is a stylish, sexy, playful spy thriller that knows exactly the kind of film it is, with the cast on top form. David Arnold, a frequent collaborator with Soderbergh back to 1998’s Out of Sight, adds a sprightly score. There is plenty to cram into 90 minutes, but the filmmaker finds a way for each of the twists to land, and it never feels rushed. This is one of Soderbergh’s most entertaining in some time, the latest hit in an incredibly versatile five-decade career.
Christopher Connor
Black Bag is released nationwide on 14th March 2025.
Watch the trailer for Black Bag here:
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