Black Bag Review

It's sexy to love your spouse

Steven Soderbergh's air-tight 94-minute spy thriller Black Bag had me grinning from start to finish. What most awful streaming spy shows attempt to do in 8-10 hours, Soderbergh locks in a zero-fat examination of the genre. It is a cynical and perfectly crafted film that asks questions of faith and espionage in exhilarating ways. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett's chemistry is seductive and dangerous. It's the ultimate wife-guy film that asks if you would commit grand treason for the love of your life. The answer should always be yes. Soderbergh is currently unstoppable in 2025.

Black Bag follows detailed spy George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), who's given one week to investigate several other agents, including his wife, on the disappearance of a deadly software. Woodhouse is taken aback that his wife, Katheryn (Cate Blanchett), could be one of the suspects but decides to invite the rest for dinner, where he investigates them through 'truth games,” a series of psychological games designed to elicit truthful responses, and slightly drugging their food. Chaos breaks out at dinner as truths come to light, but Woodhouse must continue his chase for the leak. Breaking into satellite surveillance, conducting personal polygraphs, working with the CIA, and throwing even more dangerous dinner parties, where the stakes are high and the truth is the ultimate weapon. Can he trust the love of his life even if she has to lie for a living?

The first thing you'll notice with Black Bag is how sleek everything is. The look, the dialogue, the costuming, and the direction are clean as hell. Soderbergh is building off the sophistication that comes with the spy genre but putting his gorgeous and meticulous hands all over it. I was obsessed with the lighting and look of it all. Crisp cutting and how he can direct the hell out of a dinner scene with you on the edge of your seat, but genuinely laughing at bits is just watching a master at work here. The standout scenes are, of course, the opening and closing dinner scenes where we, the audience, are trying to piece together this “spy whodunnit” in a clue-like manner but while just locked in for the ride, excited to see where Soderberg takes us. The hacking into the satellite scene and polygraph interrogation both should be studied for the way they can build tension perfectly.

Fassbender and Blanchett bring intensity to their roles that haven't been seen in some time. Watching how they seduce and trust each other in undying ways is startling. Fassbender's unwavering devotion to Blanchett, her unmatched faith in her partner, and the complexity of their relationship in a profession shrouded in mystery and deception make them one of the most compelling couples on screen. The rest of the cast, playing into the cynical nature of the profession and abusing their powers, adds a remarkable layer to the spy genre, delving into the true cruelty that can be extracted with it.

There is no fat on this steak. Black Bag delivers a fun and sexy time at the theaters and is a fantastic addition to the spy genre. The couple-goals here from Fassbender and Blanchett should remind a lot of people how fucking cool it is to love their partners. Slicker than most.

Final Score: 9/10

Written by Kevin J. Pettit