Movie Breakdown: Black Bag

Pre-Screening Stance:

A spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh that stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett? Yes. I mean, even if it’s not awesome (or even good), it’ll at least be interesting.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Black Bag is the first truly great film of 2025. It’s a sexy, dramatic, captivating, and very clever effort with Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett at the center of it as a devoted couple who also happen to be highly skilled intelligence officers (or spies, if you will). Fassbender is fantastic as George, a rather serious man who’s so good at his job and so dedicated to his wife that it’s actually difficult to get a full read on him, which – as I’m sure you can imagine – plays particularly well in a spy thriller. The same can be said for Blanchett, who portrays Kathryn in a less stoic fashion but still in a manner where it’s very hard to catch onto her game (or even figure out if she actually has one in motion). And sure, some of this is due to David Koepp’s stellar script, but Fassbender and Blanchett’s greatness should not be undersold here – I could have watched hours more of them talking and working. Plenty of kudos, of course, should go to director Steven Soderbergh as well. The cinematography and score are fantastic, plus the 90-minute runtime is so efficiently used that there isn’t a moment where the film drags. Seriously, this is masterful, entertaining work here.

Yes, you should for sure run out to a theater near you to see Black Bag. It opens tomorrow, March 14.

One Last Thought:

I would very much love to watch a Black Bag series. I suppose that – in a way – one already exists in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but that plays like a lighter, less sexy version of what I’m imagining. Come on, Hollywood, get it done.