BLACK BAG
(director: Steven Soderbergh; screenwriter: David Koepp; cinematographer: Steven Soderbergh; editor: Steven Soderbergh; music: David Holmes; cast: Michael Fassbender (George Woodhouse), Cate Blanchette (Kathryn St Jean), Pierce Brosnan (Arthur Stieglitz), Marisa Abela (Clarissa Dubose), Rege-Jean Page (Col. James Stokes), Naomie Harris (Dr. Zoe Vaughan), Tom Burke (Freddie Smalls), Gustaf Skarsgard (Philip Meacham); Runtime: 94; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Casey Silver, Gregory Jacobs; Focus Features; 2025)
“A sexy, stylish and sophisticated espionage thriller.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A sexy, stylish and sophisticated old-fashioned espionage thriller skillfully and playfully directed by Steven Soderbergh (“Kimi”/”Presence”) and finely written by David Koepp. Its slang title infers that the “Black Bag” is a place where married spies keep secrets from each other.
The stoic George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his sexy wife Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchette) are a childless but happy couple who both work in the same London secret service spy agency investigating tech problems at The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC). A traitorous mole in their group has leaked secrets to the Russians about their designed cyber worm called Severus and a copy of it was sold on the black market. The cyber worm can be deadly if integrated into a nuclear facility.
George’s boss Arthur Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan) is concerned about the security breach and gets George’s co-worker Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgard) to ask the respected polygraph tester to do an undercover investigation of the department to find if one of them is the traitor.
To smoke them out, George and Kathryn throw a dinner party for the suspects at their home and lace their food with a truth serum slipped in secretly to their meal. They then get them to play a game called Truth. The suspects are: the twisty young surveillance expert Clarissa (Marisa Abela), the cloying department shrink Zoe (Naomie Harris), the arrogant young upstart colonel James (Rege-Jean Page), who is screwing the psychiatrist; and, the disheveled, druggie, womanizer Freddie (Tom Burke).
George and Kathryn call attention to themselves by living beyond their means in an upscale London townhouse while also owning a luxury country retreat. George further stands out because he drives around in an expensive Land Rover.
The possibility arises that Kathryn might be the mole. Because they keep secrets from each other in a ‘black bag,’ one wonders if George’s wife is the guilty party would he turn her in.
It’s a slick film laced with comic relief and work-related tension, whose third act is filled with expositions, cat-and-mouse games, reveals, confrontations and a look at fragile spies who exhibit the same weaknesses of ordinary folks (no James Bond stuff here). It’s a blast from the past, with great performances, especially by Fassbender and Blanchette, and a terrific scene stealing turn by Abela as the manipulative young spy who is having an affair with the obnoxious much older Freddie.
It plays out as a suspenseful dark relationship tale that is so well executed it reassures us that Soderbergh is still at the top of his game.
REVIEWED ON 3/12/2025 GRADE: B+
dennisschwartzreviews.com