Earlier this year, Presence came and went relatively quickly. The film was a fun experiment, a ghost story told through the eyes of the ghost. I liked it, but it was just an experiment. Coming from Director/DP/Editor Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp, it was modest compared to what I knew they were good at.
That is not the case with Black Bag, their second film this year. If Presence was two of my favorite artists playing around, Black Bag is two legends at peak form. The film manages the miraculous feat of coming from two very distinctive creators, yet neither voice feels drowned out. Soderbergh and Koepp were actually longtime friends before they started collaborating on this, their third film, and the result is a film that showcases their synchronicity as artists.
The movie has a gloriously clean premise. George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) are a married British intelligence agents. George is given a list of five people who may have leaked a deadly piece of software with Kathryn’s name on it. He has to figure out who actually committed the crime.
That last line is key because the movie refuses to play the “maybe she’s guilty, and he doesn’t actually know his wife” trope. No, George knows Kathryn is innocent and Soderbergh and Koepp are too smart to make Kathryn the villain just because she’s a two-time Oscar winning legend. No, the movie instead lets Blanchett play out her own brilliant game at the edges before dropping bombs.
Trying to describe where the plot does go is almost pointless because it seems to be a lot of blind alleys and random clues that look meaningless but aren’t. For the first half, I actually assumed I was just watching sort of a jazz riff on the spy movie genre, which certainly is something Soderbergh would do. But no, when the plot locks into place, it reveals itself to be an extremely tightly plotted mystery worthy of Dame Agatha Christie with zero loose ends.
But even that isn’t all the movie has on its mind. The movie would probably be a 4 or 4.5. No, this gets to a 5 because it has a lot to say about monogamy. The whole driving idea of the film is that George and Kathryn are a deeply devoted couple and the movie makes a strong case for how disastrous infidelity is. Every other character is cheating, and it just goes horribly for them. Meanwhile, George and Kathryn’s love for each other makes them stronger and drives them to outwit the forces trying to divide them. I’m a romantic. I loved this touch.
What results is, like I said, a showcase for two greats. I think Koepp gets overlooked, and I don’t know how. Stir of Echoes is incredible. He wrote Carlito’s Way and Panic Room, two airtight thrillers. He’s worked with Steven Spielberg on the Jurassic Park movies. Here, he writes a tightly plotted thriller where every frame matters. His dialogue absolutely crackles. In a great year for original work, this still shines.
Then there’s Soderbergh. This is 25 years after his annus mirabilis and honestly, this is probably better than the films he was nominated/won for. He’s as sharp a director as ever, with shots that feels vividly him. As usual, Soderbergh DPs and edits, and he’s as sublime as ever there. Outside of the deliberately hazy shots in George and Kathryn’s home, Soderbergh has a clean, bold looking film. He’s also a metronome as an editor. The man only feels more alive as an artist now.
I have to note the cast too. Fassbender and Blanchett are of course great in their roles, both having worked with Soderbergh before. The supporting cast is great. Regé-Jean Page is in movie star form as a slick spy. Tom Burke is hysterical comic relief. Naomie Harris is good as usual. Marisa Abela kind of steals the film though as a super horny analyst. Oh, and since you’ll inevitably think of James Bond, Pierce Brosnan has a small role. He’s awesome as ever.
The last thing I want to note honestly is why I likely don’t have much negative to say. This movie is 93 minutes including credits. Soderbergh vocally prefers shorter movies, likely so he can shoot them fast. He’s right. This movie has no fat at all. It doesn’t waste a second while giving us a full meal. It’s a short movie that’s never too short.
Black Bag looked on paper like a guaranteed win and it is one. With a great writer and a great director utterly crushing it along with a killer cast, the result is the kind of film that makes for a perfect adult thriller.
Watch the trailer right here.
All images via Universal Pictures.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Screenplay by David Koepp
Produced by Casey Silver, Gregory Jacobs
Starring Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, Pierce Brosnan
Premiere Date: March 12, 2025
Running Time: 94 minutes
Cinema from the Spectrum 
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