It's in the Bag

Director Steven Soderbergh has served up a one-two punch at the movie theater to open 2025. I missed his first movie a few weeks ago, Presence. But this weekend, I did catch Black Bag.

A British spy is tasked with investigating five people who might be a traitor to his organization -- and one of them is his own wife. But when practiced liars are pitted against each other, it's nearly impossible to tell what's true.

Having recently finished the television adaptation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, that (and the original movie) were certainly on my mind when watching Black Bag. There really aren't that many moment-to-moment similarities, but to distill things down, Black Bag is a more cerebral version of the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" story. There are no chases, no epic shoot-outs, and very little of what most people would call "action." Still, I found Black Bag to be full of intriguing suspense and engaging cat-and-mouse games.

It also feels incredibly fast-paced. Black Bag clocks in at barely more than 90 minutes, and packs in a ton of story in that small package. The plot is a touch Macguffiny, with the actual "why" of it all not being hugely important. Yet it's still enough for the movie to lull you into an expectation, only to thwart it a few times along the way. (The script is the work of the incredibly successful David Koepp, so this should probably come as no surprise.)

Steven Soderbergh is no stranger to sleek and stylish scheming. This movie draws a lot on Out of Sight and his Ocean's trilogy, in the way it's about clever people being clever. But it's different too -- much more controlled in the use of long single takes and tight closeups. It's like a drawing room version of a James Bond movie.

And it even has a James Bond in the cast. The supporting players include Pierce Brosnan, along with Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and others. But the real draw, of course, is the two leads: Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Both excel at portraying people who keep their cards close to the vest. They don't feel like emotionless ciphers, but you can't tell exactly what's going on behind the eyes -- perfect for a twisty spy thriller.

It's perhaps nostalgia for the earlier Soderbergh films I've mentioned here that makes me think Black Bag is not quite as good. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it -- I'd give it at least a B+.