---
title: "Black Bag"
year: 2025
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/black-bag"
fi1m_id: "black-bag"
imdb_id: "tt30988739"
tmdb_id: 1233575
wikidata_id: "Q124373035"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 21
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:52.138770+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Black Bag (2025)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 1h 34m · MPA R · Drama, Mystery, Thriller

## Identity

Black Bag

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/black-bag
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** black-bag
- **IMDb ID:** tt30988739
- **TMDB ID:** 1233575
- **Wikidata ID:** Q124373035
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30988739/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1233575, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124373035

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 80 from 21 reviews

*In a sentence:* Five spies, one dinner party, and the curry is the least dangerous thing on the table

> Soderbergh’s mole hunt among married spies is brisk, sharp and beautifully dressed, and it plays its 94 minutes like a parlour game. Fassbender and Blanchett make the marriage worth believing in; the mystery underneath is neater than it is gripping.

## Synopsis

George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is a British intelligence officer married to Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), who works for the same service. A colleague, Philip Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgård), tells him something has been leaked from inside, that there are five suspects, and that one of the five is his wife. George invites the other four to dinner: Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), who are a couple, and Col James Stokes (Jean Page) and Dr Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris), the service’s psychiatrist, who are another. Pierce Brosnan plays Arthur Stieglitz, the man they all answer to. Written by David Koepp; directed, shot and edited by Steven Soderbergh. 94 minutes, certificate 15.

## Review

George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is the kind of spy who cooks. In the opening minutes of *Black Bag* he is walked through a nightclub to a quiet table, told by Philip Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgård) that something has gone missing from the service, handed five names, and left to notice that the fifth is his wife. He goes home and invites the other four to dinner. David Koepp’s script and Steven Soderbergh’s direction take that setup and run it for 94 minutes without a scene you could cut, and it is the neatest spy film we have seen in years. Neat is the word, and we mean it both ways.

The dinner is the film’s best half hour. Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) drinks too much and is too old for his girlfriend. Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), the youngest at the table, watches satellite feeds for a living and says whatever comes into her head. Col James Stokes (Jean Page) wants a promotion, and Dr Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris), the service’s psychiatrist, is both sleeping with him and treating most of the others. George has put something in the food to help the conversation along. We laughed at what came out, and then stopped laughing, because Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett) sits at the far end of the table watching her husband run an interrogation dressed up as hospitality, and never once lets him see that she knows.

Soderbergh shoots and cuts the film himself, and it looks as if it has been seen through a glass of something expensive: every lamp and monitor wears a soft halo, faces are lit from below by screens, and the London outside the windows is a grey smear. Philip Messina’s production design gives the Woodhouses a house of dark wood and low light with a kitchen you would kill in, and gives the service offices glass walls that hide nothing and reveal nothing either. Ellen Mirojnick puts Fassbender in heavy glasses and thick knitwear and Blanchett in long coats and sharp tailoring, so that she is the best-dressed person in every room and knows it. David Holmes’s score is brushed drums and walking bass, a sixties pulse that keeps the talk moving.

And it is nearly all talk. Fassbender plays George almost without moving, a man who says he would kill for his wife and means it as a compliment. Blanchett plays Kathryn larger, amused, always a beat ahead. What the film says is that two people who lie for a living can be entirely honest with each other, and the pleasure is in watching them prove it, in a boat, in a bedroom, across a desk with a colleague listening. It moved us more than a film this cool has any right to. Whatever else was going on, we believed the marriage.

The polygraph scene, in which George straps each suspect to a machine and asks questions he already knows the answers to, is the other set piece, and Abela and Burke get the best of it: she cannot stop talking, he cannot stop lying, and the needle does not care about either. Pierce Brosnan turns up in a handful of scenes as Arthur Stieglitz, the man they all answer to, and enjoys himself audibly.

Where it falls short is the mystery itself. Five suspects is not many, the film spends its second half on who moved which file and why, and Koepp’s dialogue has a habit of telling you exactly what everyone is feeling in case the actors had not. By the time the pieces are laid out on the table the game is more satisfying than it is surprising. We enjoyed every minute and, by the next morning, had mislaid most of them.

This is Soderbergh in his fast, light mode, the [*Out of Sight*](https://film.one/film/out-of-sight) and *Ocean’s Eleven* mode, rather than his sober one, and judged as that it is among the best things he has made in a decade. Set beside [*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy), which it plainly has in mind, it is much lighter and much less interested in the country it is set in. That is a choice, and a defensible one, but it is why the film weighs so little.

Watch it with someone you have been married to for a while. The dinner scene will play differently depending on which of you winces first.

*Fi1m score 78, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Black Bag a good deal, and the spread is narrow: of twenty-one reviews, twenty are positive and one is not. The praise clusters in two places. First, the pairing of Fassbender and Blanchett as married spies, whose chemistry nearly every review mentions and several call the reason the film works. Second, David Koepp’s script, described again and again as lean, witty and tightly plotted, with the dinner-party scene and a polygraph scene singled out as the set pieces people remember. Soderbergh’s direction is called efficient and stylish, and the short runtime is counted in its favour.

Reservations are mild and scattered: a few critics find it slick enough to slip from the mind afterwards, and the Financial Times thinks the parlour-game plotting turns mechanical by the end. The lone dissenter is The Guardian, which finds the plot convoluted and the screenplay too polished to carry any grit.

## Straight answers

**Is Black Bag worth watching?**

*Black Bag* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a spy film that is mostly talk, and we scored it 78. Steven Soderbergh runs its 94 minutes like a parlour game, and Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett make the marriage at its centre easy to believe in. The mystery underneath is neater than it is gripping, and much of it slips away by the next morning.

**How long is Black Bag, and what is it rated?**

*Black Bag* runs 1h 34m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and mystery film.

**Where can I watch Black Bag in the US?**

*Black Bag* is streaming on Peacock, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Black Bag, and is it suitable for children?**

*Black Bag* carries a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for children. It is a film of dinner-table interrogations, polygraph tests and adult conversation about affairs and betrayal rather than gunfire; the tensest scene involves a spy who has spiked the food to loosen tongues. Older teenagers who can follow a mole hunt told almost entirely in dialogue will be fine.

**How does Black Bag compare to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?**

*Black Bag* is the faster and lighter of the two, a mole hunt among married spies played as a brisk parlour game, where [*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy) takes the same idea slowly and in grey. Alfredson's film is the more serious and the more affecting, and it cares about the country its spies serve in a way Soderbergh's does not. Choose *Black Bag* for a sharp evening and *Tinker Tailor* when you have the concentration to give it.

**What should I watch after Black Bag?**

After *Black Bag*, try [*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy) (2011, Fi1m 84): The mole hunt this one is thinking of, taken slowly and in grey. Then [*Notorious*](https://film.one/film/notorious) (1946, Fi1m 92): Hitchcock’s spies fall in love on the job; the wine cellar scene still tightens the throat; and [*The Lives of Others*](https://film.one/film/the-lives-of-others) (2006, Fi1m 84): East German surveillance drama in which listening in becomes a kind of marriage.

### Reviews we read (29)

- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a marvellous espionage thriller and a sparkling ode to a happy marriage, praising the witty spy games and the optimistic take on monogamy. [Read](https://newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/the-deliriously-witty-spy-games-of-black-bag)
- **Vulture**, Angelica Jade Bastién (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the electrifying film as a reminder of cinema's power, praising how Soderbergh makes monogamy look hot through pure star power, stunning style, and the irresistible chemistry between Fassbender and Blanchett. The sleek espionage and banter are singled out for delight. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/black-bag-makes-monogamy-look-hot-review-steven-soderbergh.html)
- **The Independent**, Clarisse Loughrey (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Soderbergh's lean, efficient thriller about married spies as immensely pleasurable and erotically charged. They single out the lead performances by Blanchett and Fassbender for their star power and chemistry. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/black-bag-review-steven-soderbergh-michael-fassbender-b2710141.html)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): The critic praises it as a smart, sexy thriller about a spy couple with trust issues, highlighting the enjoyable riff on genre material and the depth in exploring human relationships. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/black-bag-review-steven-soderbergh-cate-blanchett-michael-fassbender-1236329004/)
- **Empire**, John Nugent (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film tremendous fun and deliciously satisfying, comparing it to an Ocean's Eleven-style spy heist with sharp dialogue and twists. They highlight the slick direction, cast, and Agatha Christie-like denouement. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/black-bag/)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (80/100, inferred): Soderbergh delivers a lip-smacking espionage thriller blending gloss and grit in a pared-down mole hunt. The devious screenplay keeps the mind whirring with its fun, stylish take on spycraft. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/black-bag-review-cate-blanchett-michael-fassbender/)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): Praises it as a quick-witted, sexually supercharged espionage caper remaking Tinker Tailor for a modern audience, with stylish direction, witty dialogue, and strong ensemble; singles out the dinner scene and ensemble performances. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/black-bag-review-2025)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B): The critic calls it a crackling, fun Soderbergh thriller about trust and secrets in a marriage between elite spies, with spycraft serving the romantic and emotional core. Strong performances and a seductive groove are highlighted alongside the B grade. [Read](https://indiewire.com/criticism/movies/black-bag-review-michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett-1235102772)
- **The AV Club**, Matt Schimkowitz (B): The critic finds the restrained thriller charming and funny, with Fassbender and Blanchett slinking through a knotty story that neatly intertwines infidelity, espionage, and marriage themes. The cast's charisma and thematic resonance are praised, though it may be easy to forget afterward. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/black-bag-review)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the spy thriller sexy, slick, and self-aware, with dynamite chemistry between the leads. They single out Fassbender and Blanchett's push-and-pull dynamic and Soderbergh's deft handling of the witty script. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/michael-fassbender-cate-blanchetts-chemistry-dynamite-black-bag-review-3579052)
- **The Times** (75/100, inferred): Soderbergh has made a propulsive slick spy hit that crackles with Fassbender and Blanchett while blending espionage with marital melodrama. It straddles the subjects deftly with its lean, luxe entertainment. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/black-bag-review-fassbender-blanchett-zs6c60c7t)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson (70/100, inferred): It's a pretty good thriller focused on competence porn and trust in spy couples, with funny dinner scenes but some clumsiness. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-03-13/black-bag-review-steven-soderbergh-michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett-tom-burke-pierce-brosnan)
- **The Guardian** (40/100, inferred): The glossy production and starry cast fail to compensate for a convoluted plot and superficial screenplay that lacks grit. It feels slick but inauthentic compared to grittier spy stories like Slow Horses. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/15/black-bag-review-glossy-steven-soderbergh-spy-thriller-is-less-slow-horses-more-show-pony-cate-blanchett-michael-fassbender-tom-burke)
- **Financial Times** (★★★☆☆): Soderbergh confounds expectations with a hyper-polished but cerebral take on British espionage that is morally squalid yet stylish. The parlour-game aspect feels a little too knowing and mechanical in the end. [Read](https://ft.com/content/08ff56c1-a7ea-4b65-94a1-c95a6c95aa32)
- **Radio Times**, Jeremy Aspinall (★★★★☆): Describes it as a taut, tidy spy thriller with 007 vibes, praising the stylish yarn, entertaining dinner party scene, strong cast chemistry, and deft handling by Soderbergh. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/app/black-bag-review-a-taut-and-tidy-spy-thriller-with-007-vibes/)
- **Screen Daily**: Finds it a stylish and smart icy spy thriller with expert operatives, praising Fassbender and Blanchett's riveting chemistry, inventive screenplay, and Soderbergh’s storytelling swagger; singles out the duplicitous relationship and entertaining twists. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/black-bag-review-fassbender-blanchett-spy-up-a-storm-for-steven-soderbergh/5202447.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Mark Asch: The critic praises the sophisticated spy thriller where love and espionage intertwine for married agents, highlighting the precision and gamesmanship in storytelling and direction, and the sophisticated material for performers. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/black-bag-steven-soderberghs-scenes-from-spy-marriage)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic praises the witty, stylishly crafted spy thriller with a stellar ensemble led by Blanchett and Fassbender, noting it keeps viewers engaged but feels like a slick, forgettable diversion. The central marriage dynamic between the leads is singled out as what makes the movie's motor purr. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/black-bag-review-cate-blanchett-michael-fassbender-steven-soderbergh-1236156567/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Linda Marric (5/5): The critic calls it a masterclass in sleek, sexy, and intelligent filmmaking, commending the razor-sharp dialogue, visually stunning compositions, powerhouse performances from Fassbender and Blanchett, and Soderbergh's precise direction that makes it endlessly entertaining. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/black-bag-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it the year's first must-see movie, an intelligent and stylish spy thriller with excellent chemistry between the leads, a tight script, and constant tension in every scene. It highlights the visual craft and satisfying conclusion without filler. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a64161700/black-bag-review/)
- **The Playlist** (A-): The critic hails the deliciously sleek and taut spy puzzle, praising the splendid cast led by Fassbender and Blanchett, razor-sharp banter, clever misdirections, and Soderbergh's tight, exact direction that delivers intimacy-focused entertainment with levity. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/black-bag-review-steven-soderberghs-deliciously-sleek-taut-spy-puzzle-boasts-a-splendid-cast-led-by-michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett-20250314/)
- **Film Stories**, James Harvey (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Soderbergh's efficient, 93-minute Cold War-style spy thriller as one of the purest genre thrills of the year, highlighting its drum-tight script, pacing, and magnetic performances from Fassbender and Blanchett as a believably complex couple of professional liars. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/black-bag-review-slick-as-a-whippet-tense-as-a-piano-string/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (8/10): Soderbergh and Koepp deliver a tight, economic spy thriller that feels intimate yet grand, with an engrossing mystery and a delectable cast. Fassbender and Blanchett shine in their sexy, complex central relationship as the film twists through reveals effectively. [Read](https://collider.com/black-bag-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Andrew Robertson (80/100, inferred): The critic describes it as an effortlessly cool, classical-style thriller that is direct and strong, praising its well-told traditional espionage tale, minimal but effective violence, and tonal mix of retro and modern elements with strong performances, especially Fassbender channeling le Carré vibes. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/black-bag-2025-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)
- **/Film**, Jeremy Mathai (8/10): The critic finds it a sleek, smart, and sizzling good time, a thinking person's spy movie with tense, darkly comedic thrills, excellent casting, brisk pacing, and efficient editing that reminds why Soderbergh is worth following. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1805397/black-bag-steven-soderbergh-movie-review/)
- **NME**, Paul Bradshaw (4/5): The critic praises the film's blend of marriage drama, comedy, and thriller elements in a tight package, highlighting the performances of Fassbender and Blanchett and the witty, tense polygraph scene. It notes some dips in momentum but overall finds it sleek and versatile. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/black-bag-review-michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett-3846007)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic calls it an exceptionally sophisticated and adult spy thriller that blends espionage with a complicated marriage story, praising the tight pacing, witty dialogue, A+ cast, and Soderbergh's direction as giving older audiences a reason to return to theaters. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/03/black-bag-review-michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett-1236311971/)
- **Paste**, Jesse Hassenger (8.0): The sleek spy thriller fuses marriage and espionage in a relatively spare but dexterous genre workout, with efficient character setup at a dinner party and strong, icy and mysterious performances from Fassbender and Blanchett. Soderbergh merges his experimental and studio sides effectively in this sexy, controlled piece. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/steven-soderbergh/michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett-steven-soderbergh-black-bag-review)
- **The Wrap**: The critic finds it an insidiously great, mature and satisfying spy movie that explores human weakness at the intersection of sexual strife and political machinations, praising the strong screenplay by David Koepp, Soderbergh's cinematography, and the first-rate ensemble. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/black-bag-review-steven-soderbergh-michael-fassbender-cate-blanchett/)

## Details

- **Director:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Director:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Writer:** David Koepp
- **Cinematography:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Editor:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Music:** David Holmes
- **Production design:** Philip Messina
- **Costume design:** Ellen Mirojnick
- **Producer:** Gregory Jacobs, Casey Silver
- **Cast:** Cate Blanchett as Kathryn St. Jean; Michael Fassbender as George Woodhouse; Tom Burke as Freddie Smalls; Marisa Abela as Clarissa Dubose; Regé-Jean Page as Col James Stokes; Naomie Harris as Dr Zoe Vaughn; Gustaf Skarsgård as Philip Meacham; Kae Alexander as Anna Ko
- **Runtime:** 1h 34m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 14 March 2025
- **Genres:** Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- **Budget:** $50 million
- **Box office:** $44 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_56L6WzLT8

## Where to watch in the US

- Peacock: streaming, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), Fi1m 84: The mole hunt this one is thinking of, taken slowly and in grey. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.md)
- *Notorious* (1946), Fi1m 92: Hitchcock’s spies fall in love on the job; the wine cellar scene still tightens the throat. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/notorious.md)
- *The Lives of Others* (2006), Fi1m 84: East German surveillance drama in which listening in becomes a kind of marriage. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lives-of-others.md)
- *Out of Sight* (1998), Fi1m 86: Soderbergh’s other film about two professionals who should not trust each other and do. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/out-of-sight.md)
- *Duplicity* (2009): Corporate spies in love, all talk and double-cross; it wants to be this film.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/black-bag