In a few of the moments while watching ‘Black Bag‘ – the second film this year 2025 directed by Steven Soderbergh – I had the feeling that John Le Carré is still alive and writing novels that are brought to screen. Not only does ‘Black Bag‘ have a subject that brings to mind Cold War spy thrillers, but its heroes, like those of the novels of the master (unrivaled, if you ask me) of the spy genre, have their dilemmas, anxieties, loves and smaller or bigger sins. Among the bigger sins is the capital one in the world of espionage – betrayal. The script, however, belongs to David Koepp, known mainly as a screenwriter of highly successful action films such as those in the ‘Jurassic Park’ series, but also some of the episodes of ‘MI’, ‘Indiana Jones’ or ‘Jack Ryan’, among others. Located about halfway between the action genre and psychological (and even marital) drama, all in the context of a spy movie, ‘Black Box’ may disappoint lovers of one or all genres or may please them precisely because of their combination. I am part of the category of the happy ones.
‘Black Bag’ is a code name for those activities or information that are secret in an organization such as the cyber espionage and counter-espionage service whose employees are the heroes of the film. It is about protecting ultra-secret information, which must not be revealed even to the shrink of the service or to the (official or unofficial) romantic partner who is part of the organization. A logical and absolutely necessary precaution, but which can not only protect secrets but also camouflage betrayals: betrayals of the country or relationships betrayals. The story starts from familiar premises – the suspicion of the existence of a traitor, ‘a mole’ in the organization. The internal investigation entrusted to veteran spy George Woodhouse must be discreet and secret and is carried out in parallel with espionage and counter-espionage activities with enormous stakes. What is special is the fact that Kathryn, George’s wife, is also on the list of five suspects (three women and two men). Kathryn’s betrayal (if she is the mole) would be double and would also mean the collapse of George’s world.
I will not reveal, of course, anything about the investigation and its outcome. I will only say that David Koepp‘s script places the story between two scenes that are filmed in the closed environment of George and Kathryn’s apartment. The first scene is a hearty dinner (because spy George is also a refined cook), the second a kind of final solution à la Agatha Christie. Everything is written intelligently and with enough psychological confrontations and twists of the situations so that we do not miss the action scenes. The actors are perfectly chosen and some of the performances have a chance of being remembered beyond the usual screening time and forgetting. I have already written about Cate Blanchett being for me the number one actress of the moment and her role in ‘Black Box‘ – her best since ‘Tár’ – did not make me change my mind. You will see in her Kathryn a unique combination of passion and ambiguity. I also found Michael Fassbender perfect in the role of George – ‘the spy who hates liars’. The character starts from a physique that pays homage to Michael Caine’s roles to create the portrait of a man who experiences extreme drama behind a mask of perfect English calm. All the other actors are very good, with a special mention for Pierce Brosnan who seems to be present in the cast also as a tribute to the James Bond novels, in whose screen versions he once starred. ‘Black Bag‘ lists American producers on the credits, but it’s the most interesting and original British spy film I’ve seen in recent years.