More than a decade into his 'retirement', Steven Soderbergh has delivered the year's first must-see movie in the exceptional spy thriller Black Bag.
The movie arrives only two months after Soderbergh's last movie Presence, a unique spin on a haunted house movie. He's not that fast of a filmmaker, it's just a quirk of release scheduling, but if Black Bag is the result, then even two months is too long to wait.
It's the kind of movie that everybody is supposedly crying out for in Hollywood: an intelligent star-led movie reliant on an excellent script over special effects, and as a bonus, one that clocks in at a tight 94 minutes with zero filler.
Will Black Bag end up as one of the year's highest-grossing movies? Probably not. But that absolutely shouldn't stop you seeing it at the cinema this weekend – especially when the new streaming alternative is watching The Electric State at home.
Black Bag begins with a dinner party. After legendary spy George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is given a list of five potential traitors in his organisation, he holds a dinner with those on the list.
It just so happens that his wife, the equally legendary spy Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), is a potential suspect, too. She has no clue that she's under investigation, though, quipping: "Been a while since we've had a traitor to dinner."
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The MacGuffin is a deadly technology known as Severus, and George needs to uncover the mole before it's activated to kill thousands of people. But where other movies would use this as the jumping-off point for a globetrotting thriller, Soderbergh keeps things grounded – but no less thrilling.
In a movie where all the main characters are liars, and dangerous ones at that, there's a frisson of danger in every scene. A dinner party that might turn deadly at any moment; a gentle fishing trip that could turn murderous. The supreme cast load every sentence with unease, making the mundane as tense as a shoot-out.
At the centre of it all is George and Kathryn's relationship. Though they are trained liars, you never question their marriage and loyalty to each other to the extent it's likely to be one of the most genuine on-screen relationships this year. It helps that Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett have an electric chemistry, making Black Bag as sexy as it is stylish.
David Koepp's script relishes the red herring nature of any classic spy thriller, with each of the terrific supporting cast – Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke and Naomie Harris – to lean into the grey. They're all sociopaths to varying degrees, and you'd never trust them to buy you a pint, but watching them verbally joust with each other is compelling.
Black Bag might be less formally inventive than Presence, but it allows Koepp's brilliant script to take centre stage. It efficiently switches from dry one-liners ("darling, you may not dose our guests") to chilling menace as George cold-heartedly threatens his various suspects, with not a word wasted.
With Soderbergh on cinematography and editing duties as usual, there's still plenty of visual craft on display. From a one-shot opening take that tracks George through and out of a club to playful editing during a pivotal multi-interrogation scene, Black Bag is a classy and slick watch.
Black Bag ends with a dinner party. In a sequence that would make Agatha Christie proud, George brings all of his suspects back together to reveal who the mole is. Instead of a lazy exposition dump, it's a slick and efficient nightcap that the spy thriller deserves.
And with that, Soderbergh brings it all to an end. No need for an unnecessary coda or a tease that George will be back. His job is done, Soderbergh's job is done and you'll go home feeling satisfied that you've had a proper cinema experience.
Black Bag is out now in cinemas.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
