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| Black Bag | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Written by | David Koepp |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Peter Andrews |
| Edited by | Mary Ann Bernard |
| Music by | David Holmes |
Production company | Casey Silver Productions |
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50–60 million[3][4] |
| Box office | $43.8 million[5] |
Black Bag is a 2025 Americanspythriller film directed bySteven Soderbergh and written byDavid Koepp. It starsCate Blanchett,Michael Fassbender,Marisa Abela,Tom Burke,Naomie Harris,Regé-Jean Page, andPierce Brosnan. In the film,British intelligence officer George Woodhouse (Fassbender) is assigned to investigate a list of suspected traitors, one of whom is his wife, Kathryn (Blanchett).
The film was announced in January 2024, after the involvements of Soderbergh, Blanchett, and Fassbender were confirmed. The rest of the cast was rounded out that March andprincipal photography commenced that May, with filming taking place acrossLondon and atPinewood Studios.
Black Bag was theatrically released first in France on March 12, 2025, byUniversal Pictures, and in the United States two days later, byFocus Features. It received critical acclaim and grossed $43.4 million worldwide on a $50–60 million budget.
George Woodhouse, a counterintelligence officer with theNational Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), is given one week by his superior, Philip Meacham, to investigate the leak of a top-secret software program code-namedSeverus. One of five suspects is George's wife, Kathryn, who is also anintelligence officer. He invites the other four suspects, also NCSC operatives, over for dinner. The four suspects aresatellite imagery specialist Clarissa, her boyfriend andcase officer Freddie, counterintelligence officer James and his girlfriend Zoe, who is also the staff psychiatrist. At dinner, George drugs their food to lower their inhibitions. In an effort to learn more about his guests, George engages them in a psychological game. Among other things, it is revealed that Freddie has been cheating on Clarissa, to which Clarissa responds by stabbing Freddie in the hand with a steak knife.
That same evening, Meacham dies of aheart attack while drinking in his home. George begins to focus on Kathryn after finding a ticket to a movie theatre in her dresser waste basket, and she denies having seen the film. He tricks her into giving him access to her office, logs into her computer and learns that she will be traveling toZurich. Later, James informs George that Kathryn has access to aZurich bank account containing£7 million (2024) (US$8.95 million) in misdirected and unexplained funds. In a psychiatric session, Zoe asks if Kathryn prioritizes her career or her husband. In a subsequent session, Zoe breaks up with James. George uses Clarissa's infidelity to pressure her to redirect aspy satellite and watches Kathryn meet with a Russian dissident, Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Kulikov, in Switzerland.
It is revealed that during the few minutes George had the satellite redirected, anotherdissident Russian named General Vadim Pavlichuk disappeared from a Liechtensteinsafehouse with a copy of theSeverus program, and he and Kulikov are now en route to Eastern Europe to use it to cause anuclear meltdown in Russia. Clarissa tells Freddie, with whom she has reconciled, about her involvement, and Freddie secretly warns Kathryn that George suspects her. In bed that night, the couple compare notes and realize they are being set up. Kathryn uses Clarissa to track Pavlichuk. She suspects that their boss, Stieglitz, deliberately leakedSeverus to cause a meltdown and destabilize the Russian government even though it would kill thousands of innocent people. She leaks the expat Russians' location to aCIA contact, resulting in adrone strike that kills them as they travel through Poland. George subjects all suspects except Kathryn to apolygraph test to determine who is behind the leak.
They invite the other four suspects to a second dinner party. Instead of serving dinner, Kathryn places a gun on the table while George announces they will play a game in which he asks each of them a single question. His questions reveal several secrets, including that Freddie and Zoe had an affair, and that Zoe learned of theSeverus program from James and attempted to stop its dissemination due to her Catholic faith. George states that there were two plots: one by Stieglitz and James to leakSeverus and cause a nuclear meltdown to destabilize the Russian government, and another by Zoe and Freddie to use Kathryn to stop it. James grabs the gun, confesses to plotting with Stieglitz and killing Meacham, and fires at George twice. However, the gun is loaded with blanks. Kathryn pulls a gun from her bag and kills James, after which she firmly warns the remaining colleagues to never exploit her and George's mutual fidelity again. George dumps James's body in a lake. Kathryn informs Stieglitz that his plot failed and suggests he remove himself from his position. She and George reaffirm their love for each other. At Kathryn's questioning, George reveals that the Zurich bank account containing£7 million (2024) (US$8.95 million) is still untouched.
In January 2024, it was announced thatSteven Soderbergh would direct the film, withCate Blanchett andMichael Fassbender attached to star.[6] In March, additional cast members were confirmed, includingRegé-Jean Page,Marisa Abela,Naomie Harris,Pierce Brosnan, andTom Burke.[7][8][9]
Principal photography commenced in London on May 6, 2024.[10] Filming also took place atPinewood Studios.[11] Costume design for the film was led byEllen Mirojnick, in collaboration withSimon Holloway and the British luxury goods brandDunhill.[12]
David Holmes composed the score[13] and plays a cameo role as a DJ in the opening club scene.[14] The piece "Polyrhythmic" byPhil Kieran is included in the opening scene of the film.[15][16][17]
In January 2024,Focus Features acquired the distribution rights to the film through a $60 millionnegative pickup deal.[18] In July 2024, the studio scheduled the film for release on March 14, 2025.[19]
As of May 7, 2025[update],Black Bag has grossed $21.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $21.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $42.7 million.[5][4]
In the United States and Canada,Black Bag was released alongsideNovocaine,Opus,The Last Supper, andThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, and was projected to gross $7–8 million from 2,705 theaters during its opening weekend.[3] The film earned $2.7 million on its first day, including an estimated $850,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut with $7.6 million, placing second at the box office behindNovocaine.[20][21] In its second weekend, the film grossed $4.3 million (a 44% decline), again finishing second, this time behind the debutingSnow White.[22][23] It dropped out of the box office top ten in its fourth weekend.[24]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 96% of 290 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Sleek in design and spiked with dry wit,Black Bag is an exemplary espionage caper that lets movie stars like Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender do what they do best—light up the screen."[25]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[26] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed byPostTrak gave it a 75% overall positive score, with 51% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[20]
Monica Castillo ofRogerEbert.com awarded the film a perfect 4 out of 4 stars, describing it as "a smart, sexy spy vs. spy thriller fought mostly over dialogue," and praising Soderbergh's direction for its "svelte piece of entertainment" that feels both vintage and timely.[27]James Berardinelli ofReelViews highlighted the film's cerebral approach, noting that it "relies on uncovering motivations and unraveling narrative knots to generate suspense," and commended the chemistry between Blanchett and Fassbender as "palpable."[28]Empire describedBlack Bag as "deliciously, lip-smackingly satisfying," likening it more toJohn le Carré thanJames Bond, and praised its "punchy and sharp" script byDavid Koepp, as well as Soderbergh's confident direction.[29]Justin Chang ofNPR characterized the film as "a witty, sexy riff on themes of loyalty and betrayal," emphasizing its focus on character dynamics over action, and lauding the ensemble cast's performances.[30] Sean Tajipour ofNerdtropolis called it, "A masterclass in suspense."[31] Pete Hammond ofDeadline Hollywood called it, "an A+ cast" for their performances.[32]
The Hollywood Reporter praised the film’s "tautly wound intrigue" and its exploration of personal betrayal and deception, calling it a "handsomely crafted thriller that luxuriates in tension and ambiguity."[33] In his review forRolling Stone, David Fear laudedBlack Bag as "a great spy thriller — and an even better marriage drama." He emphasized the film's exploration of personal relationships within the espionage narrative, highlighting the performances of Blanchett and Fassbender.[34]The New York Times describedBlack Bag as "a stylish puzzle-box of a movie" with "layered performances and serpentine plotting,"[35] whileIndieWire praised its "glacial cool and moral ambiguity," suggesting it "feels like vintage Soderbergh—unapologetically clever and emotionally remote."[36]
Other critics offered more tempered views.Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian noted that while the film is "downbeat" and "tongue-in-cheek," it borders on self-satire, and questioned the depth of its characterizations. Another review fromThe Guardian criticized the film's "convoluted plot and baffling character motivations," suggesting that despite its stylish presentation, it lacks the authenticity of grittier spy dramas.[37] Mark Hanson ofSlant Magazine compared the film unfavorably to Soderbergh's earlier work, stating thatBlack Bag "settles into a third act of derivative reveals and exposition dumps, and ultimately feels insubstantial despite its narrative complexities."[38]
Soderbergh expressed frustration with the film's underperformance at the box office against a budget of at least $50 million, stating: "This is the kind of film I made my career on. And if a mid-level budget, star-driven movie can't seem to get people over the age of 25 years old to come out to theatres – if that's truly a dead zone – then that's not a good thing for movies. What's gonna happen to the person behind me who wants to make this kind of film?"[39] Focus Features assured Soderbergh that the film would eventually turn a profit with its home video release.[39]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra Midseason Movie Awards | July 3, 2025 | Best Picture | Black Bag | Nominated | [40] |
| Best Director | Steven Soderbergh | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Marisa Abela | Nominated | |||
| Dorian Awards | March 3, 2026 | Unsung Film of the Year | Black Bag | Pending | [41] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | December 27, 2025 | Best Picture | Nominated | [42] [43] | |
| Best Ensemble | Nominated | ||||
| Golden Trailer Awards | May 29, 2025 | Best Thriller | Focus Features / Wild Card Creative Group (for "Loyalty") | Won | [44] [45] |
| Best Thriller Poster | Focus Features / AV Print (for "Payoff Poster") | Nominated | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 15, 2025 | Best Ensemble | Black Bag | Won | [46] |
| Best Original Screenplay | David Koepp | Runner-up | |||
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 14, 2025 | Best Ensemble | Black Bag | Nominated | [47] |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | March 8, 2026 | Best Original Screenplay | David Koepp | Pending | [48] |
