Courtesy of Focus Features

Twisty, sexy and stylish, Steven Soderbergh’s second film of 2025, “Black Bag,” is an excellent venture into the spy subgenre with clever subtext on maintaining a relationship in a world of distrust.

Set in the scene of British intelligence officers, the film follows George Woodhouse — played by Michael Fassbender — a muted and focused spy with a distaste for liars, as he is given a mission to root out a traitor leaking a secret code to Russian agents. George takes on the assignment, but he realizes that one of the main suspects is his wife Kathryn, played by Cate Blanchett.

To go further into the plot would be to reveal too much, as one of the primary pleasures of “Black Bag” is the twists and turns the audience is taken on by Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp. It’s as precise as clockwork, paced to perfection as George dives deeper into conspiracy and suspicion of everyone around him.

The film is expertly crafted, as should be expected from a Hollywood veteran such as Soderbergh. Following his experimental horror film “Presence,” he returns to offering more pleasurable and traditional stylings, with a sleek look based around cold colors and sharp camerawork immersing the viewer into a world that is undeniably cool. It’s the kind of quietly masterful direction that doesn’t call too much attention to itself but fits just right with what the film needs.

The cast is on point, led by Fassbender’s subtly and Blanchett’s unapologetic sensuality. The two shouldn’t work as a couple, given how different their characters and performances are, but when they share the screen together, their differences become highly complementary in a way that feels perfectly natural. The supporting cast is filled with winners as well, with Tom Burke and Pierce Brosnan especially relishing the chance to ham it up as sleazier characters.

While the surface pleasures of “Black Bag” are more than enough to make it worthy of recommendation, the themes underneath it provide even more food for thought afterwards. George and Kathryn are one of many couples in the film, and notably the only one that seems genuinely happy to be with each other. They are both asked how they can make their relationship work in a field based around suspicion and uncovering secrets, and the answers they provide offer intriguing commentary on how to maintain love with someone whom you distrust. 

Riveting all the way to its extremely satisfying reveals, “Black Bag” is a film that offers something increasingly rare in Hollywood: style alongside substance. It’s a quiet triumph, and absolutely not one to miss.