Black Bag (2025) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on Black Bag

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 15 November 2026 · The Pros 92 · The Punters 65 · Spore Score 86 · How we write our takes

Why The Pros rate it higher than The Punters

Black Bag is a critics' favourite that general audiences liked rather than loved. The Pros give it 92, The Punters 65, and the Spore Score is 86, a fuzzy result with a 27-point gap. Critics praised it as a sleek, grown-up spy film with sharp dialogue and no wasted minutes. Some viewers expecting action in the Bond or Mission: Impossible mould found a talky chamber piece with very few explosions, and marked it down for that.

What it is

Steven Soderbergh directs from a script by David Koepp, the pair's second film together in quick succession. Michael Fassbender plays George Woodhouse, a British intelligence officer told that someone inside his agency has leaked a dangerous piece of software. One of the five suspects is his own wife, fellow agent Kathryn St. Jean, played by Cate Blanchett. Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page and Pierce Brosnan complete the circle of suspects and spymasters. It was released in March 2025.

What it does well

It is lean, smart and very stylish. Fassbender and Blanchett make a convincing married couple who trust each other completely and suspect each other constantly, and the film's best scenes are two tense dinner parties where the guests are tested with lies, food and drink. Soderbergh shoots London cleanly and moves the story along briskly, and it is refreshing to see a spy film that treats marriage as seriously as espionage.

Where it falls short

If you want chases, gunfights and globe-trotting, this is not that film. Much of the drama is people talking in rooms, and the plot about the stolen software is little more than a device to set the suspects against each other. The cool, controlled tone can feel chilly.

Who it is for

Fans of John le Carré-style spy stories, of clever adult thrillers, and of Soderbergh's quick, polished films. It also works well as a date-night film for couples who enjoy a whodunit.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Must-see, with a Spore Score of 86. One of the classiest thrillers of 2025, a short, sharp film that critics rated more highly than audiences, but worth seeking out if talk is your idea of tension.