When The Holdovers was advertised last year, I wasn’t very excited, but I was pleasantly surprised, and it became one of my favourite films. I had the same initial thoughts when watching the trailer for Black Bag. It was very underwhelming. I should have remembered the Alexander Payne comedy drama because Steven Soderbergh’s second film this year, after the low-key horror Presence, is an absolute triumph and allows audiences to be adults again with a twisty-turny cat-and-mouse tale of espionage, with a terrific confidence with how it plays out, and with a first-rate cast to lead the story.

George Woodhouse is a master spy specialising in uncovering the truth about internal espionage. When his wife, Kathryn, is accused of sharing information that could lead to thousands of deaths, it is his job to discover the truth. When five names appear on a list, including the woman he trusts, he has to dig deep to find the truth and has only a week to do it.

Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp have gone down the route of old school spy thrillers. There is an air of 70s film making about it, from the cinematography, to the soundtrack, a series of noises more than music, from composer David Holmes, to a wordy script that demands you follow every inch of the dialogue, otherwise, you will be lost with the double and triple crossing that goes on throughout the film. Think Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Three Days of the Condor; you are almost there.

It starts with a detailed tracking shot of George meeting with a contact in a night club, where we follow the spy through the pounding sounds and flashing lights to discover his man. From there, we have a dinner party, where George invited all the suspects and, having drugged the food, allows them to be a little freer with their conversations. This is one of the more tense scenes, even though it is set at a table and the camera moves around the players: Freddie Smalls, a fellow agent who has issues and is less than discreet when it comes to women; Clarrisa, a survellence agent who has been seeing Freddie and knows about his other extra-circuluular activities; Dr Zoe Vaughn, a pyshcatrist who works for the company and who has been seeing the final member of the group, Colonel James Stokes.

Once the initial characters are well and truly established, we follow George as he sorts through the various information that has or has not been shared, using all his power to try and avoid the finger being pointed solely at his wife while still thinking it could be a possibility that she has leaked the information. Soderbergh playfully teases us with red herrings and dead-ends while still keeping the tension taut, which leads to a second dinner party that plays out like a more vicious version of an Agatha Christie reveal.

This isn’t a James Bond film but more like a Harry Palmer tale, right down to George wearing oversized, dark-framed glasses, just like Michael Caine. It is intelligent and never talks down to its audience or spends too much time repeatedly explaining the same thing. At just over 90 minutes, the film zips with some action set pieces, but this isn’t a blockbuster adventure flick.

The cast is strong. Michael Fassbender is at his coldest as George, a man who hates liars and who is meticulous in his job of finding the truth. As his wife, Cate Blanchett is at her finest; with her brunette hair and a smoldering attitude, she sizzles. Pierce Bronsan, as the head of the department, is a real surprise and considering he doesn’t have too many scenes on screen, he steals them all.

Black Bag is a cracking spy thriller that will keep you guessing until the truth is revealed. It is one for those seeking a genre film with an adult attitude. It is a real surprise and one that once again proves that you should never judge a book by its cover.

4 out of 5

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Marisa Abela, Rege-Jean Page, Pierce Brosnan, Gustaf Skarsgård, Kae Alexander

Written by: David Koepp

Running Time: 93 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 14th March 2025