I watched 'Black Bag' and it's one of the best spy thrillers in years

Michael Fassbender in "Black Bag" (2025).

(Image credit: Alamy)

"Black Bag" is the first great movie of 2025. And while it's not on one of the best streaming services yet, I think you need to go see it now that it's in theaters.

I saw Steven Soderbergh's latest movie at a screening Tuesday night and 94 minutes later, I came out utterly satisfied with the spy thriller. In no small part, I came out satisfied because the movie was only 94 minutes long.

Too often, movies run far longer than they need to and your first comment is "I would have cut 20 minutes." Not this one. I can't think of a single frame I would have cut from the movie.

Don't just take my word for it either. As of this writing, "Black Bag" is rated 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 92 reviews. That is undeniably a critical success.

As it should be. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie this expertly crafted.

To be fair, Soderbergh knows what he's doing. This movie feels very reminiscent of "Ocean's Eleven" and while it's a spy thriller it could easily be viewed as a heist film. If you pay attention to the clues, they almost always pay off in the end.

Whether or not you have already heard about this movie or not, you need to see it. Here's what 'Black Bag' is about and why this is a must-watch in theaters this weekend.

What is 'Black Bag' about?

BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14 - YouTube

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'Black Bag' stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as spy couple George Woodhouse and Kathryn St. Jean. They both work for the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre.

Within the agency, their roles are quite different. George is a surveillance expert whose polygraph tests are legendary within the agency, and Kathryn is more fieldwork-oriented as the head of psychological operations.

But at the beginning of the movie, her work is suddenly George's problem. A piece of covert tech has been stolen and it's clear that someone is a traitor. A fellow agent (Gustaf Skarsgård) gives George a shortlist of the potential moles and Kathryn's name is on the list.

To suss out the traitor, George invites all five people on the list — agents Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and James Stokes (Rege-Jean Page), data scrapper Clarissa (Marisa Abela), in-house therapist Dr Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris) and Kathryn — to a dinner at their house to see who might reveal a deadly secret.

What follows is a game of cat and mouse, only everyone playing thinks they're the cat.

You'll pay attention to every detail of 'Black Bag'

'Black Bag' is an intimate movie. Almost everyone that matters is in the dinner scene in the opening third of the movie. The lone exception is Arthur Steiglitz (Pierce Brosnan), who is everyone's boss.

And ultimately, it's the spies who matter in this spy thriller. Yes, there's the mythical Severus, a piece of dangerous cyber tech, but it's clear about halfway through the plot that it's just a MacGuffin to kickstart the plot.

Michael Fassbender and Marisa Abela in "Black Bag" (2025). — (Image credit: Alamy)

That's about the only thing that's a throwaway in the movie. Everything else matters, from the brilliant dialogue to the tempo-setting score.

You'll want to pay attention to every little detail because it pays off in such a satisfying way, but you'll also find it so engaging that you'll be paying attention whether you actively try to or not.

With a cast this talented, you'll also be paying attention to the performances whether you actively try to or not. Fassbender is incredible as is Blanchett, and their chemistry is electric, flirtatious and smoldering all at once.

Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender in "Black Bag" (2025). — (Image credit: Alamy)

But the breakout performance is Marisa Abela as Clarissa Dubose. "Black Bag" is essentially centered around three ensemble scenes and in two of them, she totally steals the show.

If she hadn't already broken out in "Industry," I'd say she's one to watch. But anyone who's seen her in the HBO/Max drama series already knows she's a star.

So go see her performance for yourself. "Black Bag" is my first must-watch movie this year and you won't want to miss now that it's in theaters.

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Malcolm McMillan is a Streaming Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.