Black Bag
The Film
Black Bag is a 2025 American spy thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp. It stars Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan.
In the film, British intelligence officer George Woodhouse (Fassbender) is assigned to investigate a list of suspected traitors, one of which 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, and principal photography commenced that May, with filming taking place across London and at Pinewood Studios.
Black Bag was released in UK cinemas in 2025.
Production
In January 2024, it was announced that Steven Soderbergh would direct the film, with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender attached to star. In March, additional cast members were confirmed, including Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Burke.
Principal photography commenced in London on 6th May 2024. Filming also took place at Pinewood Studios.
Costume design for the film was led by Ellen Mirojnick, in collaboration with Simon Holloway and the British luxury goods brand Dunhill.
David Holmes composed the score and plays a cameo role as a DJ in the opening club scene. The piece 'Polyrhythmic' by Phil Kieran is included in the opening scene of the film.
Critical Response
On the review aggregator website 'Rotten Tomatoes', 96% of 265 critics' reviews are positive. 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."
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Audiences polled by PostTrak gave it a 75% overall positive score, with the majority saying they would "definitely recommend" it.
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Cast
Michael Fassbender as George T. Woodhouse, an NCSC counterintelligence
officer, interrogator and Kathryn's husband
Cate Blanchett as Kathryn St. Jean, the NCSC Head of Signals Operations
and George's wife
Marisa Abela as Clarissa Dubose, an NCSC signals intelligence and satellite
imagery specialist
Tom Burke as Frederick Alan 'Freddie' Smalls, an NCSC case officer
Naomie Harris as Dr. Zoe Vaughan, the staff psychiatrist at NCSC headquarters
Regé-Jean Page as James Stokes, an NCSC counterintelligence officer and
military Colonel
Kae Alexander as Anna Ko, Philip Meachum's partner
Ambika Mod as Angela Childs, a junior NCSC intelligence officer
Gustaf Skarsgård as Philip Meacham, an NCSC official and George's superior
Pierce Brosnan as Arthur Stieglitz, the head of the NCSC