Steven Soderbergh’s new film – “Black Bag” in the cinema: the control freaks

When the British secret agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is commissioned to review five of his colleagues from SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) because one of them has obviously committed my secret, this seems to be more routine work. Until he learns that his wife Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett) is one of the suspects.

At first glance, Steven Soderbergh’s film »Black Bag« joins the currently inflationary, which is currently grinding to the boom of new top-class agent films, which plays an important role, especially on streaming platforms. For example with “Argylle” (2024) on Apple TV+, “The Gray Man” (2022) and “Heart of Stone” (2023) on Netflix or elaborately produced series such as “Citadel” and “The Agency” (where barrel also plays the leading role). Soderbergh’s 90-minute movie movies clearly stand out from these mostly very easily knitted blockbusters. Because the extremely stylish film is above all a relationship drama with wonderfully satirical undertones and briskly written bright dialogues. The now 62-year-old Soderbergh is also responsible for camera (under the pseudonym Peter Andrews) and cut (as Mary Ann Bernard).

At the center of this London agent history is the extremely correct George Woodhouse. He begins his research with a dinner at home in the chic London single-family house, to which he invites all the suspicious colleagues, namely two other couples from the agent authority, and puts them a drug-moving Masala curry. This leads to an almost surreal -looking situation, in which everyone present completely uninhibited suddenly only the truth can say what makes various suppressed relationship crises escalate. The Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela) responsible for data evaluation finally spits a steak knife in the back of the hand in the relationship dispute to her friend Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke). And the psychiatrist Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris) meanwhile shows her beloved loved one James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), which is of a simple he.

Is this really about state secrets, stolen military software or very banal relationship problems of good-middle-class control freaks from the London Upper Class?

“Black Bag” balances on a fascinating path between comedy, thriller and absurd relationship drama. Agent history sometimes seems to be no more than an ingredient in order to really escalate this relationship drama for young and no longer very young urban hipster characters.

Sessions prescribed by the employer with the psychiatrist, in whom nothing is given and all conflicts are unpacked, are as part of this story as well as anxious minutes in the satellite monitoring area, where George spies on his wife during a business trip. Is this really about state secrets, stolen military software or very banal relationship problems of good-middle-class control freaks from the London Upper Class?

“Would you kill me too?” Kathryn asks her husband George at some point while the two roll in bed. But George finally investigates his wife, because she is most likely to be the renegade agent. And it apparently sold no less than a system to bring about a meltdown in a nuclear reactor to Russian opponents of the president ruling in Moscow. The name Putin does not fall, the war that should be stopped with it is not named either.

“Black Bag” remains in an indefinite sphere that is decoupled by our reality, of which the most disgusting Arthur Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan) is, who runs the British secret service and almost runs through the film as a walking quote from the traditional James Bond universe.

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The agent story, rather flimsy at the beginning, is developing more and more substance towards the end. “Black Bag” will then be a tailor-made thriller with a secret service plot, which is intended and complicated around the corner several times, which is far from the common action claic. Rather, George Woodhouse and his colleagues are office workers who run through modern rooms, participate in meetings, read out data records and rarely have a weapon hidden somewhere if there are any exterior. It is more likely to be shot by putting information about the CIA and sending the Americans an intercontinental drone to blow up political opponents.

In the end, everyone consumes against everyone, almost the whole intrigue can hardly be seen through, but George Woodhouse and his wife Kathryn St. Jean bring light into the dark and ultimately dissolve the drama with an evening board game in the middle house. This is not a big demanding cinema, but has style and lots of entertainment value. Neither more nor less.

»Black Bag«, USA 2025. Region: Steven Soderbough, Book: David Coffee. MIT: Cate BLANCHETTH, Michael Fastender, Tom Burke, NAOM HARRIS, REUR-JURN-Jean PAKNAN. 93 min. Kinostart: 15. Mai.