When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his ... Read allWhen intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations total
- Vadim Pavlichuk
- (as Dan Dow)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Watched at AMC on 3-13-2025.
The film feels stylish and polished despite its small scale and brief running time. Soderbergh's deft direction keeps things running quickly and efficiently, paying special attention to the psychological and intuitive motives of the characters. The plot developments aren't particularly unique compared to other spy films, which is what holds back "Black Bag" from being truly great, but its commitment to creating intriguing narrative tension in an entertaining way and at a small scale is commendable. Recommended. 7/10.
Mmm, I found this movie directed by Steven Soderbergh really dull and lifeless.
He's not a favourite director of mine although I loved Erin Brockovich but some oh his other offerings left me underwhelmed.
Black Bag begins with intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse being suspected of betraying the nation and her husband George also a legendary agent .
The stakes get high when the security around a software program named Severus is threatened by falling into foreign hands.
George played by Michael Fassbender faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.
Kathryn Woodhouse is played by Cate Blanchett in what I refer to as one of her " look at me I'm acting! " roles most recent being the complex wife Catherine Ravenscroft a celebrity journalist in the series Disclaimer which I also rated a 6/10.
Black Bag is a slick looking production with an estimated budget of USD 60,000,000 .
For me the script by David Koepp didn't flow and got very convoluted at times with no light or shade to make the characters believable.
Even some of the supporting characters seemed cut outs from previous spy dramas .
It even features two alumni from the official James Bond feature film series. They are Eve Moneypenny actress Naomie Harris and former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan.
The scene in the restaurant with Pierce Brosnan's character Arthur Stieglitz consuming what appears to be a live fish in an illegal Japanese custom called ikizukuri really turned me off my dinner .
I really even couldn't say I recall any movie score in Black Bag but apparently it was composed by Thomas Newman.
I'm sure some people will probably enjoy Black Bag but it went over my head and straight out of my memory.
All of the assembled cast do a sufficient job in delivering a very talky script. I especially liked Michael Fassbender's concise and measured performance as the spy ordered to get to the bottom of a leaked top secret software program that could jeopardise national security where his wife, Cate Blanchett, is one of the suspects.
For me Soderbergh never quite scratches my itch when he attempts to do 'cool' like he did with the Ocean trilogy. There's a cold aloofness that prevents me as a viewer to get completely wrapped up in the story he is trying to tell. Also with Black Bag I wasn't keen on the cinematography which looked like a creative decision to make most light sources seem diffused, presumably to make this look like an old fashioned espionage thriller from the 1960's. Fassbenders character certainly has shades of Harry Palmer to him, especially wearing those trademark black glasses.
Despite it being talky and smart it's not that taut and I would like to have seen a bit more action and a few surprise twists for there to be a better payoff for all the concentration the viewer has to endure to get to a rather mediocre finale.
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Steven Soderbergh said that he chose Michael Fassbender to play the keenly observant cyber-security interrogator George Woodhouse because he "...knew he wouldn't be afraid to play the interiority of George. He burrowed in deep while creating a calm surface that masks a lot of turbulence. Michael can imply a great deal without being flashy."
- GoofsWhen the movie ticket stub is seen in the trash, it has the date "WED 02 MARCH 2024" printed on it. However, in the following closeup shot, when George is holding the ticket, the prop has been altered, and the year has been removed, so it just says "WED 02 MARCH"
- Quotes
George Woodhouse: If she's in trouble, even of her own making, I will do everything in my power to extricate her. No matter what that means. You understand?
Clarissa Dubose: My god, that's so hot.
- Crazy creditsActress Alicia Vikander, the wife of the film's leading man, Michael Fassbender, who plays George Woodhouse, made a playlist that was used in the film. She was billed for this in the closing credits as "DJ Vicarious". In 2020, Vikander with her agent founded a production company called "Vikarious".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Designing Black Bag (2025)
- SoundtracksPolyrhythmic
Performed by Phil Kieran & Thomas Annang (as Thomas Tettey Annang)
Written by Phil Kieran
Licensed by Phil Kieran
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Código Negro
- Filming locations
- Hotel Storchen, Weinplatz, Zürich, Kanton Zürich, Switzerland(exterior: Kathryn has meeting outside hotel)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $21,474,035
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,607,250
- Mar 16, 2025
- Gross worldwide
- $43,494,886
- Runtime
- 1h 33m(93 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1