Black Bag

Review: This 2025 spy thriller stars Michael Fassbender & Cate Blanchett as a classy married couple who both operate as spies. The film is eerily romantic and one of my favorite movies this far into the year. It was very well scored, with the tempo of the score precisely fitting each individual moment. The camera work & editing put whatever character we were meant to be skeptical of perfectly in the forefront, with the polygraph scene being spliced really well. The film starts with a great introduction to the characters providing us with character dynamics, personalities, & motives in such an efficient way that it felt like a game of Clue. Fassbender & Blanchett were great with each other and everyone else they appeared across from onscreen. I really enjoyed the specific performance of each supporting cast member as well. Tom Burke played an annoyingly convincing agent. Naomie Harris was an analytical & patient psychiatrist. Regé-Jean Page played a young agent who had the actor’s signature devilish charm. My favorite supporting performance was from Marisa Abel, who played a smarter than she seems young imaging specialist. Gustaf Skarsgård & Pierce Brosnan also both had performances impactful to the overall story, but I wish they would’ve been featured a little more. Especially Brosnan, whose character would’ve heavily benefited from a scene or two more.

High: This film was perfectly tense. My heart never got racing too fast & I never felt anxious, but it kept me engaged and curious for all 94 minutes. If you’re able to find this one at your local theater, go check it out (it’s still showing at most), and certainly keep an eye out for it to drop on streaming within the coming months. This film definitely has the potential to be a streaming hit due to its easy watch-ability & romantic tension.

Low: The movie was perhaps a little abrupt? I mean it wrapped it all up, but I felt as though the pacing was slow & methodical all through out and then just bam it ends.

Rating: 8.5/10