George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) has one week to establish a traitor from a list of five British Intelligence Operatives. The added complexity being that his wife Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), is one of the names on the list. 

Opening with a controlled tracking shot that follows our protagonist into and back out of a nightclub, as he collects the aforementioned list from a colleague we are immediately equipped with everything that we need to know about George. Comfortable in his own skin in any environment and an accomplished professional. Something that is reinforced throughout the movie making the singular moment he loses control even more impactful. 

Fassbender and Blanchett are sublime as the professional spies whose only allegiance stronger than to their tradecraft is to each other. Whilst the supporting cast around them match them every step of the way thanks to a superb script from David Koepp and efficient and stylish direction from Steven Soderbergh. 

The film is bookended by dinner parties held by George and Kathryn giving it the added feel of a whodunnit murder mystery alongside its stylish spy trappings. Which makes the supporting cast so much more interesting as we have a means to see them in both a professional and personal capacity. The suspects at the dinner table are two other couples who aspire to be George and Kathryn in different manners. James (Rege-Jean Page) and Freddie (Tom Burke) both work for George. The former a high flier who just usurped the latter to a promotion, in the main thanks to Freddie’s drinking, drug taking and womanising. Zoe (Naomie Harris) is the company psychiatrist who has seen most of the group privately in sessions. And finally Clarissa (Marisa Abela) who aspires to George’s greatness. 

And if all of those fascinating characters are not enough then we are also treated to a special cameo from Pierce Brosnan as the Station Chief who considers George and Kathryn’s relationship a weakness that subjects them to unacceptable exposure. 

Black Bag is stylish, efficient, filled with superb performances and features no fat whatsoever. This is by far and away Soderbergh and Koepp’s best 90 minute feature in their recent collaborations. (See also Kimi and Presence). 

A must see.