I understand this is not the casual dinner you'd prefer

Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 films of 2025

#16 :  Black Bag

Remember when films were sexy and cool? Steven Soderbergh does. The director responsible for some of the sexiest and coolest films of the ‘90s and ‘00s (Out Of Sight, the Ocean’s trilogy) returns to the kind of sharply written, glossily watchable fare that made his name, bolstered by the nuclear weaponisation of Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as a married couple who happen to be super-spies for the British National Cyber Security Centre. Tasked to find a leak in his team, Fassbender’s George is given a list of suspects, including – wouldn’t you know it – his good lady wife. David Koepp’s script luxuriates in fun espionage clichés (truth serums, spy satellites, world-ending MacGuffins) as well as spicy dialogue and scintillating sexual tension. Everyone looks impeccable and the ending is as satisfying as a murder mystery — like if Agatha Christie had a steamy affair with Ian Fleming. Sexy and cool: it can be done!

This is another one I was excited enough about when it came out that I watched it - I'm a sucker for a decent spy thriller, I generally like the vibe that Soderbergh brings and it's got Fassbender and Blanchett (which would be a cool name for a local firm of solicitors), so I was all in. And it's going to be quite interesting to write it up now, because I don't actually remember all that much about what happens in it...

I do remember that it is indeed, as Empire says, sexy and cool - it's just got a "cool spy" vibe to it with every location just being 100% cooler than your average home, office, park bench etc. And, of course, it doesn't hurt that everywhere is populated by sexy and cool people - it's not just Fassbender and Blanchett but there's also Marisa Abela, Tom Burke (the sixth film we've written about with him in, putting him level at the top with Timothée Chalamet), Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, Pierce Brosnan and Ambika Mod (her third appearance here in quite a short career)

Before I check out the plot on Wikipedia to remind me what exactly happened, I do remember that the film starts with a most excellent dinner party where George (Michael Fassbender) gets all the suspects together and things really don't progress as you expect (in a most enjoyable manner). I also remember the rest of the film is then multiple twists and turns, underpinned by an enjoyable double sense of uncertainty - is Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) the leak and, if she is, is he actually going to turn her in?

Filling in the gaps thanks to Wikipedia, it reminds me that it all ends at another wildly out-of-control dinner party - and yes, Empire is right that it is a satisfying conclusion. However, I was also perfectly happy not having remembered it, because this film is more about the (very twisty, but exceedingly eye-catching) journey than the destination (although I would have been upset if I'd not been given an ending - see our previous visit). 

The film is carried by our two leads and, as expected, they do exactly what's required of them. Everyone else is good, but I'm going to give Marisa Abela a special mention because she's not done loads before (apart from Industry, which I'm trying and failing and watch) and she outshines some of her more illustrious colleagues.

This is exactly the sort of film that they used to make which would become a word-of-mouth hit in the cinema, but that just doesn't happen these days - Steven Soderbergh expressed disappointment that it failed to make money in the cinema and concern about the future of films in general. But, of course, everyone knows it's only a few weeks before it'll be on the streamers and it's currently available to stream on Sky or to rent in all the usual other locations.  And, if anything, I'd say it's even better to watch with the ability to pause and rewind to try and work out what exactly is going on. 

This is a strong recommendation if you have a couple of hours free - it looks gorgeous, is well acted and tells an enjoyable and satisfying story. What more do you want?

#17 - Such an annoying waste of time
#15 - Not a complete waste of time