Recently, I had a good chat with my friend, Keith. He revealed something to me, a secret so shameful that it rocked me to my very core. The only possible way I could deal with it is to reveal that secret to you, the public. So what is it? Essentially, Keith has found he no longer has the attention span to watch movies. Three hour long episodes binged of a TV series is not a problem, but a single movie is a bridge too far.

The thing is, he’s not wrong to feel that way. The average length of a movie has been trending longer. Way back in the dark ages of 1980, the average run time of a motion picture was one hundred fifteen minutes. By 2023, the average skyrocketed to a bladder punishing one hundred forty-three minutes.* That’s a little over two and a half hours. 

I get that it’s all in the eye of the beholder, and I’m reminded of the old Roger Ebert quote, “No good film is too long and no bad movie is short enough.” Lawrence of Arabia needs to be long AF and it would be diminished to be cut down to an hour forty-five. But there’s something refreshing about encountering a film of reasonable length in the wild. The fact that Black Bag, Steven Soderbergh’s new film, is a mere ninety-three minutes, was only the first point in the film’s favor.

We’re introduced to George (Michael Fassbender), making his way through the back streets and nightclubs of London. He’s an English intelligence analyst, and he’s about to learn some very disturbing intelligence. His contact Meachum (Gustaf Skarsgard) tells him there’s a traitor in his midst. The traitor has stolen Severus, your standard-issue device of destructive power that pops up so often in espionage fiction.

That’s bad. What’s worse is that signs point to the traitor being a member of George’s team. What’s even worse than that is one of the team members is Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), who happens to be married to George. The fact that their marriage is going through a rough patch is the rancid cherry on top of a cake made from garbage.

So George does something so odd, yet so English, to begin his investigation. He throws a dinner party for his team. Arriving is outspoken libertine Freddie (Tom Burke), and his just-this-side-of-too-young girlfriend Clarissa (Marisa Abela). Also arriving is buttoned-up Col. James Stokes (Rege-Jean Page), as well as Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), the psychoanalyst whom they all see. 

Other than the increasing acrimony, the seemingly innocent games designed to get a rise out of everyone, and the part where someone is stabbed in the hand, the dinner party goes fairly well. It’s only the opening gambit where George will discover which one is fuller to the brim of secrets: espionage or marriage.

There are directors out there, like Terry Gilliam, who are willing to defy God Himself in order to finish a movie. Others, like David Fincher and Stanley Kubrick, are willing to put actors through more than eighty takes to get the scene they want. Steven Soderbergh is not one of those filmmakers.** More often than not, even if his films are somewhat or largely improvisational, they’re highly efficient. Black Bag is no exception. The film never feels sloppy or rushed. Rather, Soderbergh has trimmed off all the fat he possibly can to make a sleek, sexy espionage thriller that never feels self serious.

Soderbergh has wisely partnered again with experienced screenwriter David Koepp.*** It’s good that the script nimbly shows us who the characters are, what secrets they hold, and what they’re willing to do to keep them. It’s better that Koepp introduces a sly sense of humor to the whole affair. This isn’t one of those spy thrillers where stone-faced people in suits bark out, “Get me a location ninety seconds ago!” The gags are smart and effervescent, and almost never at the expense of the characters.

With this director and screenwriter, it’s no wonder the cast delivers as strongly as they do. Fassbender’s George is the solid center, and he plays a man who’s nearly unflappable and who detests liars. His chemistry with Cate Blanchett is solid, and while he prizes honesty, her Kathryn treasures loyalty. So much so that she’ll lie to protect the people she loves. The supporting cast is solid, and I particularly enjoyed Naomie Harris as a mental health professional who’s almost as smart as she thinks she is, and Pierce Brosnan as a surly spy chief.

Black Bag is an espionage thriller that understands the assignment. It gets in, does what it needs to do with a minimum of fuss, and leaves you with a pleasantly fizzy endorphin rush. It’s a perfect example of a film that doesn’t need to be interminably long, and would in fact be hurt by that. It’s also the kind of film Keith would love.

*You can see the statistics here.

**Which is not to say Soderbergh hasn’t been avante-garde in the past, or straight up batshit insane. The Limey is a good example of the former, while Schizopolis will do nicely as an example of the latter.

***Koepp also worked with Soderbergh on Kimi and Presence.

Tim Brennan Movie Critic

Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.