Critics reviews

Soderbergh – still a directing, editing, and shooting triple threat, and still vibing effortless cool no matter what genre he turns his hand to – is smart to keep things moving at a brisk clip; if [Black Bag] slowed down, I suspect it might expose a certain thinness to the plot.

"Black Bag" is Soderbergh at his stealthy, subversive best. And what star power! Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbinder are dynamite as two married spies... [and] Soderbergh is a wizard at locating the fire under the ice. He's morphed this spy tale into a mesmerizing marriage story.

“Black Bag” is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in which no one cracks a smile... [Soderbergh's] core goal is to flirt with the audience, to remind adults that his movies are committed to entertaining them. And he’s turning himself on as he does it, embracing whatever gets him excited to shoot a scene.

[Black Bag] is a banger. It’s also sleek, witty and lean to the bone, a fizzy, engaging puzzler... It’s nonsense, but the kind of glorious grown-up nonsense that critics like to say they (as in Hollywood) no longer make.

[Black Bag] is the latest effortless Soderbergh miniature, acted by a game and glittering cast while never breaking a sweat. It’s good, brainy fun, but I do miss the days when this director sweated a bit more.

[A] delicious marital drama cloaked as a sleek spy thriller. Lean and taut, the 93-minute “Black Bag” is more a sizzling amuse-bouche than full-course meal, but it’s simmered to perfection.

“Black Bag” may be rooted in the mind, but it is inextricably connected to the heart... That’s what makes a Soderbergh genre exercise such a deliciously satisfying cinematic morsel: It is pure fun, but also deeply layered with larger existential themes, making for a delightful romantic spy drama that cannot be missed.

No doubt the unrelenting archness will annoy many. But, honed to an economic 93 minutes, Black Bag beats all the current worthless streaming thrillers for wit, pace, style and commitment to the bit. Keep it up with a sequel, please.

[A] fascinating dive into genre... [Black Bag] manages to feel like Soderbergh trying new things he’s never attempted in an already impressive career, but doing so with a distinct style, tone, and vibe that fits right into his larger oeuvre of work.

If “Black Bag” denies us the kind of duplicitous confrontations that other versions of this story might take pains to savor, Soderbergh’s aversion to giving audiences what they want — and the severe angularity that he tends to offer us now instead — is almost as rewarding here as it was utterly indefensible in “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.”

Cerebral rather than action-packed, [Black Bag] is like a classic le Carré thriller, brought bang up to date with stylish direction, outrageously thirsty acting, and some bone-dry wit.

Never tied down to a single genre or style, [Soderbergh's] latest is a sexy spy thriller that forsakes shootouts and explosions in favor of mind games and incisive dinner table conversation. Black Bag is light, unpretentious entertainment for grown-ups, a solid 90 minutes of pure, mostly bloodless fun.