By John Corrado

Black Bag is the new sexy spy thriller from director Steven Soderbergh, with an ensemble cast of characters dealing with the prospect of a double agent in their midst while navigating their own personal relationships.

Michael Fassbender stars as George Woodhouse, an English spy married to fellow agent Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). In the noir-inspired opening scene, he is warned about a possible traitor amongst them at the agency, and all eyes are on his wife.

It’s a nifty set-up for a film that has its own bait-and-switch; this is not an action film per se, but rather a marital drama. The spy stuff is just sort of window dressing. Soderbergh, working from a script by David Koepp, sets the stage early on with a dinner party scene where George and Kathryn invite two other couples who work with them at the agency over to their house.

There’s Colonel James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page) and Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), as well as Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and rookie recruit Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela). But George has put truth serum in the chana masala, which leads to verbal fireworks abound around the table as he plays dinner party games to try and suss out information about the suspected mole. Their banter is quick and revealing, with Soderbergh and Koepp maintaining this energy over the course of the film.

This leads to a game of spy versus spy, while also dealing with themes about how couples manage to trust each other enough to stay together. The main appeal of Black Bag is the presence of a talented and attractive cast delivering Koepp’s snappy if sometimes absurd dialogue. Despite the overarching themes about grave risks to national security, there is a certain pop and levity to the film, as the three couples bounce off each other.

The dynamic works thanks to Soderbergh’s six main cast members. Fassbender’s icy spy persona is matched by Blanchett’s sultry intensity, with the two actors really nailing the chemistry between their characters. Pierce Brosnan rounds out the cast as agency head Arthur Steiglitz. If the former Bond actor feels slightly underused at first, his presence is welcome, and adds to the film’s genre credibility.

At just over ninety minutes, Soderbergh keeps the film moving with his own stylish cinematography and fast editing (done under his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard). It doesn’t necessarily add up to more than the sum of its parts. But Soderbergh is working with a tight ensemble cast that keeps the whole thing very watchable and entertaining, through a series of enjoyable twists and turns. It’s a fun little ride.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Black Bag opens exclusively in theatres on March 14th. It’s being distributed by Focus Features.