Review: Black Bag (2025)
Steven Soderbergh makes it look easy. The filmmaker behind Sex, Lies, and Videotape , Out of Sight , The Limey , Erin Brockovich , Traffic , and The Ocean's Trilogy conquered Hollywood long ago by making movies that appealed to both audiences and critics. He was the rare creator who was able to translate his unique style and approach into movies that pretty much everyone enjoyed...and then, about a decade ago, he retired--frustrated by a system that valued dollars more than creativity and art. It didn't last long, but when Soderbergh returned from his brief hiatus, he seemed like a creator reinvigorated, telling stories in just about every medium available: he painted, he made a movie on an iPhone, he worked in television, and he created an off-Broadway play. He sought out challenges and set goals. Black Bag is the latest result of one of these challenges, Soderbergh's mission to bring the 90-minute movie back to prominence. With running times of everything from kids m...