Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag has broken over a dozen Rotten Tomatoes records thanks to its rave reviews. The highly anticipated spy thriller starring Michael Fᴀssbender and Cate Blanchett proved to be worth the wait. As Soderbergh’s second movie of 2025, Black Bag delivered the type of adult genre fare many were looking for. With writer David Koepp’s smart script, Soderbergh’s sharp direction, a handful of terrific performances, and the big reveals in Black Bag‘s ending, there’s a lot to like about the movie.
It is no wonder that Black Bag‘s reviews are among the best for any 2025 movie to date. After Soderbergh’s horror thriller Presence got an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, his spy film was even better received. As of this writing, Black Bag has a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics after the aggregator tabulated 165 reviews. That score will surely keep it among the best-reviewed movies of 2025, as films earning scores between 98%-100% are rare. Still, it’s staggering to note the various Rotten Tomatoes records Black Bag has broken.
Black Bag Is The Highest-Rated Movie Steven Soderbergh Has Directed
He Has A New Career High For Feature Films
Steven Soderbergh has been making movies for decades now, but Black Bag is officially his highest score on Rotten Tomatoes among his narrative feature films. He was an executive producer on the 2001 documentary Tribute and the 2022 documentary Is That Black Enough For You?!?, which both have 100% ratings from critics. But in terms of movies that Soderbergh directed, Black Bag has beaten Sєx, Lies, and Videotape to be his best-reviewed film.
|
Steven Soderbergh Movie |
Critics RT Score |
|---|---|
|
Black Bag (2025) |
97% |
|
Sєx, Lies, and Videotape (1989) |
96% |
|
Out of Sight (1998) |
94% |
|
Behind the Candelabra (2013) |
94% |
|
Traffic (2000) |
93% |
|
The Limey (1999) |
92% |
|
Kimi (2022) |
92% |
|
No Sudden Move (2021) |
92% |
|
Logan Lucky (2017) |
92% |
|
King of the Hill (1993) |
91% |
|
High Flying Bird (2019) |
91% |
|
Presence (2025) |
88% |
|
Let Them All Talk (2020) |
87% |
|
Erin Brockovich (2000) |
85% |
|
Contagion (2011) |
85% |
|
Ocean’s Eleven (2001) |
83% |
|
Side Effects (2013) |
83% |
|
Unsane (2018) |
80% |
|
Haywire (2011) |
80% |
|
The Informant! (2009) |
80% |
|
Che: Part Two (2008) |
79% |
|
Magic Mike (2012) |
78% |
|
Bubble (2005) |
72% |
|
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) |
70% |
|
Che: Part One (2008) |
68% |
|
The Girlfriend Experience (2008) |
67% |
|
Solaris (2002) |
66% |
|
Schizopolis (1996) |
65% |
|
The Underneath (1995) |
63% |
|
Gray’s Anatomy (1996) |
59% |
|
Ocean’s Twelve (2004) |
55% |
|
Kafka (1991) |
55% |
|
Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023) |
48% |
|
The Laundromat (2019) |
41% |
|
Full Frontal (2002) |
39% |
|
The Good German (2006) |
34% |
|
Eros (2004) |
34% |
Black Bag taking Steven Soderbergh’s all-time Rotten Tomatoes record is a mᴀssive deal. Sєx, Lies, and Videotape was his directorial debut, and the movie retained his best score on Rotten Tomatoes for nearly 36 years. Although he’s made bigger box office hits and even a Best Picture winner with Traffic, Black Bag now holds the record for the best reviews of Soderbergh’s prestigious career. That’s no small accomplishment. It further illustrates how this is one of Steven Soderbergh’s best movies.
Black Bag Is The Best Rotten Tomatoes Score For Michael Fᴀssbender, Cate Blanchett, & More Cast & Crew Members
14 Other Black Bag Members Broke Records
Black Bag isn’t just a record release for Soderbergh. Basically everyone involved in the film has a new career-high Rotten Tomatoes score with critics thanks to the film. This includes everyone from Michael Fᴀssbender and Cate Blanchett to people in the art department or involved in casting. The most significant exception is Naomi Harris, who still has Moonlight as her highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 98%. Otherwise, these are the movies and RT scores Black Bag has now beaten to set additional records for the cast and crew.
|
Person |
Black Bag Role |
Previous Rotten Tomatoes Record Film (Score) |
|---|---|---|
|
Michael Fᴀssbender |
George Woodhouse |
Kneecap (95%) |
|
Cate Blanchett |
Kathryn St. Jean |
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (96%) |
|
Marisa Abela |
Clarissa Dubose |
Rogue Agent (72%) |
|
Tom Burke |
Freddie Smalls |
Living (96%) |
|
Regé-Jean Page |
Col. James Stokes |
Sylive’s Love (94%) |
|
David Koepp |
Screenwriter |
Kimi (92%) |
|
Casey Silver |
Producer |
No Sudden Move (92%) |
|
Gregory Jacobs |
Producer |
Out of Sight (94%) |
|
Philip Messina |
Production Design |
Out of Sight (94%) |
|
Laura Mickiewicz |
Art Director |
Damsel (56%) |
|
Marco Anton Restivo |
Art Director |
The Imitation Game (90%) |
|
Anna Lynch-Robinson |
Set Decoration |
Wonder Woman, An Education, and Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (93%) |
|
Ellen Mirojnick |
Costume Design |
Speed (95%) |
|
Carmen Cuba |
Casting |
The Florida Project (96%) |
Cate Blanchett has been involved in a few documentaries with higher Rotten Tomatoes scores, so this record strictly concerns her on-screen narrative roles. Furthermore, Black Bag‘s Rotten Tomatoes score is an easy record for Marisa Abela’s movie roles, but it also beat Industry’s 90% score to be the highest of her career overall. It’s also worth noting that other than beating Soderbergh’s 36-year record, Ellen Mirojnick had the oldest movie that previously had her highest RT score, with 1994’s Speed. Most of the records will still hold even if Black Bag‘s score dips a point or two over time.
Black Bag’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Also Tied A Pierce Brosnan Record
It Even Predates His Time As James Bond
Image via Focus Features
The 15 records Black Bag claimed were all great, and the movie even tied one for Pierce Brosnan. The 97% score Soderbergh’s movie received is the same as Brosnan’s record high on Rotten Tomatoes. This puts Black Bag in a tie with The Long Good Friday. The latter is a 1982 crime drama starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, which was Brosnan’s first movie role. He’s only credited as “1st Irishman” for the film. Despite the small role he had in it, The Long Good Friday remained unchallenged as Brosnan’s highest score on Rotten Tomatoes for 43 years.
If the score ticks up to 98%, then there will be a 16th record it can claim.
That makes Black Bag‘s acclaim somewhat of a rarity for Pierce Brosnan. It’s only the second movie the accomplished actor has ever been in that has a score above 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. He was in the James Bond documentary Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, which has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But similar to Blanchett and Soderbergh, Black Bag has tied the actor’s record for narrative feature film roles. If the score ticks up to 98%, then there will be a 16th record it can claim.
