Despite having a story that’s similar to many films in the James Bond franchise, Black Bag is much more grounded than any movie in the long-running spy series. Black Bag, which is directed by Steven Soderbergh, is one of the best movies of 2025 so far, and this is largely due to the fact that it is unlike many other films that have been released in recent years. Black Bag is a spy film, but rather than focusing on high-stakes action, it is mostly comprised of fascinating character interactions.

The cast of Black Bag includes Michael Fᴀssbender, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, and Pierce Brosnan. The latter two names automatically make people think of the James Bond franchise, since Harris played Moneypenny and Brosnan played 007. However, Black Bag has actually garnered better reviews than most James Bond movies. Reviews for Black Bag have been exceptional, with Screen Rant’s own Mae Abdulbaki giving it an 8 out of 10. While there are similarities between Black Bag and the many missions of 007, the former is the type of movie that would never come out of the James Bond franchise.

Black Bag Is A Completely Different Type Of Spy Movie Than James Bond

Black Bag Is A Character-Driven Spy Movie

It is no surprise that many similarities have been drawn between Black Bag and the James Bond franchise, since the Soderbergh-directed movie follows a group of British intelligence officers. The character dynamics in Black Bag are so interesting because Fᴀssbender and Blanchett play a married couple who both work for the Secret Intelligence Service. Since they have different roles in the spy agency, Fᴀssbender’s George and Blachett’s Kathryn are forced to constantly keep secrets from each other.

This obviously makes their marriage difficult, but they manage. At least, they manage until George suspects Kathryn of leaking a top-secret software program called Severus, which could lead to the deaths of thousands of people. In addition to Kathryn, George also suspects several of his other colleagues of leaking Severus throughout the movie. Unlike a lot of spy films, Black Bag is not filled with action sequences, but rather focuses on complex character interactions.

For example, early into the movie, George invites many of his coworkers over for dinner so he can subtly question them about Severus. Throughout Black Bag, all the characters are trying to find out key pieces of information from each other. Even though it doesn’t have any intense action scenes, Black Bag is actually far better than a lot of James Bond movies since it is a very well-written, personal story about a small group of characters. From the start to the end of Black Bag, viewers should be engaged and eager to find out who really leaked Severus.

Black Bag Is Better Than A Lot Of James Bond Movies, But 007’s Franchise Can’t Do This

James Bond Is An Action-Packed Franchise

Even though Black Bag proves that an extremely personal spy film with practically no action can work very well, a movie like it will never be seen in the James Bond franchise. Characters like Harris’ Dr. Zoe Vaughan and Brosnan’s Arthur Stieglitz fit into Black Bag’s story perfectly because of the actors’ previous experiences in the James Bond franchise. These two specific actors, along with all the other actors in Black Bag, can make personal conversations just as thrilling as high-stakes action sequences. However, there is no chance a James Bond film will ever be as personal as Black Bag.

James Bond fans would never want an entry that is told on a smaller scale, like Black Bag is. Since its inception in 1962, the James Bond franchise has become far too big and too action-oriented to turn back now. Now that Amazon has creative control of the James Bond franchise, they will likely only want to produce bigger films, rather than tell more personal stories. Therefore, even though Black Bag is a great spy film, there is no chance anything like it will ever come out of James Bond, which is the most popular spy franchise in the world.