A Plot Synopsis, Film Clips, Photos, and Official Trailer of Focus Features’ ‘Black Bag’
Plot Synopsis written by Michael Lee
*All Media used in this article is courtesy of Focus Features
Photo Credit: Focus Features
Official Trailer: ‘Black Bag’ (2025)
Plot Synopsis
Cate Blanchett as Kathryn St. Jean and Michael Fassbender as George Woodhouse in ‘Black Bag’ • Photo Credit: laudette Barius/Focus Features
George Woodhouse, a British Intelligence Officer, is given a week to investigate the leak of Severus, a confidential software program. One of the suspects is Kathryn Woodhouse, his wife and fellow Intelligence Officer.
‘Black Bag’ Movie Clip: “Fun and Games” • Video Credit: Focus Features
George invites the other four suspects, of whom are all spies, to his and Kathryn’s home for dinner. The other four suspects are Zoe, an agency psychiatrist, and her boyfriend, Col. Jame Stokes, as well as satellite imagery specialist Clarissa and her boyfriend, Freddie. George laces their food and reveals that Freddie has been caught cheating on Clarissa, so she stabs Freddie in anger.
‘Black Bag’ Movie Clip: “I have a game” • Video Credit: Focus Features
Mecham, George’s supervisor, dies suddenly of a heart attack. George finds a movie ticket in their trash, so he questions Kathryn about the film, but she denies seeing it. Now suspicious of his wife, George breaks into her office and learns that she is set to travel to Zurich soon. He alerts Clarrissa, who helps him redirect a satellite in order to spy on Kathryn. They learn that she is meeting with a Russian operative.
‘Black Bag’ Movie Clip: “It’s the Only Way” • Video Credit: Focus Features
Later, James Stokes, informs Goerge that his wife has access to a bank account in Zurich, which contains ₤7 million in misdirected and unexplained funds. Kathryn, now attending a psychiatric session with Zoe, is asked if she prioritizes her career or her husband George. In another session, Zoe breaks up with James and Freddie informs Kathryn that George is on to her leaking Severus.
‘Black Bag’ Movie Clip: “Nothing I Couldn’t Handle” • Video Credit: Focus Features
We then learn that when George and Clarissa redirected that satellite, another Russian operative disappeared with a copy of the Severus program, and is now en route to Eastern Europe in order to use it to cause a nuclear meltdown. Kathryn uses Clarissa to track the rogue Russian operative. Kathryn begins to suspect her boss, Arthur Steiglitz, deliberately let the Severus program leak, in order to allow the nuclear meltdown, as well as to destabilize the Russian government.
‘Black Bag’ Movie Clip: “Polygraph Tests” • Video Credit: Focus Features
Kathyrn then leaks the operatives location to a CIA contract, which results in a drone strike, killing both Russian operatives somewhere in Poland. George, now armed with a polygraph, intends to put all the other suspects through the detector to determine when they first learned about Severus. Later, while comparing notes in bed, George and Kathryn realize they are being set up.
Michael Fassbender as George Woodhouse and Marisa Abela as Clarissa Dubose in ‘Black Bag’ • Photo Credit: laudette Barius/Focus Features
They again hold another dinner party, this time however, Kathryn and George are intent on playing a game involving a loaded gun on the table. George reveals a lot at the party, but most importantly, that Zoe learned of the Severus program from James and that Freddie’s lover was actually Zoe. Zoe attempted to stop the Severrus program because of her Catholic faith.
Michael Fassbender as George Woodhouse, Tom Burke as Freddie Smalls and Pierce Brosnan as Arthur Steiglitz in ‘Black Bag’ • Photo Credit: laudette Barius/Focus Features
George reveals that there were two plans: One by Freddie to frame George and Kathryn, while the other one by James and Stieglitz to leak Severus in hopes of a nuclear meltdown. James confesses, as well as revealing he is the one who killed Meachem, and quickly grabs the gun in order to shoot George. James learns that the gun was loaded with only blanks. Kathryn shoots and kills James.
Naomie Harris as Dr. Zoe Vaughn and Cate Blanchett as Kathryn St. Jean in • Photo Credit: laudette Barius/Focus Features
The rest of the group help dump James’s corpse in a pond and return to work. Kathryn then informs Steiglitz that she and George learned of his plan, and she suggests he leave the country. Later, Kathrryn and George confess their love for each other despite earlier suspicions.
