In The Insider, Steven Soderbergh, director of Ocean's Eleven and Traffic, returns with a spy thriller where tension, personal dilemmas and patriotism collide. Written by David Koepp, screenwriter of Mission: Impossible and War of the Worlds, the film follows a protagonist at a decisive turning point in his life, caught between duty, betrayal and a quest for identity.
Boasting a five-star cast led by Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender and Regé-Jean Page, The Insider promises intense power plays and masterful twists and turns in a world of espionage as elegant as it is dangerous.
This promotional video highlights the film's hushed, paranoid atmosphere, where every look and every silence become weapons.
The Insider will be broadcast on Canal+ on Friday, September 12, 2025 at 9:09pm.
Synopsis: On his journey of self-discovery, man is also confronted with the duty to love and defend his homeland, and finds himself at three important crossroads in his life.
When top-secret information is stolen, George Woodhouse(Michael Fassbender) is given a crucial mission: find the mole who has infiltrated his department. Among the five suspects, four are his colleagues(Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, Marisa Abela, Regé-Jean Page)... and the fifth is none other than his own wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), herself an agent.
From that moment on, doubts start to creep in: George has to juggle his investigative instincts with his attachment to Kathryn, while tracking down the culprit. As the investigation progresses, the masks come off and the mechanics of doubt intensify, revealing the trickery of the espionage world and the pressure of a system that crushes even its best people.
With The Insider, Steven Soderbergh moves away from the spectacular action film to deliver a methodical, relentless espionage thriller. It's closer to Three Days of the Condor than Mission: Impossible, with tension built on silences, unspoken words and equivocal glances.
With its steady pace, subdued atmosphere and subtle writing, The Insider follows in the footsteps of refined British espionage dramas such as The Mole and The Third Man. Far from Hollywood's explosive standards, the film favors intelligent dialogue, restrained emotions and a latent tension that stretches out with surgical mastery.
This typically British phlegm is echoed in Steven Soderbergh's precise direction, where every gesture, every look, every silence takes on paramount importance. The sober, elegant sets, ranging from austere government offices to hushed drawing rooms, reinforce this pared-down aesthetic, where the stakes are played out in glances rather than gunfire.
Michael Fassbender plays a cold, methodical spy who is plagued by uncertainty. His character, trapped by his duty and his emotions, must navigate an environment where lies are the norm. Opposite him, Cate Blanchett excels as an elusive, unsettling and aloof woman who faces suspicion with chilling composure. Their relationship, at once fusional and toxic, gives rise to exchanges of frightening intensity.
One of George's lines perfectly sums up the ambiguity of their bond: "When your whole life is based on lies, if she's in trouble, even if it's of her own making, I'll do everything in my power to get her out of it."
While The Insider shines for its psychological tension and the quality of its writing, its extremely slow pace can be disconcerting. Soderbergh prefers a meticulous investigation to spectacular twists and turns, which could frustrate those expecting a nervous, dynamic thriller.
However, for fans of rigorous spy stories, where every detail counts and emotion is born from the acting, The Insider is a fascinating work, both cold and implacable. Steven Soderbergh 's icy, intelligent spy thriller turns the hunt for a mole into a study of relationships and manipulation.
While Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett deliver masterful performances, the film takes the gamble of realism and hushed suspense, at the risk of confusing action fans.
What remains is a methodical and intense thriller, where paranoia, pretense and betrayal are played out not only on the pitch... but also in the intimacy of a couple.
TV Schedule from December 15 to 21, 2025: Our Top Picks for the Week
Discover our TV guide for December 15–21, 2025: the top movies, series, and shows airing this week on television. [Read more]
Don't know what to watch? To find your way around the endless catalogs of streaming platforms, rely on our guide! Netflix, Disney +, Prime Video, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Max... Here's a quick roundup of films and series to watch right now. [Read more]
Today's new streaming releases: movies and series added today to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Paramount+, and VOD. [Read more]
TV Schedule from December 15 to 21, 2025: Our Top Picks for the Week
New movies and series to watch in November 2025 on streaming platforms
What to watch today on streaming? Today's new releases
