Michael Fassbender cannot lie — the polygraph scene in Black Bag was a bear for him to shoot. Not because he had to pass the test (in fact, his character, George, is the one administering it). But on the page,

“ Black Bag ,” an elegant, quick-witted new thriller that finds Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender playing married spies, isn’t the pair’s first time together on screen. That honor goes to 2017’s “Song to Song,” one of Terrence Malick’s most intangible and head-scratching offerings — though the two stars can barely recall that experience.

Michael Fassbender is one of our best actors, but that doesn't stop him from having to read scripts. He still has to sort through the material and try to pick what speaks to him.