Shaken, stirred, and even streamed, spy films make up lots of the most fun, edge-of-your-seat tales the flicks have to supply. From the harrowing heights of the “Mission: Unattainable” franchise to the suave savvy of six James Bonds, espionage has grow to be the thematic floor on which a few of cinema’s most epic dramas, thrillers, and comedies (howdy, “Austin Powers”) are constructed. Even movies primarily centered on different material make frequent use of spy drama beats (see Star Wars and Marvel, for starters), proving it’s a bedrock supply for onscreen leisure.
The espionage style is as outdated as filmmaking itself with silent spy films set in opposition to the backdrop of World Warfare I (1914’s “The German Spy Peril” is on YouTube) testing the medium’s limitations early within the twentieth century. Literary works impressed many extra of the spy films to comply with. Over time, filmmakers have repeatedly tailored the works of John le Carré, Robert Ludlum, Ian Fleming, and extra spy novelists imagining the covert operations of native, nationwide, and worldwide enemies. Nice spy tales could make use of the style’s irresistible tropes — quick vehicles, sturdy drinks, double-crosses, and many others. — however they accomplish that whereas rendering distinctive portraits of the complicated characters caught of their story’s crosshairs.
Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, and the Coen brothers are only a handful of the legendary auteurs who’ve put their abilities towards the artwork of the spy film. Alongside the way in which, they’ve enlisted top-tier appearing expertise, creating residing legends with A-list actors from Cary Grant to Tom Cruise. Measured by how properly they make use of the style, listed below are the highest 22 finest spy films ever made.
[Editor’s note: This list was published in July 2022 and has been updated since.]
Further editorial contributions by Alison Foreman.
24. “Austin Powers: Worldwide Man of Thriller” (1997)
An iconically foolish parody of the spy movie style, the “Austin Powers” franchise grew extra stale and determined to shock and gross-out with every installment. However the first entry of Jay Roach and Mike Myers’ affectionate ribbing of the 60’s “James Bond” franchise stays iconic to youngsters of the ’90s and early 2000s, and it’s nonetheless a humorous lark at present. Myers stars as ’60s undercover agent Austin Powers, who emerges within the ’90s after a stint in a cryogenic freezer to find his vogue sense and womanizing perspective have grow to be hopelessly outdated close to the flip of the millennium. Teaming up with fashionable spy Vanessa (Elizabeth Hurley), he takes on his archnemesis, the cackling mad scientist Dr. Evil (additionally Myers, in an excellent twin efficiency). Lots of the jokes and references could have been run into the bottom by now, however “Worldwide Man of Thriller” nonetheless holds up properly due to a sharper script than its sequels and Myers’ pitch-perfect efficiency. —WC
23. “Black Bag” (2025)
Steven Soderbergh’s cool, slick type of filmmaking feels tailored for the spy style, so it’s actually no shock that his foray into the style with “Black Bag” was such a house run. The precise sort of humorous, horny, entertaining movie for adults individuals complain aren’t getting made anymore, this status riff on “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a pair of devoted British intelligence brokers whose devotion to one another will get examined when Fassbender’s George begins to suspect Blanchett’s Kathryn is responsible of subterfuge. It’s a portrait of a wedding between two bizarre, manipulative individuals wrapped up within the dressing of a spy movie, and it cracks with vitality and chemistry due to the compelling performances from each Blanchett and Fassbender. Add in an excellent supporting solid (Pierce Bronson will get a small position in reference to his James Bond stint, whereas Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, and Regé-Jean Web page flip in nice work as quite a lot of secret brokers whose romantic lives are additionally curdled by their line of labor) makes for one of the crucial satisfying and purely enjoyable spy movies in current reminiscence. —WC
22. “Spy” (2015)
The spy comedy is a surprisingly fertile microgenre, between “Spy Onerous” and the ever-popular “Austin Powers” franchise. However none can maintain a candle to the merely named “Spy,” which gives Melissa McCarthy along with her finest/probably solely nice post-“Bridesmaids” comedic flip, full with Paul Feig returning to direct her. Solid in opposition to sort as a doormat, McCarthy’s character Susan Cooper has been confined to a desk job for years due to her passive nature, working as a backup for her crush Bradley Advantageous (Jude Legislation). However when Advantageous will get murdered on the job, she decides to step onto the sector to trace down nukes seller Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). McCarthy is an utter delight as Susan, and her journey to changing into a assured, badass motion hero makes for a rewarding, surprisingly transferring character arc. The one dangerous factor about “Spy” is it one way or the other hasn’t gotten a sequel but. —WC
21. “BlacKkKlansman” (2018)
Detectives Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) and Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) go undercover within the Ku Klux Klan for Spike Lee’s darkly hilarious “BlacKkKlansman.” Primarily based on Stallworth’s 2014 memoir of the identical identify, this 2018 Finest Image contender received Finest Tailored Screenplay, incomes Lee his first aggressive Oscar 30 years after “Do The Proper Factor.” (Lee received an honorary Oscar for his physique of labor in 2015). Set in Nineteen Seventies Colorado, “BlacKkKlansman” won’t be a spy film in essentially the most conventional sense of worldwide espionage. But it surely maneuvers perspective and dramatic irony with sufficient panache attribute of the style to overpower any classification technicalities. It earned extra Oscar nominations for Finest Director, Finest Movie Enhancing, Finest Authentic Rating, and Finest Supporting Actor for Driver. —AF
20. “Bridge of Spies” (2015)
Amongst Tom Hanks’ finest roles is his efficiency in “Bridge of Spies” as the actual James B. Donovan, a Chilly Warfare-era lawyer tasked with negotiating the discharge of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). The 2015 historic drama not solely stirringly reenacts the occasions of the 1960 U-2 disaster, however sees the Finest Image nominee’s staggeringly expert crew mix their mega-watt abilities for a few of the most memorable beats in spy cinema. Steven Spielberg directs with a script from Matt Charman and the Coen brothers. Mark Rylance received Finest Supporting Actor for his efficiency as Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. —AF
19. “The Imitation Recreation” (2014)
Directed by Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Recreation” tells the compelling true story of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a superb mathematician and pc scientist who labored as a code-breaker for the British throughout World Warfare II. This poignant spy drama affords not solely an enchanting glimpse into Turing’s most salient improvements and discoveries, but additionally a heartbreaking espionage story that fearlessly interrogates what generations of LGBTQ individuals have been requested to sacrifice — and conceal. “The Imitation Recreation” was nominated for eight Oscars, together with Finest Actor for Cumberbatch and Finest Supporting Actress for Keira Knightley, who performs code-breaker Joan Clarke. Screenwriter Graham Moore received for Finest Tailored Screenplay, having primarily based the undertaking on Andrew Hodges’ biography “Alan Turing: The Enigma.” —AF
18. “Munich” (2005)
Israel’s occupation of Palestine is a very sensitive topic, however Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” is among the few nice portrayals of the battle on movie. A barely fictionalized account of the occasions following the 1972 Black September assaults that result in the deaths of 11 Israel Olympic Group Members in Munich, the movie focuses on a crew lead by Mossad agent Avner (Eric Bana), as they journey the world to assassinate a number of Palestinians allegedly concerned within the assault. The movie doesn’t take the facet of the brokers, essentially, as an alternative specializing in the queasy morality of their actions and the cycle of violence that ends in nothing however hurt to either side. Sure, the intercourse scene is a bit goofy, however “Munich” stays considered one of Spielberg’s finest. —WC
17. “Enemy of the State” (1998)
Bobby Dean (Will Smith) finds himself within the flawed place on the flawed time in director Tony Scott’s “Enemy of the State.” When Bobby’s outdated pal from faculty (Jason Lee) witnesses a homicide involving high-level authorities officers, the pair’s likelihood assembly at a shopping mall leaves the ill-fated labor lawyer with important proof. Quickly, he’s on the run with the top of the NSA (Jon Voight) and a congressman (Gene Hackman) in scorching pursuit. Regina King and Lisa Bonet additionally seem. —AF
16. “The Hunt for Crimson October” (1990)
Nonetheless the perfect adaptation of a Tom Clancy novel so far, “The Hunt for Crimson October” chronicles the seek for a hard-to-detect submarine off the east coast of the U.S. The highly effective ballistic missile sub could also be captained by Soviet captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), but it surely’s the CIA’s obligation to search out and cease it. Alec Baldwin leads as agent Jack Ryan, alongside Tim Curry, Peter Firth, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland, and extra. The 1990 spy thriller earned three Oscar nominations, successful for Finest Sound Results Enhancing. —AF
15. “On line casino Royale” (2006)
It’s tough to recollect a time when individuals regarded Daniel Craig as an odd alternative for James Bond, and that’s largely as a result of his first movie as 007 was such an out-of-the-gate residence run. And whereas Craig would star in 4 additional movies because the character, “On line casino Royale” nonetheless stands tall as his solely really nice Bond journey. Director Martin Campbell, having already reinvented the character as soon as for “GoldenEye,” does it once more right here, turning the suave spy into an inexperienced agent initially of his profession. The mission is grittier and extra severe than many of the movies that got here earlier than, however with the signature glamour and magnificence that makes the sequence such a blast, and with motion and stunts that rank among the many finest within the franchise. However what actually makes “On line casino Royale” sing is its good concord of hero, love curiosity, and villain. Because the chilly La Chiffre, Mads Mikkelsen is each a menacing presence and a surprisingly practical baddie. The Craig movies by no means discovered a Bond Lady higher than Eva Inexperienced because the heartbreakingly empathetic Vesper Lynd, who develops a transferring chemistry with the lead star. And as Bond, Craig is rivetingly intense and sneakily susceptible, bringing a real humanity that the enduring character oftentimes lacks. —WC
14. “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962)
Launched on the peak of the Cuban Missile Disaster, director John Frankenheimer’s “The Manchurian Candidate” redefined the double-cross with the story of a soldier, performed by Laurence Harvey, who’s unwittingly weaponized by overseas enemies. The idea comes from writer Richard Condon’s gripping 1959 novel, however is made much more compelling by the onscreen abilities of a solid that boasts Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury, who bought her first Finest Actress nomination for her half. “The Manchurian Candidate” was additionally nominated for Finest Movie Enhancing. —AF
13. “The Girl Vanishes” (1938)
Alfred Hitchcock is the one director on this checklist to have three separate entries, which is very unsurprising; because the grasp of suspense, the British filmmaker’s abilities are good for the spy style. One in all his earliest and finest spy movies is “The Girl Vanishes,” His 1938 British movie about an English vacationer (performed by Margaret Lockwood) touring via the (fictional) nation of Bandrika, who befriends an aged passenger (Could Whitty) on board her prepare residence. However when she falls asleep, the aged girl vanishes, and everybody else on board denies ever having seen her, forcing the vacationer to crew up with an irritating musicologist (Michael Redgrave) with a purpose to suss out the thriller. The movie stays crackerjack leisure many years later, due to Hitchcock’s already impeccable course and scorching chemistry between Lockwood and Redgrave. —WC
12. “The Bourne Id” (2002)
When the “James Bond” sequence relaunched with “On line casino Royale” in 2006, it seemed very totally different, with a grittier, extra down-to-earth tone that was worlds away from the invisible vehicles of “Die One other Day.” That change in course owed greater than a bit to 2002’s “The Bourne Id,” which introduced a tough and tumble high quality to the spy style that proved wildly influential. Matt Damon stars because the titular Jason Bourne, a person with amnesia rescued from close to loss of life by the ocean, who discovers that he’s on the middle of an enormous CIA conspiracy. The movie spawned 4 sequels, however Doug Liman’s unique stays the perfect, with motion scenes and a thriller that thrill 20 years later. —WC
11. “Mission: Unattainable — Fallout” (2018)
Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, “Mission: Unattainable — Fallout” tops IndieWire’s full rating of the super-spy motion franchise with good motive. That includes a few of the sequence’ finest stunts (Tom Cruise leaping out of a C-17 at 25,000 toes!) and a satisfactorily compelling plot (anarchists have entry to atom bombs), the sixth “Mission: Unattainable” title justifies itself by delivering extra of the identical higher, sooner, additional. Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, and extra spherical out the solid. —AF
10. “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969)
The Finest James Bond Motion pictures is a rating unto itself, to make sure. But it surely simply doesn’t get extra quintessentially 007 than the George Lazenby-starring “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Not solely does it embrace intoxicating ranges of Bond allure (“There’s one thing formal concerning the level of a pistol…”), but it surely additionally has top-of-the-line Bond motion sequences (ski chase!), top-of-the-line Bond scores (John Barry outdoes himself, together with “We Have All of the Time within the World” carried out by Louis Armstrong), and top-of-the-line Bond love pursuits (Diana Rigg as Bond’s solely spouse, Traci di Vicenzo). —AF
9. “Three Days of the Condor” (1975)
In Sydney Pollack’s 1975 espionage masterclass, CIA bureaucrat Joe Turner (Robert Redford) leaves the workplace to get lunch, solely to return and discover all six of his colleagues murdered. Afraid for his life, Joe enlists the assistance of a girl off the road named Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway). Collectively, the pair try and piece collectively what to do and who they’ll belief in a dizzying spectacle of spy tropes. Max Von Sydow’s mustachioed Joubert affords an all-time nice antagonist. —AF
8. “The Spy Who Got here in from the Chilly” (1965)
Directed by Martin Ritt, this 1965 espionage staple follows MI6 agent Alec Leamas (Richard Burton) via a harrowing steeplechase of betrayal and brilliance. When the jaded Leamas, nearing retirement, is requested to promote British secrets and techniques to the East German Intelligence Service, his determination to defect units off a mesmerizing feat of deception that locations him and colleague-turned-love curiosity Nan Perry (Claire Bloom) in grave hazard. The darkish story earned Burton an Academy Award nomination for Finest Actor, in addition to accolades for Finest Artwork Path. —AF
7. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011)
Primarily based on John le Carré’s page-turner of the identical identify, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” units forth a seemingly simple puzzle: Who’s the mole on the prime of British intelligence? Directed by Tomas Alfredson, this thorny espionage drama stars Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Stephen Graham, Tom Hardy, and extra in a circuitous plot set in opposition to the backdrop of the Chilly Warfare. On the Oscars, Oldman earned a Finest Actor nod, whereas screenwriters Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan had been nominated for Finest Tailored Screenplay. Composer Alberto Iglesias was additionally nominated for Finest Authentic Rating. —AF
6. “No Method Out” (1987)
In director Roger Donaldson’s “No Method Out,” a naval lieutenant commander (Kevin Costner) makes a horrible mistake when he by accident begins an affair with the mistress (Sean Younger) of his new boss, the U.S. Secretary of Protection (Gene Hackman). That may-be foundation for a Washingtonian rom-com doesn’t sound too dangerous. However when the secretary murders his lover in chilly blood, proof linking each males to the sufferer begets a coverup that reaches the Pentagon. Primarily based on writer Kenneth Fearing’s “The Massive Clock,” this 1987 political thriller could be the most outright entertaining on this checklist. (Significantly, simply consider that ending!) —AF
5. “Infamous” (1946)
One in all Hitchcock’s all-time best movies, “Infamous” options Ingrid Bergman in her different acclaimed movie a few girl caught in a love triangle between two males. As in “Casablanca,” Bergman performs a spy, although this time one for America in Alicia, who works with U.S. authorities agent Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a Nazi group who escaped punishment from World Warfare II in Brazil. Alicia, the daughter of a German battle legal, is assigned to seduce the chief of the group Sebastian (Claude Raims) — a mission that proves deeply difficult when she and Devlin develop intense emotions for one another. For followers of recent spy fiction like “The Individuals” which mixes espionage with romantic stakes, “Infamous” and its intoxicating mixture of thrills with anguished ardour is an absolute must-watch. —WC
4. “Military of Shadows” (1969)
Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Military of Shadows” obtained destructive opinions upon its 1969 French launch, which triggered the World Warfare II interval piece to go undistributed in the USA till 2006. However time has been terribly variety to the espionage drama, which is now considered Melville’s best movie and top-of-the-line movies concerning the Nazi occupation of France. Though he tailored a novel by Joseph Kessell, Melville was impressed by his personal expertise as a member of the French Resistance in creating “Military of Shadows,” and his lived expertise reveals within the movie’s unromantic, bleak view of the small cell of spies it follows. The quartet of Resistance Members — performed by a incredible ensemble together with Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret — are unambiguously good individuals, however the inevitability of seize and execution hangs over their each motion, and “Military of Shadows” makes for a heartbreaking, empathetic ode to those that sacrificed their lives in an try and subvert tyranny. —WC
3. “The Dialog” (1974)
Gene Hackman stars as surveillance skilled Harry Caul in “The Dialog,” a 1974 psychological thriller that director Francis Ford Coppola as soon as stated was his favourite of his movies. Its plot revolves round Caul and his colleagues’ mission to covertly document a pair’s dialog for a secretive consumer. What units this Finest Image contender aside (funnily sufficient, it misplaced out to Coppola’s higher cherished “Godfather Half II” that yr) is its multi-purposed use of character interiority, commingling the protagonist’s persnickety sense of self with broader dystopian themes of guilt and duty within the post-privacy period. —AF
2. “Burn After Studying” (2008)
Author-directors Joel and Ethan Coen eschew the sleekness of different spy sagas for the hilariously messy “Burn After Studying.” When some not particularly necessary paperwork belonging to former CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) fall into the inept palms of two health club workers (Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand), a ridiculous blackmail scheme unfolds. Though it includes spies greater than it’s about spying, “Burn After Studying” seamlessly blends spoofy espionage humor with a serpentine plot evocative of the style’s best hits. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Elizabeth Marvel, J. Okay. Simmons, Richard Jenkins, and extra additionally seem. —AF
1. “North By Northwest” (1959)
Within the higher echelon of the all-too-masterful Alfred Hitchcock catalog, “North by Northwest” is in rivalry for cinema’s most thrilling case of mistaken identification, and IndieWire’s decide for the definitive finest spy film. When advert exec Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) lands within the crosshairs of a mysterious espionage group helmed by the villainous Vandamm (James Mason), he’s pressured right into a terrifying cat-and-mouse chase that takes him throughout quite a few states, magnificent set-pieces, and sweeping American surroundings.
From the immediately recognizable crop-duster sequence to the equally iconic climax on Mount Rushmore, Hitchcock’s 1959 movie is definitive proof {that a} Chilly Warfare-era spy saga can construct paranoid rigidity with out counting on the claustrophobic visible cues of a bunker or submarine. Plus, Grant and Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) share a witty chemistry that makes the trendy however nonetheless exacting script from Ernest Lehman go down easily. —AF