The 30 Best Spy Movies Of All Time

The best spy movies invite audiences into a world of intrigue, danger, and action. James Bond is undoubtedly the first character to spring to mind when the genre is discussed, and while Ian Fleming’s 007 surely helped to raise its popularity and inspire imitators, the spy movie was around long before Bond. The genre has branched out considerably since then. Spy movies no longer only feature dashing, debonair secret agents. Spies can be from anywhere, but secret agent movies still maintain cat-and-mouse elements that made the genre so beloved.

Spy movies range from psychological thrillers to zany comedies. The stories take place across nations or just between one confused department. They involve real-world figures or fabricated organizations. What is important is a sense of tension in the plot, a legitimate feeling the hero could be on their last mission if even one mistake is made. Gadgets, secret enemies, and HQs filled with sometimes helpful and sometimes bungling team members fill the best spy movies, but it’s the tension and plotting that makes the best stand out.

30 Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (2002)

Sam Rockwell Stars As Gong Show Host Chuck Barris

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind might be one of the most unusual secret agent movies because it tells the often disputed tale of Chuck Barris. While most of the world knows Barris as a TV game show host (The Gong Show), he wrote an “unauthorized biography” where Barris claims he worked as a CIA assassin at the same time as he was a television host.

In the Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Sam Rockwell plays Barris while George Clooney directs and Julia Roberts has a key role as well. The movie plays as a dark comedy but has everything spy movie fans could want. It was also a critical success. Rockwell won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival, and the movie showed that Clooney was a director on the rise.

29 Spy Game (2001)

Robert Redford & Brad Pitt In An Espionage Thriller

When CIA agent Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) is arrested for espionage, his mentor Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) gets pulled from the edge of a long-awaited retirement as he sets out to free his old friend. Spy Game delves into the partnership between the two agents, going back to the Vietnam War and stretching into the modern spy world. Director Tony Scott’s high-energy filmmaking mixed with an intelligent script makes for a great “race against the clock” entry in the spy movies genre.

Seeing two generations of Hollywood leading men of this caliber sharing the screen is exciting, and their partnership is used wonderfully, making for a great mentor-student relationship.

28 Salt (2010)

Angelina Jolie Stars As A Russian Sleeper Agent

In Salt, the usual formula for spy movies is flipped when the protagonist is revealed to be a Russian sleeper agent. Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a sleeper cell who is compelled to start a nuclear holocaust but fights to override her programming. Like any of the best secret agent movies, Salt keeps information hidden until it’s revealed in the finale. The film is grounded by the committed performance of Jolie and its practical stunts. Salt offers a much wilder and more explosive experience than similar spy movies, and there’s still demand for Salt 2 a decade later.

27 Tenet (2021)

A Time-Travel Spy Movie

Adding a time travel element to spy movies is an interesting approach in Tenet that fits with Christopher Nolan’s style perfectly. John David Washington stars as an unnamed agent who is tasked with stopping an arms dealer from using time travel to ignite world chaos. The rules of the world are more than a little confusing, and it might take viewers more than one watch to understand it all. However, Nolan’s talent for putting on exciting set pieces with a practical filmmaking approach is easy to see.

26 Spy (2015)

A Spy Comedy Starring Melissa McCarthy

Adding comedy into spy movies without becoming an all-out parody is difficult but pulled off wonderfully in 2015’s Spy. Melissa McCarthy stars as Susan Cooper, a desk worker at a spy agency who is forced to go into the field when her friend and fellow agent (Jude Law) is killed. Spy makes its world and stakes authentic while filling them with hilarious and absurd characters that deliver the laughs.

McCarthy is her usual hilarious self but might surprise many viewers during the action sequences in Spy. However, the funniest performance of the movie goes to Jason Statham playing against his tough guy character type as an overly confident but completely bumbling secret agent.

25 Ronin (1998)

Robert De Niro As A Mercenary

Ronin is one of the most unappreciated spy movies in the genre, but its cult following is undeniable. Robert De Niro plays ex-U.S. intelligence agent Sam, who joins a ragtag band of mercenaries to recover a mysterious case from international bad guys. The movie blends two key elements of secret agent movies: the spectacular action and the paranoia. There are a lot of shady characters and backstabbing at hand, but when it comes to Ronin‘s reputation, it’s best known for one of the greatest movie car chases of all time.

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24 Enemy Of The State (1998)

A Tony Scott Spy Conspiracy Thriller

Enemy of the State is an overlooked film worthy of another chance. Smith plays a family man and lawyer who finds himself targeted by a rogue spy operation that believes he possesses a sensitive videotape. One of many spy movies by Tony Scott, it is a kinetic and fast-paced ride that examines privacy issues in the modern era. It is refreshing to see Smith as a less capable hero and Gene Hackman recreating his character from the spy classic The Conversation as an old-school intelligence officer aiding Smith.

23 Hanna (2011)

The Movie That Inspired The Prime Video Series

In Hanna, the titular young girl has been trained from birth by her guardian, Erik, to be an assassin. When the pair are separated by a vengeful CIA agent, Hanna uses every skill she’s learned to evade her pursuers and find out the truth about her mysterious birth. The tone and setting are a departure from most spy movies, taking place in Finland and Morocco and having a tone that most closely resembles a dark fairy tale. Ronan is fantastic, capable of pulling off dead-eyed action and affecting emotional scenes equally.

22 Burn After Reading (2008)

The Coen Brothers Slapstick Spy Movie

The Coen Brothers’ comedies are often as memorable as their dramas and one of their best is the absurd spy story Burn After Reading. The all-cast cast is led by John Malkovich as Osbourne Cox, a mid-level CIA analyst whose work documents are stolen by a pair of inept gym employees, Linda Litzke and Chad Feldheimer, setting off a chain event of increasingly paranoid and deadly reactions all based on utter stupidity. The rest of the ensemble includes the likes of George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and J.K. Simmons in this hilarious take on spy movies.

21 True Lies (1994)

James Cameron & Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Spy Thriller

Though Oscar-winning director James Cameron’s best movies aren’t usually humorous, True Lies injects some much-needed laughs into the spy genre without ever sacrificing the thrills of spy movies. This film follows world-class secret agent Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as he tracks down stolen nuclear weapons while keeping his dangerous job hidden from his wife Helen(Jamie Lee Curtis).

The two leads make for a surprisingly great comedic duo with Curtis winning a Golden Globe for her performance. Though not as big of a hit as some of Cameron’s other movies, True Lies grossed nearly $400 million, via Box Office Mojo, and spawned a TV remake.

20 Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Based On The Comic Book Of The Same Name

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In 2014, the formula of traditional spy movies was becoming a bit tired, which is why director Matthew Vaughn took an outrageous approach with Kingsman: The Secret Service. Marking Taron Egerton’s breakout movie role, the film sees him as Eggsy Unwin, a young streetwise kid tossed into an elite secret spy agency’s training program under the supervision of his mentor Harry Hart (Colin Firth).

The movie is a mix of reverence for the old James Bond movies as well as a hard-R action movie with some truly shocking moments, including the famous church shootout. Kingsman was a huge hit that spawned a sequel and prequel.

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19 Sneakers (1992)

Robert Redford’s Spy Caper Movie

The best spy movies often hang on the quality and chemistry of the cast. ‘90s comedy-thriller Sneakers has an all-star ensemble including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley, Dan Akroyd, and more. Sneakers follows a security specialist team hired by the NSA to retrieve an intelligence device from a rogue mathematician. There are inevitable double-crosses, though the film’s plot does an excellent job of hiding them, leading to sincere surprises. It’s breezy, light, and witty for a secret agent movie.

18 Atomic Blonde (2017)

Charlize Theron’s Take On A John Wick-Style Movie

In Atomic Blonde, Lorraine Broughton is a high-level MI6 agent who has to safeguard a list of double agents living in Berlin during the Cold War. On the eve of the Berlin Wall’s collapse, the list goes missing and Lorraine must find its location and figure out who to trust on the American and Russian sides. Atomic Blonde is a twisting, turning spy thriller that keeps the misdirection flowing until the very last scene. It’s a modern and stylish take on spy movies but set in a period era, making for a dizzyingly unique watch.

17 Notorious (1946)

Alfred Hitchcock & Cary Grant’s Spy Masterpiece

Alfred Hitchcock filmed many suspenseful scenes in his impressive career, so it only makes sense that he would play in the spy genre in some of his movies. Notorious is one of his most popular projects, as it follows Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy who is recruited by U.S. agent T.R. Delvin to infiltrate the Nazi command. Notorious is a classic throwback to Hollywood spy movies that entertain viewers decades later. It also marks one of Hitchcock’s best love stories, which helped Notorious get added to the National Film Registry in 2007.

16 Argo (2012)

Ben Affleck’s Tale Of The U.S. Hostage Crisis In Tehran

Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture in 2013, Argo is unique among spy movies as it’s based on a true story about the rescue of U.S. hostages in Tehran in 1979. Ben Affleck plays CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez, who leads a team of agents disguised as Canadian filmmakers into the heart of the viper’s nest. Argo takes the true story and pulls off a tonally tricky film. It is part comical farce with the putting together of a fake sci-fi movie using Hollywood connections, and it is part intense thriller with the danger of being exposed.

15 Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)

Mike Myers Comic Take Of A British Spy Out Of Time

The original Austin Powers kicked off a trilogy of spy movies by poking fun at the British secret agent motif with an oddly charming British secret agent, Austin Powers. Mike Myers plays dual roles as the titular spy and his Blofeld parody of a nemesis, Dr. Evil. Clever and full of slapstick, the first Austin Powers movie had fun paying homage to secret-agent movies while pointing out some of its silliest aspects. Mike Myers created two of his most famous characters and the comedy remains beloved through two sequels.

14 BlacKkKlansman (2018)

An Undercover Movie Exposing The Ku Klux Klan

BlackKklansman is a spy movie based on a true story that seems too outrageous to make up. It stars John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer who, in the 1970s, successfully led an operation to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. There is something immensely satisfying about seeing this movie make fools of the likes of David Duke and his followers, and there is a lot of humor in it.

However, BlackKklansman also takes a powerful look at racism in America and how it has not changed since that time as much as people like to think. The movie was nominated for Best Picture and won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, the first of Spike Lee’s impressive career.

13 The Conversation (1974)

Gene Hackman’s Award-Nominated Spy Movie

Though Francis Ford Coppola made classics like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, The Conversation could be regarded as his greatest masterpiece. Gene Hackman stars as Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who is hired to spy on a pair of subjects but overhears something potentially more dangerous than he expected.

The movie is thinner compared to Coppola’s other movies, but it hooks the viewer from the very beginning. Hackman’s layered performance from the start to the final moment’s impactful reveal elevates it over other spy movies. Though it might not be as revered as some of Coppola’s other iconic movies, it was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture.

12 The Imitation Game (2014)

The True Story Of Alan Turing

Benedict Cumberbatch earned his first Oscar nomination for playing a real-life hero in The Imitation Game. The movie is a biopic of Alan Turing and how he and his colleagues built a decoder device during World War II that helped end the war. The movie is a fascinating entry into the genre as it examines a real individual who made a huge impact with their intelligence work and unlike other spy movies, didn’t need big action sequences. It also takes a look at the injustices Turing himself faced as a gay man after playing this pivotal role.

11 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Gary Oldman’s Take On George Smiley

Given Gary Oldman’s legendary movie career, it’s shocking he only earned his first Oscar nomination for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but it is undoubtedly one of his best roles. John le Carré is one of the most celebrated spy writers, and this is a prime example of his grounded approach. Taking place during the grim paranoia of the Cold War era, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy follows veteran MI6 agent George Smiley, brought out of retirement to conduct a mole hunt. Oldman gives a perfectly reserved performance as Smiley.