The Spies and Espionage Film subgenre resides within the Action, Thriller and War genres and overlaps with subgenres including Films About Assassins & Hitmen, Films About Undercover Agents, Films About Cops & The FBI, Films About Politics, Suspense Thrillers, Films About World War II and Films About the Cold War. For our list, we have chosen spies and espionage that can happen at both a government level and corporate level.
We can’t start talking about Spy and Espionage Films without first talking about the most well-known spy of them all – James Bond. Ian Fleming’s James Bond character was popularized in novels and then eventually film with Dr. No (1962). Rather than list all the James Bond films which comprise their own microgenre, you can check out our entire list of James Bond Films.
Spy films in general became popular during the Cold War (1945 – 1991) and if you’re interested in Spy and Espionage films during this period specifically, you can view our entire list of Cold War Films. The 1950’s started with two classic films of the Spy subgenre with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and North by Northwest (1959). Though the 1960’s were dominated by James Bond films, other classic and notable films of the subgenre were released with The Ipcress File (1965), Triple Cross (1966) and Where Eagles Dare (1968).
The 1970’s saw the popularity of the Spies and Espionage film subgenre grow as the Cold War fed into the paranoia of the decade. Cold War films featuring Spies and Espionage included The Looking Glass War (1970), The Kremlin Letter (1970), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Telefon (1977). Spy films based on World War I & World War II also continued to be popular with Zeppelin (1971), The Odessa File (1974), Marathon Man (1976) and The Eagle Has Landed (1977). Other classic and notable films of the subgenre included The Conversation (1974), Barry Lyndon (1975) and The Killer Elite (1975).
As the Cold War intensified in the 1980’s, many Spy and Espionage films of this decade utilized different aspects of the Cold War. Firefox (1982) featured a US spy trying to steal groundbreaking technology from the Soviets. The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) focused on home-grown spies that were stealing US secrets to give to the Soviets. And The Package (1989) highlighted an assassination attempt of Soviet commanders on US soil as they broker a nuclear peace deal. The decade also saw the rise of Comedy Films About Spies and Espionage with Top Secret! (1984), Gotcha! (1985), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) and Spies Like Us (1985). Other classic and notable subgenre films from this decade included Eye of the Needle (1981), Enigma (1983), The Osterman Weekend (1983), Cloak & Dagger (1984), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), Code Name: Emerald (1985), The Fourth Protocol (1987), No Way Out (1987), Little Nikita (1988) and Goldeneye (1989).
The early 1990’s saw a continuation of Cold War Spy Films with The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Russia House (1991) and Company Business (1991). But as the Cold War thawed in 1991, films of the subgenre turned to different antagonists. Two of the most popular films of the decade featured the IRA and spies in Patriot Games (1992) and the Colombian drug cartel in Clear and Present Danger (1994). Sneakers (1992) was of the first Techno Thrillers that utilized corporate espionage in its narrative. And Mission: Impossible (1996) focused on moles within the CIA and started an entire franchise based on action-orientated Spy and Espionage films. The 1990’s also had quite a few classic and notable films of the subgenre including Europa Europa (1990), True Lies (1994), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The English Patient (1996), The Saint (1997), Face/Off (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), Ronin (1998) and Enemy of the State (1998).
In the 2000’s, Cold War Spy films saw a resurgence with A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Sum of All Fears (2002), The Lives of Others (2006) and Breach (2007). World War II Spy Films also continued to be popular with U-571 (2000), Enigma (2001), Black Book (2006) and Inglourious Basterds (2009). This decade also saw the emergence of Kids & Family Spy Films with Spy Kids (2001), The Tuxedo (2002), Agent Cody Banks (2003) and Get Smart (2008). Other classic and notable films of this decade included Mission: Impossible II (2000), Spy Game (2001), The Bourne Identity (2002), I Spy (2002), The Quiet American (2002), Infernal Affairs (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Syriana (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006), The Departed (2006), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Lust, Caution (2007), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), Eagle Eye (2008), Body of Lies (2008) and The Informant! (2009).
The 2010’s became a Golden Age of Films About Spies & Espionage with many films focused on different areas of spy craft and espionage. Fair Game (2010) explored the more political side of the spy game during the Iraq War. Argo (2012) focused on the Iran Hostage Crisis from 1979 – 1981 and a different form of espionage involving Hollywood. The Imitation Game (2014) focused on a key aspect of World War II with Alan Turing breaking code with the first computer. Even Star Wars featured it’s first spy-driven narrative with the story of spies stealing the Death Star plan in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). This decade had many classic films of the subgenre including Green Zone (2010), Salt (2010), The American (2010), RED (2010), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Killer Elite (2011), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), The Bourne Legacy (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), RED 2 (2013), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), 3 Days to Kill (2014), Kill the Messenger (2014), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Eye in the Sky (2015), Bridge of Spies (2015), Jason Bourne (2016), The Age of Shadows (2016), Snowden (2016), Allied (2016), Atomic Blonde (2017), American Made (2017), American Assassin (2017), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), Red Sparrow (2018), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), The Spy Gone North (2018), Operation Finale (2018), Official Secrets (2019) and The Report (2019).
The 2020’s have so far produced two classic films of the subgenre with Tenet (2020) and The Courier (2021). Other notable films of the decade include Wasp Network (2020) and Munich: The Edge of War (2022).
Our list of Films About Spies & Espionage includes over 254+ films from 1956 – 2022. Our list does not include individual James Bond films as you can view them in our list of James Bond films (and we will create a specific list for those films in the near future). For our list of Top Films About Spies & Espionage You Haven’t Seen, we had to omit the following great films from our list: Code Name: Emerald (1985), The Fourth Protocol (1987), The Quiet American (2002), Black Book (2006), The Double (2011), The Age of Shadows (2016), Atomic Blonde (2017), Official Secrets (2019) and The Report (2019).
Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Here is our list of Top Films About Spies & Espionage You Haven’t Seen:
Plot: The true story of Robert Hanssen who was a spy for Soviet intelligence which led to one of the worst intelligence disasters in U.S. history.
KBZ’s Take: This made-for-TV miniseries isn’t an action-packed Spy extravaganza. Rather, it tells a more realistic and mundane tale of how a man deeply in debt, slowly starts to betray his country. The late William Hurt (Hanssen) gives a subdued performance as the man who lets greed get the best of him as he falls further into an espionage trap, he’ll never escape from. Recommended for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XSk3lK
Plot: The true story of CIA Officer Aldrich Ames who had compromised CIA assets as a double agent for the Soviet Union.
KBZ’s Take: Before Robert Hanssen, Aldrich Ames had compromised more U.S. intelligence than anybody before. Starring Timothy Hutton (Ames), this film tells a similar story to Hanssen in someone that begins to sell government secrets to first pay off debts, but then to feed an increasingly upscale lifestyle. While the film tries to sympathize Ames a bit, it doesn’t hold back in showing how his wife (Elizabeth Peña) didn’t mind the sudden extravagance selling state secrets yielded. This film is a bit harder to find than the Robert Hanssen series, but it’s worth finding for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/cv3lm0vwIHM
#8
No Way Out
Plot: Navy officer has an affair with a woman who is linked to his boss. The investigation into her death reveals a Soviet spy might be involved.
KBZ’s Take: One of the better early Kevin Costner films that has a surprisingly good cast, story and many suspenseful moments. Starring Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young and Will Patton, there’s enough twist and turns in this film that it’s basically a Whodunit & Detective Film with a very surprising outcome. Thought this film was popular in the late 1980’s, it’s definitely worth seeking out if you haven’t seen it yet.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jckZm3
#7
Breach
Plot: Young agent assigned to spy on suspected Russian spy.
KBZ’s Take: For our money, this is one of Chris Cooper’s Top 3 roles. Another Cold War true story, Cooper’s Robert Hanssen shows the hubris often associated with these spies who think they’re too good to get caught. As with most spy thrillers, this film has suspenseful moments throughout and is a great lesser-known Cold War film to add to your queue.
Additional Lists: Top Cold War Films You Haven’t Seen #5
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/401LGdK
#6
Enigma
Plot: Five KGB agents are sent to the west to assassinate Soviet dissidents and an American agent must infiltrate Soviet intelligence to stop the plot.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the better (but not well known) films about Spies and Espionage. It has a great cast with Martin Sheen, Sam Neill, Brigitte Fossey and Derek Jacobi and has many suspenseful moments throughout. It’s plot also revolves around Cold War era Germany which only has a handful of good films that feature this aspect of the Cold War. Highly recommend film for fans of both Cold War Films and Spy Film subgenres.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://tubitv.com/movies/476196/
Plot: East Berlin residents monitored by GDR Secret Police.
KBZ’s Take: Winner of the 2006 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, The Lives of Others excels in showing the dangers of the surveillance state. As a Cold War film, the tension is not created by separate entities and the threat of war but rather the residents against an increasingly corrupt and controlling state.
Additional Lists: Top Cold War Films You Haven’t Seen #4
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3H8chNh
Plot: Two middle class youths become spies for Russia.
KBZ’s Take: Very good spy film that shows how inexperienced young adults get more than they bargained for with the KGB espionage machine. Based on a true story, Penn and Hutton show how political disillusionment mixed with middle-class entitlement doesn’t often end well. The film excels once it gets into the spy game and the suspenseful scenes at Hutton’s government agency and subsequent interaction with the Russian embassy.
Additional Lists: Top Cold War Films You Haven’t Seen #7
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XA3VoT
#3
The Courier
Plot: Cold War spy Greville Wynne works with his Russian source to try and end the Cuban Missile Crisis.
KBZ’s Take: We’ll admit we have this film ranked high due to recency bias, but we also feel, in time, this film will be considered one of the classic films of the subgenre. Benedict Cumberbatch gives one of his best performances as the apolitical businessman who initially does not want to get involved transferring secrets out of the Soviet Union. It’s a great film about how two men risk everything to avert a global catastrophe and it’s a story that’s not well known about the era. It’s a highly recommend film of the subgenre and to learn more about a little-known operation that helped prevent a nuclear war.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3kURp4X
Plot: Based on Alan Turing’s efforts to create the first computer to crack German code during World War II.
KBZ’s Take: Another Benedict Cumberbatch film and his best performance to date. While we were initially hesitant to include this film on a “Films You Haven’t Seen” list, we were surprised at how many people haven’t seen this gem of a film. It’s a great biopic about Alan Turing and the race-against-time efforts of the British to crack the German code. This film has it all from many nail-biting suspense moments to a mystery of who might be a spy within their ranks to an emotional and tragic core involving Turing’s life. We can’t recommend this film enough and if you still haven’t seen it, move it to the top of your streaming queue now.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/408SBBX
#1
Firefox
Plot: Ex-Vietnam War pilot is sent to the Soviet Union to steal a revolutionary new jet fighter called Firefox.
KBZ’s Take: While Imitation Game (2014) is the better film, Firefox is our #1 Films About Spies & Espionage for a few reasons:
#1 – The Nostalgic Factor. This was a film almost every Gen X’er grew up with and loved. Though the films flight scenes and special effects are very dated by today’s standards, the first-person view of the Firefox dogfights was classic cinema at the time.
#2 – It’s Clint Eastwood as a Spy. While this film has an action-packed third act, the first two acts of the film are even better as a pure Spy & Espionage film. Yes, the film would have been better without the traumatic flashbacks to Vietnam by Clint’s character, but the numerous suspenseful sequences will have you on the edge of your seat.
#3 – Firefox became a kick-ass Arcade Game. Kids nowadays won’t know the true feeling of an old school arcade and coming upon one of the first laserdisc Arcade Games. Dragon’s Lair and games like Firefox completely changed the game from the 8-bit games early 80’s kids were accustomed to. It featured actual scenes from the movie that you could play in – which was unthinkable at the time. Here’s some video of the actual Firefox arcade gameplay that will have you longing for the old days.
Firefox is a bit of a forgotten 80’s classic but we highly recommend it for fans of the subgenre and for younger fans who enjoy suspenseful Cold War espionage films (and don’t mind dated CGI).
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Hn0XwS
