The 15 Best Spy Movies, from ‘Enemy of the State’ to ‘North by Northwest’
Shaken, stirred, or even streamed, spy movies make up many of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat stories the movies have to offer. From the harrowing heights of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise to the suave savvy of six James Bonds, espionage has become the thematic ground on which some of cinema’s most epic dramas, thrillers, and comedies (hello, “Austin Powers”) are built. Even films primarily centered on other subject matter make frequent use of spy drama beats (see Star Wars and Marvel, for starters), proving it’s a bedrock source for onscreen entertainment.
The espionage genre is as old as filmmaking itself with silent spy movies set against the backdrop of World War I (1914’s “The German Spy Peril” is on YouTube) testing the medium’s limitations early in the 20th century. Literary works inspired many more of the spy movies to follow. Over the years, filmmakers have repeatedly adapted the works of John le Carré, Robert Ludlum, Ian Fleming, and more spy novelists imagining the covert operations of local, national, and international enemies. Great spy stories may make use of the genre’s irresistible tropes — fast cars, strong drinks, double-crosses, etc. — but they do so while rendering unique portraits of the complex characters caught in their tale’s crosshairs.
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Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, and the Coen brothers are just a handful of the legendary auteurs who have put their talents toward the art of the spy movie. Along the way, they’ve enlisted top-tier acting talent, creating living legends with A-list actors from Cary Grant to Tom Cruise. Measured by how well they make use of the genre, here are the top 15 best spy movies ever made.
15. “BlacKkKlansman” (2018)
Focus Features / Everett Collect
Detectives Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) and Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) go undercover in the Ku Klux Klan for Spike Lee’s darkly hilarious “BlacKkKlansman.” Based on Stallworth’s 2014 memoir of the same name, this 2018 Best Picture contender won Best Adapted Screenplay, earning Lee his first competitive Oscar 30 years after “Do The Right Thing.” (Lee won an honorary Oscar for his body of work in 2015). Set in 1970s Colorado, “BlacKkKlansman” might not be a spy movie in the most traditional sense of international espionage. But it maneuvers perspective and dramatic irony with enough panache characteristic of the genre to overpower any classification technicalities. It earned additional Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Supporting Actor for Driver.
14. “Bridge of Spies” (2015)
Disney/Everett Collection
Among Tom Hanks’ best roles is his performance in “Bridge of Spies” as the real James B. Donovan, a Cold War-era attorney tasked with negotiating the release of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). The 2015 historical drama not only stirringly reenacts the events of the 1960 U-2 crisis, but sees the Best Picture nominee’s staggeringly skilled team combine their mega-watt talents for some of the most memorable beats in spy cinema. Steven Spielberg directs with a script from Matt Charman and the Coen brothers. Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
13. “The Imitation Game” (2014)
Weinstein/Everett Collection
Directed by Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game” tells the compelling true story of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant mathematician and computer scientist who worked as a code-breaker for the British during World War II. This poignant spy drama offers not only a fascinating glimpse into Turing’s most salient innovations and discoveries, but also a heartbreaking espionage story that fearlessly interrogates what generations of LGBTQ people have been asked to sacrifice — and hide. “The Imitation Game” was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Actor for Cumberbatch and Best Supporting Actress for Keira Knightley, who plays code-breaker Joan Clarke. Screenwriter Graham Moore won for Best Adapted Screenplay, having based the project on Andrew Hodges’ biography “Alan Turing: The Enigma.”
12. “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969)
The Best James Bond Movies is a ranking unto itself, to be sure. But it just doesn’t get more quintessentially 007 than the George Lazenby-starring “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Not only does it include intoxicating levels of Bond charm (“There’s something formal about the point of a pistol…”), but it also has one of the best Bond action sequences (ski chase!), one of the best Bond scores (John Barry outdoes himself, along with “We Have All the Time in the World” performed by Louis Armstrong), and one of the best Bond love interests (Diana Rigg as Bond’s only wife, Traci di Vicenzo).
11. “Enemy of the State” (1998)
Buena Vista Pictures/Everett Collection
Bobby Dean (Will Smith) finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time in director Tony Scott’s “Enemy of the State.” When Bobby’s old friend from college (Jason Lee) witnesses a murder involving high-level government officials, the pair’s chance meeting at a shopping center leaves the ill-fated labor lawyer with critical evidence. Soon, he’s on the run with the head of the NSA (Jon Voight) and a congressman (Gene Hackman) in hot pursuit. Regina King and Lisa Bonet also appear.
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