Fantastic Spy Movies That Aren’t Bond, Hunt, Bourne, or ‘Argylle’
Argylle and its mysterious agent have proven to be a total flop, but these spy movies are top-notch.
Step outside the popular franchises for some amazing spy stories from the Cold War and beyond. There’s more than one John le Carré movie on this list – and I’m not sorry.
The Conversation
This paranoid thriller from Francis Ford Coppola is the director at his best. The movie stars Gene Hackman at his best and a pre Star Wars Harrison Ford. Its commentary on privacy, responsibility, and technology is as relevant today as it was in 1974 – maybe more so.
Harry Cual, a surveillance expert, is hired by a mysterious client to tail and record the conversations of a young couple. While tracking them through San Francisco’s Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan capture a cryptic conversation between the pair. Tormented by an old case that went badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the recording and tries to determine if the couple is in danger.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The first le Carré. The cast really makes this dense, slow burn of a movie stand out from the flashy, action-based spy movies that have dominated the genre over the last 20 years. The production design really drops you into the era, as well.
In 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization’s ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.
Infernal Affairs
This twisted cop thriller out of Hong Kong is filled with twists and turns. It’s ultimately about the danger of lies and how easily identity can fracture.
An idealistic police cadet is recruited to go deep undercover as a member of the criminal Triad society. At the same time, a member of the Triads infiltrates the police by joining the same cadet class, becoming a long-time mole for the organization. A decade passes, and the two, using aliases, rise through the ranks. But they find themselves in peril when their covers are in danger of being blown.
Infernal Affairs inspired Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
This take on the iconic TV series has a lot of style and a pair of charming lead actors. I’ll admit the story isn’t exactly original, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.
At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.
Atomic Blonde
I’m sorry if you didn’t get to see this on a big screen – it was amazing not only for its hard-hitting action but its twists and turns. Set during the collapse of the Soviet Union, a spy (Lorraine, played by Charlize Theron) has to locate a dossier and take down an espionage ring before the wall falls. It has a spectacular one-shot hallway fight that’s a must-see.
The 39 Steps
Based on the novel by John Buchan, who worked in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army during WWI. The 39 Steps is filled with twists and turns; this early Hitchcock classic is a must-see for fans of the genre (or the director). Follow this up with Notorious and North by Northwest for a triple feature.
While on vacation in London, Canadian Richard Hannay becomes embroiled in an international spy ring related to the mysterious “39 steps.” Then he meets agent Annabella Smith, who is soon killed in his apartment. He must elude the police, who are hunting him for murder, while he tries to stop Professor Jordan from sending secrets out of the country. Hannay is assisted by Pamela, an unwilling accomplice who discovers the truth.
A Most Wanted Man
The second le Carré. Anton Corbijn’s smart, absorbing thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. Like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, it has an amazing cast and uses layer upon layer of tension. In it, an escaped militant attempts to claim an inheritance, giving a German agent the chance to lay a trap. His target: a well-regarded scholar who is suspected of financing terrorists.
The Lives of Others
This character-focused spy thriller won an Oscar for Best Foreign Picture for damn good reasons. Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (this was his feature-length debut) doesn’t shy away from the realities of Eastern Germany and how it affected people.
In 1983 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler, doubting that a famous playwright is loyal to the Communist Party, receives approval to spy on the man and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, then faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria and orders Wiesler to get the playwright out of the way.
Lust, Caution
Ang Lee’s lush, haunting story of espionage is gorgeous. It’s based on a 1979 novella by Eileen Chang that took inspiration from actual events in a setting we don’t see much of. It’s filled with psychological games and is a unique look at the human cost of war.
This movie takes us to a different side of WWII. A secret agent is tasked with seducing and then assassinating an official who works for the puppet Government of Japan in Shanghai. Her mission becomes complicated when she falls for the man she’s supposed to kill.
Burn After Reading – VoD
A Cohen Brothers farce that contains some of Malkovich’s best rants and an endlessly meme-able performance from Brad Pitt.
A disc containing the memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of two hapless gym employees; they take it as a chance to make some cash. Things quickly spiral out of control, and the pair find themselves dealing with secret agents and dangerous organizations.
