It may not be one of the most prolific, but the spy movie genre sure is one of the most entertaining in cinematic history. Packed with some of the most fun action movies, funniest comedies, and most enthralling thrillers one can find, the spy genre has greatly evolved in all sorts of ways as the years have passed. As such, there are a number of pivotal movies that have defined its history.
These pillars of the genre go from old classics to much more modern movies that have taken cinematic spies in all sorts of new directions. It’s always fun to see aJames Bondmovie or aJohn le Carréadaptation and contemplate what they have contributed to these kinds of films. What, exactly, makes a great spy film one of the genre’s most important entries?This list will include the most important movies in the spy genre’s historybased on their significance and influence, not only within the genre itself but in cinema as a whole.
10’Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997)
Directed by Jay Roach
Although he fell out of grace with audiences afterThe Love Guruand has yet to make a proper comeback,Mike Myerswas once upon a time one of the most beloved stars of parody films. One of his funniest films is the firstAustin Powers,International Man of Mystery. In it, a world-class playboy secret agent from the ’60s emerges after 30 years of cryogenic sleep to battle his nemesis, Dr. Evil.
With its iconic characters, delightfully silly sense of humor, and some ofthe funniest movie deaths ever,Austin Powersis arguably not just the best of the trilogy but alsothe best spy parody ever. It was hugely influential in how future and similar spy comedies would play out with both critics and audiences, making it an essential watch for those interested in the genre’s history.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
9’The Conversation' (1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppolawas perhapsthestandout filmmaker of the 1970s, making several ofthe decade’s best movies. Not only that, in 1974, he released not just one buttwotimeless masterpieces. One wasThe Godfather: Part II, and the other was the Palme d’Or winner,The Conversation. It’s a conspiracy thriller about a paranoid surveillance expert having a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he’s spying on will be murdered.
The film’s portrayal of themes of voyeurism, the nature of surveillance, and post-Watergate American anxieties redefined this category of spy films forever.The questions it brings up about technology and privacy are way more timely todaythan they were back in the ’70s, makingThe Conversationan even more important movie than it already would have been anyway. Coppola’s direction is pitch-perfect, the writing is stunning, andGene Hackmanis at the top of his game in this masterful paranoia thriller.
The Conversation
8’The Bourne Identity' (2002)
Directed by Doug Liman
Although it would bePaul Greengrasswho would establish the franchise’s voice withThe Bourne SupremacyandUltimatum, it wasDoug Limanwho started it all inIdentity. Based on the novel byRobert Ludlum,The Bourne Ultimatumis about a man suffering from amnesia who has to race against time to elude assassins while he tries to regain his memory.
The Bourne Identityshowed that spy action movies could be much grittier and more serious than people had gotten used to in the era ofPierce BrosnanBond films. It’s one ofthe best action movies of the 2000s, having not exactly pioneered but definitelypopularized the kind of up-close shaky-cam action that the genre still lovesusing to this day. Not every filmmaker knows how to use this kind of visual style properly, but Liman mastered it in this phenomenally entertaining paragon of 21st-century spy movies.
The Bourne Identity
7’The 39 Steps' (1935)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Before he transitioned to Hollywood productions in the 1940s,Alfred Hitchcockworked in his native England. This era of British Hitchcock films is full of outstanding films, many of them seriously underappreciated—one of the biggest ones beingThe 39 Steps. It’s a whodunnit about a man trying to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the man is killed, and the blame is put on him, he must go on the run to save himself.
The 39 Stepswasa work full of seminal ideasfor both its several subgenres and Hitchcock’s filmography. It was one of the first “man on the run” thrillers, as well as the introduction of one of Hitchcock’s favorite recurring themes, the “wrong man” trope. All in all,The 39 Stepsis one ofthe best British films of its era, and its impact on the spy genre isso deeply rooted nowadays that it’s almost invisible.
The 39 Steps
6’Casino Royale' (2006)
Directed Martin Campbell
It wasn’t the first Bond film of the 21st century, butCasino Royalewas responsible for trulybringing the character into postmodern times. The story follows a new version of 007, played impeccably byDaniel Craig, who must stop a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker in Montenegro. Incredibly thrilling and exquisitely self-referential,Casino Royaleis as much a phenomenal spy film as it isa deconstruction of Bond as a character, concept, and story.
The waythe film reinvented the Bond franchiseshowed the spy genre as a whole that they, too, needed to change to adapt to modern audiences' tastes.Casino Royaleknows perfectly when to make levity of itself and when to take itself seriously, and the result is a spectacle that both Bond fans and Bond non-fans should enjoy.Casino Royaleis one ofthe best spy movies of the past 25 years, proof that this genre can never truly get old.
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5’The Ipcress File' (1965)
Directed by Sidney J. Furie
One of the first films that contributed to makingMichael Cainea legend and an embodiment of elegant British superstardom,The Ipcress Fileis one ofthe most entertaining spy moviesever made. Based on the 1962 novel byLen Deighton, it’s a political thriller about a wisecracking London spy investigating the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists while dealing with his agency’s strict bureaucracy.
The movie proved that there was definitely space on the market forspy movies that delighted themselves in being almost explicitly anti-007.The Ipcress Fileis also famous for its unique treatment of brainwashing themes and tropes and for giving Caine’s career a big push. Spy films that show espionage in a very non-glamorous light are always something special, and they wouldn’t be what they are today withoutThe Ipcress File.
The Ipcress File
4’The Spy Who Came In from the Cold' (1965)
Directed by Martin Ritt
John le Carré was the master of spy novels, so it’s no surprise that adaptations of his work are so numerous and distinct that they’re almost a whole subgenre themselves. The best of them all, though, is perhapsThe Spy Who Came In from the Cold, the tale of a British agent who, instead of coming in from the Cold War, chooses to face another mission.
On the one hand, the film is absolutely remarkable, undoubtedly one of the best andmost essential films about the Cold War, its consequences, and the atmosphere of paranoia and unease that it created in society.It paints espionage as a life of anguish, anxiety, and grit instead of an entertaining action film full of glamour and elegance. This kind of spy movie wasn’t unheard of back in 1965, butThe Spy Who Came In from the Coldcertainly had a bigger impact than most.
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3’Mission: Impossible' (1996)
Directed by Brian De Palma
Seeing as many people consider them not just some ofthe most deliriously entertaining spy moviesever but one of the greatest action franchises of the 21st century, theMission: Impossiblefilms need no introduction. The first one was directed by acclaimed New Hollywood legendBrian De Palma. Based on the TV series of the same title, it’s about an American agent who, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.
The movie is much less of a straight-up action movie and much more of a spy thriller than its sequels would become, but it is every bit as gripping and fun as them. Throughout its history, as it has constantly reinvented many aspects of itself, theM: Ifranchise has hada visible influence on many other action franchises and spy movies. It all started with Brian De Palma, and his extraordinary adaptation of a TV series that no one could have imagined would provide such a big blockbuster sensation.
Mission: Impossible
2’North by Northwest' (1959)
Hitchcock mastered the spy genre in the ’30s, then kept gracing contemporary and future generations with his masterful work in it for many more years. His best spy movie is, by far,North by Northwest, an adventure thriller with lots of comedic elements (it’s probably one ofthe funniest non-comedic spy movies) about an advertising executive going on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies.
Both Hitchcock andCary Grantare at the top of their game here, as isErnest Lehmanin writing one of the best screenplays of Hitchcock’s whole filmography. To this day, many still rememberNorth by Northwestasthe single best spy movie of all time. Everything, from the visuals to the tropes to the sense of humor to the general entertainment value, has had a long-lasting impact on the genre that’s not likely to fade anytime soon.
North By Northwest
1’Dr. No' (1962)
Directed by Terence Young
It’s probably a bit of a truism to say that the James Bond franchise is the most important and influential spy film franchise in history. It may not be the best ofSean Connery’s run as the character, butDr. Nois the one that started it all, bringingIan Fleming’s legendary superspy to the big screen. In it, Bond seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
This is one ofthe most essential spy movies of all time, not only serving asthe origin of one of cinema’s most iconic charactersbut also being a pretty phenomenal spy thriller in its own right. Its unique brand of humor proved revolutionary, as did its action sequences and the now-tried-and-true Bond formula. Spy movies simply wouldn’t be anywhere near to what they are today withoutDr. No, and 007 on the big screen wouldn’t even exist without this groundbreaking picture.
