30 Spy Movies That Will Make You Want to Be a Secret Agent
You won’t have to go undercover to watch these films.
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My first experience with spy movies was watching Patriot Games, most likely on basic cable in the mid ’90s, my eyes glued to the screen, enthralled by the intrigue, the explosions, the action sequences, and Harrison Ford’s smirk. Mission: Impossible with Tom Cruise came after, and though I hadn’t fully comprehended the plot twist at the time, I was bewitched by all things espionage. I started to dive deep into the genre and, with my Blockbuster card, made my way through shelves of spy films.
I discovered that most spy movies follow one of two formulas. The first centers on a secret agent betrayed by his organization who must then clear his name while also trying to thwart the plans of a villain hell-bent on destroying something. The second involves an average joe in the wrong place at the wrong time, forced into a web of duplicity and murder, struggling to free himself. There are also names that’ll regularly appear in the spy category: Bond, Ryan, Hunt, and Bourne are the standouts.
Over the years, however, and with streaming services in abundance (RIP, Blockbuster), I realized that the best spy movies aren’t all action-adventures starring beautiful men. There are films that have beautiful women as the lead. There are films that are more dramatic, grounded in human emotions. There are comedies. There are even ones that involve aliens.
Indeed, there are near-endless lists of spy films, but if you’re looking for the top choices, the ones that will captivate your senses, that aren’t just background noise, check out the selects below.
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