The 25 Best Spy Movies of All Time

Wiretaps, state surveillance, assassins struck with amnesia, Armie Hammer’s Russian accent—we’re talking about spy movies, the best spy movies, the best spy movies ever.

Now, obviously, we can’t please everybody. When we set out to write this list, we wanted a wide sampling of spy craft cinema. We wanted a mix of historical gems with action blockbusters. We wanted a bit of reality and fantasy, seriousness and comedy. We wanted those films that have stood the test of time and those contemporary efforts that, while maybe lacking in the plot department, broke through in other areas, like stunts and special effects and tone. Which is all to say, we’re probably going to miss some of your favorites. (Boo hoo.)

What makes a spy movie a “spy movie”? Two categories. On one hand, we’re looking at realism, the films that depict probable spy craft—films which feature real techniques and real stakes, if only slightly altered for dramatic purposes. These are Cold War dramas. Stories about human “assets” and “operatives,” not bred “assassins” and “spies.” Stories that accurately depict the incentives, the demands, and the consequences of international espionage.

And then we have the hyperrealism, the films that offer escapism, that make us want to be 10 years old again and go into our backyard and start doing dumb shit. These are the films with heightened stakes and crazy stunt work and car chases and hunters being hunted. Everything shaken. Nothing stirred.

So with all that in mind, here are our favorite spy movies, which we are calling the best spy movies. Are we missing one or two films that should be here? Probably. Deal with it.