
Hello Agent 005. As you’re well aware, we’ve been compiling a list of the best spy movies to better prepare our operatives in the field.
It transpires, however, that despite our phenomenal resources, no one at HQ owns a DVD player, so we’ve turned to the experts — the TV & movies team at Dexerto — to ensure that this list includes the best movies possible.
Anyway, I’m told that the attached list will include all sorts of films, including action movies, thrillers, and even spy comedies. Basically, we’re getting the works. I can only pray, however, that when they publish this list, they delete this part and write their own intro rather than accidentally leaking state secrets or, worse, pretending that they’re me and this list is some kind of secret dossier.
Anyway, your mission 005, if you choose to accept it, is to read through this list and make sure it’s not all about 007. You know how big James’s head already is…
15. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

- Release date: May 2, 1997
- Director: Jay Roach
- Cast: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York
- How long is it? 1 hour and 35 minutes
What it’s about: Austin Powers and his new partner have to save the world after the notorious Dr. Evil holds humanity hostage for the sum of one hundred billion dollars.
Why we like it: While Austin Powers is undoubtedly dated in parts, it’s also undoubtedly one of the best comedies that still somehow stands the test of time. Riffing on the classic James Bond movies, Austin Powers and its band of insane characters still stand as some of the most quotable movies of all time, and the first installment is a perfect mix of satire and over-the-top raunchiness.
Written by Jessica Cullen
14. Spy

- Release date: June 5, 2015
- Director: Paul Feig
- Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney
- How long is it? 2 hours 10 minutes
What it’s about: This story starts with the ultimate hero identity – an IT analyst called Susan Cooper. On a whim, volunteers to infiltrate an arms deal to stop global warfare, egged on by former joke shop owner Miranda Hart. Heather Small would be Proud (IYKYK).
Why we like it: If you’re British, a Europhile, or generally just a fan of stupidity, Spy is gloriously satisfying. There is no universe in existence where Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, and Miranda Hart should be starring alongside each other, yet a global spy caper is the only farce that could make it work. It’s tragic in the best way possible, which means it’s genuinely funny. Add a former Eurovision act wearing a sequinned swimming cap with an ornate star on top into the mix, and you’ve got a timeless hit.
Written by Jasmine Valentine
13. Johnny English

- Release date: April 6, 2003
- Director: Peter Howitt
- Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, John Malkovich, Ben Miller, Nina Young
- How long is it? 1 hour 29 minutes
What it’s about: Long after he became Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson became Johnny English. A beyond crap spy who only gets a shot because every other MI5 agent is essentially killed off, he ends up embroiled in a plot to usurp the British throne.
Why we like it: Yeah, the sequels weren’t it. But only one movie had my cousins and I continuously rewinding a performance of ABBA’s ‘Does Your Mother Know’ at Westminster Abbey when we were kids. The thought of Johnny’s accidental shower video leak still has me in stitches, and for that, Atkinson proves himself to be a masterful entertainer. The fact that the plot is so far-fetched only adds to the enjoyment, and it’s astounding how they got Malkovich to agree to do this in hindsight. Imbruglia should definitely have acted more too, IMO.
Written by Jasmine Valentine
12. The Imitation Game

- Release date: November 14, 201
- Director: Morten Tyldum
- Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance
- How long is it? 1 hour 54 minutes
What it’s about: Based on 1983 Andrew Hodges’ biography Alan Turing: The Enigma, The Imitation Game centers around Turing, a brilliant mathematician who leads a team to break Nazi Germany’s Enigma code during WWII, while grappling with personal struggles in a world that rejects him.
Why we like it: Nazis, math, and James Bond-level espionage – this spy movie has it all. Cumberbatch delivers a masterclass performance as Alan Turing, the man who cracked the Enigma code long before Mr Robot and crypto bros were a thing. It’s a gripping true story of genius, perseverance, and tragic injustice; sometimes the most dangerous weapon isn’t a gun but a brilliant mind.
Written by Daisy Phillipson
11. Kingsman: The Secret Service

- Release date: February 13, 2015
- Director: Matthew Vaughn
- Cast: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson
- How long is it? 2 hours 9 minutes
What it’s about: A kid from the wrong side of the tracks joins a secret spy ring called the Kingsman, where he becomes central in their efforts to bring down a tech genius hellbent on world domination.
Why we like it: Mark Millar’s Kingsman does for spies and spy movies what Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass did for superheroes and superhero movies, gently sending them up while also being a superb example of the genre. Matthew Vaughn again directs and delivers pulse-pounding action that rivals Bond and Bourne, while the film dares to go where those characters fear to tread, most memorably during Colin Firth’s infamous church massacre that, once seen, is never forgotten.
Written by Chris Tilly
10. BlacKkKlansman

- Release date: August 10, 2018
- Director: Spike Lee
- Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace
- How long is it? 2 hours 15 minutes
What it’s about: When Ron Stallworth becomes the first Black person to join the Colorado police force, he decides to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan, using a white surrogate in the form of fellow detective ‘Flip’ Zimmerman.
Why we like it: BlacKkKlansman is funny; how can you not laugh when a Klan member asks someone if their “dick is circumstanced”? It’s also immensely cathartic and galvanizing, until it’s sobering. Stallworth’s bravery and success don’t echo the state of the nation, and when Lee drops you into the harrowing carnage of 2017’s Charlottesville rallies, the crux of the film is clear: he’s furious, and if you’re not, then why not?
Written by Cameron Frew
9. Spy Kids

- Release date: March 30, 2001
- Director: Robert Rodriguez
- Cast: Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming
- How long is it? 1 hour and 28 minutes
What it’s about: When two young siblings realize their parents are actually former international spies, they’re pulled into saving them from the clutches of a popular kids’ show host.
Why we like it: If you know, you know. For an entire generation, Spy Kids was the first movie that felt as though it was made exclusively for kids. Okay, it’s ugly as sin, but the world of Spy Kids is a mutated dream world of such creative proportions that few family movies have ever been as cool as this. If it didn’t have you rifling through every drawer and cupboard in your house to find hidden spy gear, you didn’t watch it right.
Written by Jessica Cullen
8. Burn After Reading

- Release date: September 12, 2008
- Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
- Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, J. K. Simmons
- How long is it? 1 hour 36 minutes
What it’s about: A pair of clueless gym employees and an ex-CIA analyst’s lives collide over a misplaced disc containing (supposedly) sensitive information, sparking a chaotic series of events.
Why we like it: Who says espionage has to be all brooding stares and whispered code words? The Coen brothers turned the spy genre on its head with this darkly hilarious caper about idiots who think they’re masterminds. Clooney, Pitt, McDormand, and Malkovich are on top form, but the real star is the absurdity of it all. What’s up? “Ah, not quite certain, sir, but it’s… messy.”
Written by Daisy Phillipson
7. Enemy of the State

- Release date: November 20, 1998
- Director: Tony Scott
- Cast: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King
- How long is it? 2 hours 12 minutes
What it’s about: A lawyer is burdened with incriminating footage of a congressman’s assassination, making him the target of a ruthless group of National Security Agency operatives who turn his life upside down. With nowhere else to turn, he enlists the help of a paranoid and brilliant former NSA agent to expose the truth.
Why we like it: Tony Scott had a magic touch. He could make movies that had the grit and bite of sweaty-palm ’70s thrillers, the crowd-whooping bombast of an ’80s blockbuster, and all through the 2000s, he always found a way to beat himself. Enemy of the State has everything; two red-hot star performances from Smith and Hackman, pulse-pounding editing, and a high-concept, ahead-of-its-time corruption plot that feels more and more prescient each year.
Written by Cameron Frew
6. GoldenEye

- Release date: November 17, 1995
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
- How long is it? 2 hours 10 minutes
What it’s about: Nine years after his colleague is killed during a Soviet sting, James Bond tracks down Xenia Onatopp, a Georgian assassin with ties to a crime syndicate. It leads him to GoldenEye, a super-powered space weapon that can inflict worldwide damage with a single electromagnetic pulse – and the return of a familiar face.
Why we like it: In GoldenEye, Brosnan chases a car through Moscow in a tank, drifting around street corners and demolishing walls, vehicles, and buildings in his wake. After one crash, he collects himself, adjusts his tie, and races on. That golden moment is the very essence of James Bond.
The Irishman brought a little bit of everything: Connery’s womanizing, Moore’s gadgets, and Dalton’s virility while adding his own signature charm. He’s not the brute we’d see later in Craig, but a more sophisticated, suave commander. From that jaw-dropping bungee jump to “For England, James?” “No, for me”, a legend was born.
Written by Cameron Frew
5. Notorious

- Release date: September 6, 1946
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains
- How long is it? 1 hour 41 minutes
What it’s about: A U.S. government agent teams up with the daughter of a Nazi spy to bring down war criminals hiding out in Brazil. But matters are complicated when the pair fall in love, and she’s required to seduce one of their targets.
Why we like it: Notorious sees one of the best directors of all time team up with two acting legends, and the combination of Hitchcock, Grant, and Bergman proved irresistible to critics and audiences alike. The subject matter was timely, and themes of love vs. duty proved to be universal, while the “master of suspense” operating at the very top of his game makes several scenes unbearably tense, resulting in what François Truffaut called “the quintessential Alfred Hitchcock movie.”
Written by Chris Tilly
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

- Release date: December 9, 2011
- Director: Tomas Alfredson
- Cast: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch
- How long is it? 2 hours 7 minutes
What it’s about: Based on John le Carré’s novel of the same name and set in ’70s UK, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy follows George Smiley, a spy, as he is tasked with uncovering a Soviet mole inside MI6 during the Cold War.
Why we like it: Forget high-octane chases and fancy gadgets – this is espionage at its most cerebral. A slow-burn puzzle of paranoia, double-crosses, and hidden motives, it’s less Bond, more The Conversation. Oldman’s performance as the quietly brilliant George Smiley is mesmerizing, proving that the best spy movies don’t need action, they just need to outthink everyone else in the room. Stick with it, you won’t regret it.
Written by Daisy Phillipson
3. Mission: Impossible – Fallout

- Release date: July 27, 2018
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson
- How long is it? 2 hours and 28 minutes
What it’s about: After a plot unfolds to detonate a series of deadly plutonium bombs around the globe, Ethan Hunt and his team have to go rogue (again) to save the world.
Why we like it: Aside from having the best trailer known to mankind (go on, watch it again; you know you want to), Fallout may be the best Mission: Impossible movie of the bunch. This is not just because of Henry Cavill’s arm reloads but also because the stunts are impeccable, the villain is so incredibly cunning, and the chase sequences are some of the best ever put to screen.
Written by Jessica Cullen
2. The Bourne Identity

- Release date: June 14, 2002
- Director: Doug Liman
- Cast: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper
- How long is it? 1 hour 59 minutes
What it’s about: Jason Bourne is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea, and thanks to amnesia, has no idea who he is or how he got there. But Bourne knows multiple languages and possesses incredible combat skills, which lead him to the truth – that he was a spy working for a shady CIA agency.
Why we like it: There aren’t many movies that revolutionize their genre, but like Die Hard before it and John Wick after, The Bourne Identity changed the action movie forever, taking eastern fight styles, giving them a western spin, and choppily shooting and editing at close-quarters to make them feel more real than the average Hollywood brawl.
The result was hugely influential (see Casino Royale below), while as played by Matt Damon, Jason Bourne managed to be a sympathetic hero in spite of the terrible things he’s done. The result was a hit, and with that formula set – and director Paul Greengrass taking the reins and building on that documentary style – more great Bourne movies followed.
Written by Chris Tilly
1. Casino Royale

- Release date: November 17, 2006
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen
- How long is it? 2 hours 24 minutes
What it’s about: Having earned his license to kill and “00” status by assassinating an MI6 agent, James Bond goes after terrorist financier Le Chiffre, but his mission is compromised when Bond falls in love with fellow agent Vesper Lynd.
Why we like it: Casino Royale took James Bond back to basics, with Daniel Craig making his 007 debut as a younger, more vulnerable version of the character, and the film forgoing copious amounts of CGI for practical effects, real stunts, and brutal up-close action that mirrored recent Bourne movies.
The result was the best Bond in years, and the biggest of all time; success that was driven by Craig’s multi-layered performance, his sizzling chemistry with Eva Green, and Mads Mikkelsen’s memorable villain, all of which helped turn Casino Royale into the perfect reinvention of the world’s greatest spy.
Written by Chris Tilly
Now that you’ve received your docket of the best spy movies, Agent, if you’re looking for more top secret info, check out our list of the best Netflix thrillers, or if you fancy a break from all this tradecraft, why not read our best sci-fi movies ever made? Still not happy, well in that case our guide to all the new 2025 movies might be just what you need.