By Liam Gaughan
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Spy movies occupy a unique space in thriller cinema, as they can be both comperley sensationalized and surprisingly historical. While it's easy to hear the word “spy” and think about the James Bond franchise, the Mission: Impossible saga, or the Bourne series, the truth is that many of the best espionage movies ever made are actually inspired by real events. The beauty of the genre is that both interpretations can exist, and can be equally successful.
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Regardless of which direction they end up going, the best spy movies require terrific actors to play their enigmatic characters. Playing a spy who has to mask their identity requires a nuanced level of acting in order for it to feel plausible that these types of secret operations could actually happen in the reality that the film has established.. Here are the ten best spy movies with great acting, ranked.
18 'Three Days of the Condor' (1975)
Directed by Sydney Pollack

Three Days of the Condor is a classic film of the 1970s that captured the sense of paranoia that had grown among Americans in the aftermath of several critical events, such as the Vietnam War and the resignation of President Richard Nixon. At the center of a conspiracy is a brilliant performance by Robert Redford, who stars as a CIA analyst who is framed for murder when he discovers what his employer is truly capable of.
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Redford perfectly captures the loss of idealism that thwarted an entire generation, as they began to realize that the “American dream” that they were promised was merely a facade that had been sold to them by a select, privileged few. Redford certainly proved to be a true movie star, leading him to appear in many other espionage classics, such as Sneakers and The Company You Keep.

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Three Days Of The Condor
R
- Release Date
- September 25, 1975
- Director
- Sydney Pollack
- Cast
- Robert Redford , Faye Dunaway , Cliff Robertson , Max Von Sydow
- Runtime
- 118m
- Main Genre
- Thriller
17 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (2018)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

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Mission: Impossible - Fallout is by far the best acted film in the Mission: Impossible franchise, as it finally begins to reckon with the massive weight that is placed on the shoulders of Tom Cruise’s character of Ethan Hunt. Although Cruise pushes himself to his physical limits as he performs some of the most impressive stunts within the history of cinema, he also shows how Ethan deals with the challenge of trying to save both his friends and the world.
Mission: Impossible- Fallout featured excellent returning performances from several veterans of the franchise, including Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, and Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. However, it was Henry Cavill who offered the biggest surprise with his memorable role as the film’s main villain, who brawled with Cruise in one of the greatest fight scenes in the entire saga.

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Mission: Impossible - Fallout
pg-13
Action
Thriller
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
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*Availability in US
- Release Date
- July 25, 2018
- Director
- Christopher McQuarrie
- Cast
- Tom Cruise , Rebecca Ferguson , Henry Cavill , Vanessa Kirby
- Runtime
- 148 Minutes
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16 'The China Syndrome' (1979)
Directed by James Bridges

The China Syndrome is a film that hit at just the right time, as anxieties about the possibilities of a nuclear disaster were palpable at the end of the 1970s and the “New Hollywood” era. The film centers on a talented journalist (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman (Michael Douglas) who investigate a meltdown at a nuclear plant, only to discover that the overseer of the operation (Jack Lemmon) is just as terrified as they are.
Both Fonda and Lemmon received Academy Award nominations for their work in The China Syndrome, as they both were able to shed their inherent star power and play realistic versions of their respective professions. However, it was Douglas who gave the most surprising performance in the film, as he played a more hesitant character who lacked the charisma he would later become well-known for in films like Romancing the Stone and Wall Street.
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The China Syndrome
PG
Drama
Thriller
- Release Date
- March 16, 1979
- Director
- James Bridges
- Cast
- Jack Lemmon , Jane Fonda , Michael Douglas , Scott Brady , James Hampton , Peter Donat , Wilford Brimley , Richard Herd , Daniel Valdez , Stan Bohrman , James Karen , Michael Alaimo , Donald Hotton , Khalilah Ali , Paul Larson , Ron Lombard , Tom Eure , Nick Pellegrino , Daniel Lewk , Allan Chinn , Martin Fiscoe , Alan Kaul , Michael Mann , David Eisenbise , Frank Cavestani
- Runtime
- 122 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
15 'Argo' (2012)
Directed by Ben Affleck

Argo is a Best Picture-winning historical thriller that explores the amazing true story of CIA Agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), who is convinced of a plan to extract American hostages from Iran by putting together a team disguised as the crew of a fake science fiction movie inspired by Star Wars and Planet of the Apes.
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Affleck gives one of the best performances of his career, as he is able to capture both the brilliance of a veteran spy and the struggles of a father who is trying to connect with his young son. Alan Arkin earned a very well-deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a legendary Hollywood producer who ends up helping ensure that the “fake” movie that Mendez is putting together looks as accurate as it can possibly be.

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Argo
r
Biography
Drama
History
Thriller
- Release Date
- October 12, 2012
- Director
- Ben Affleck
- Cast
- Ben Affleck , Bryan Cranston , Alan Arkin , John Goodman , Victor Garber , Tate Donovan
- Runtime
- 120 Minutes
14 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997)
Directed by Jay Roach

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is quite simply one of the funniest spy movies ever made, and that is all due to the brilliance of Mike Myers. While Myers had proven himself to be a comedic force of nature with his hilarious work in So I Married An Ax Murderer and Wayne’s World, the first installment in the Austin Powers trilogy allowed him to take on the dual roles of the titular super spy and his arch nemesis, Dr. Evil.
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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a clear spoof of the James Bond franchise, as Myers gives an over-the-top performance that is meant to make fun of Sean Connery or Roger Moores’ interpretations of Ian Fleming’s iconic character. However, Myers’ work is so universally funny that Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery does not require any knowledge of the Bond franchise in order to be entertaining.

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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
PG-13
Comedy
Adventure
Where to Watch
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- Release Date
- May 2, 1997
- Director
- Jay Roach
- Cast
- Mike Myers , Elizabeth Hurley , Michael York , Mimi Rogers , Robert Wagner , Seth Green , Fabiana Udenio , Mindy Sterling
- Runtime
- 89 Minutes
13 'The Falcon and the Snowman' (1985)
Directed by John Schlesinger

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The Falcon and the Snowman is one of the most genuinely disturbing spy films of the 1980s, as its sharp cynicism about the arms race showed a very dark side to the American dream. The film featured brilliant work from Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton, who played best friends who become involved with illegal shipping for various governmental organizations.
Penn and Hutton are brilliant at playing dogmatic, yet docile characters who are unable to understand the damage that they have caused. The film is highly critical of their ignorance, but never allows either character to slip into self-parody. It was certainly a breakout role for Penn as he would earn a reputation for playing complex characters with challenged moralities; for Hutton, it allowed him to shake off the teen heartthrob persona that he had been shackled with since his Oscar-winning performance in Ordinary People.

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The Falcon and the Snowman
R
Thriller
Drama
Crime
- Release Date
- January 25, 1985
- Director
- John Schlesinger
- Cast
- Sean Penn , Timothy Hutton , Pat Hingle , Joyce Van Patten , Art Camacho , Richard Dysart , Priscilla Pointer , Chris Makepeace , Dorian Harewood , Macon McCalman , Jerry Hardin , Nicholas Pryor , Mady Kaplan , Rob Reed , Betty Lou Henson , Stanley Grover , Bob Arbogast , David Suchet , Boris Leskin , Anatoli Davydov , Lori Singer , Jennifer Runyon , Daniel McDonald , Marvin J. McIntyre , Sam Ingraffia
- Runtime
- 132 minutes
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12 'Breach' (2007)
Directed by Billy Ray

Breach is a twisty take on the Cold War drama that features an incredible performance by Chris Cooper as a veteran FBI agent who is suspected by his new underling (Ryan Phillipe) of potentially being a double agent that is trading secrets to the Soviet Union for political capital. The success of Breach rests on whether the audience can determine where the truth lies; it is to Cooper’s credit that he is able to keep his character’s ambitions completely hidden until the final act wraps up in an exciting manner.
Phillipe has rarely been better than he is in Breach, as his aloof, socially awkward behavior is perfectly suited for a character who is distrustful of the authority figures that he is assigned to look up to. Strong supporting work from Laura Linney and Gary Cole ensure that Breach is a well-acted film on all fronts.
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Breach
11 'Bridge of Spies' (2015)
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Bridge of Spies showed why Steven Spielberg is great with actors, as it features a terrific role for one of the industry’s living legends and a breakthrough performance by one of its most underrated. Tom Hanks has been working in close collaboration with Spielberg ever since their work together on Saving Private Ryan, and he’s remarkably well cast as a proud American lawyer who wants to ensure that the Constitution is followed, regardless of whose rights are being impeded.
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The breakout performance in Bridges of Spies was by Mark Rylance, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Russian spy who is captured by an American agent. The soft-spoken, quiet intelligence that Rylance conveys is perfect for this intimate story about listening to one’s enemies. Although spy movies often ask their actors to “go big,” Rylance succeeds by giving a subtle performance.

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Bridge of Spies
PG-13
Thriller
Documentary
Drama
Where to Watch
- stream
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- buy
Not available
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*Availability in US
- Release Date
- October 16, 2015
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Alan Alda , Mark Rylance , Domenick Lombardozzi , Tom Hanks , Austin Stowell , Amy Ryan , Billy Magnussen
- Runtime
- 142 Minutes
10 'The Third Man' (1949)
Directed by Carol Reed

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The Third Man laid the groundwork for the espionage genre as it exists today, as it is unlikely that other international thrillers would have emerged without the work that Carol Reed did to lionize this format of storytelling. The Third Man features one of the all-time great film protagonists in Joseph Cotton’s performance as Holly Martins, an American author of pulp fiction spy novels who finds himself intertwined within a real conspiracy in modern day Europe.
As charismatic as Cotton is, The Third Man’s greatest scene-stealing performance came from the great Orson Welles in one of the rare appearances in a film that he did not direct. Welles’ transfixing, enigmatic performance is further proof that he was a generational icon whose influence would be hard to ignore by any film scholar interested in exploring the origins of spy fiction.

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The Third Man
Approved
Noir
Mystery
Thriller
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
- Release Date
- February 1, 1950
- Director
- Carol Reed
- Cast
- Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Alida Valli , Trevor Howard , Paul Hörbiger
- Runtime
- 93 Minutes
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9 'North by Northwest' (1959)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

North by Northwest served as one of the best collaborations between Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant, who also worked together on To Catch A Thief, Notorious, and Suspicion. North by Northwest essentially created the notion of an “ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances,” giving Grant room to play a character that the audience could actually relate to.
The brilliance of Grant’s performance is that he is not a well-equipped spy like James Bond or Ethan Hunt, and makes a lot of mistakes when trying to clear his name from involvement in a conspiracy. North by Northwest is a cheeky, emotional, and action-packed romp that showed why Grant was one of the definitive movie stars of this era of Hollywood; virtually every major action blockbuster released in the subsequent decades owe at least some debt of gratitude to what Grant did in North by Northwest.
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North By Northwest
8 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962)
Directed by John Frankenheimer

The Manchurian Candidate was a fascinating entry into the Cold War thriller canon, as it was released when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were still at an all-time high under the Presidency of John F. Kennedy. The Manchurian Candidate is best known for its iconic villainous performance by Angela Lansbury; while she’s often known for playing more genial and compassionate characters, Lansbury completely transforms her image to play one of the scariest maternal figures in film history.
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The Manchurian Candidate also features stellar work from Frank Sinatra, who drops his typical charisma in order to play a more troubled, nervous secret agent who doesn’t fit the typical hero mold. While Sinatra’s inherent charisma had been used to great effect in films like From Here To Eternity and Guys and Dolls, The Manchurian Candidate proved he had more range than he was often given credit for.

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The Manchurian Candidate
7 'The Conversation' (1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

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The Conversation is one of the many masterpieces made by Francis Ford Coppola in the 1970s, but told a far more isolated and intimate story when compared to Apocalypse Now and the two The Godfather films. The Conversation rests on the appeal of Gene Hackman in one of his best performances as a lowly surveillance expert who begins to suspect that he has just become a witness to a politically charged murder.
Hackman embodies the inherent fear that all skeptics face when they think that they are being watched, delivering a performance that is completely heartbreaking. The Conversation is also a film that is stacked with interesting performances from regular Coppola collaborators, including Harrison Ford in an unusually sinister role several years before he became the iconic hero of a generation with his work in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

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The Conversation
PG
Where to Watch
- stream
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Not available
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*Availability in US
- Release Date
- April 7, 1974
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Cast
- Gene Hackman , John Cazale , Allen Garfield , Frederic Forrest , Cindy Williams , Michael Higgins
- Runtime
- 113 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
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6 'The Parallax View' (1974)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula

The Parallax View was a perfectly timed entry into the conspiracy thriller canon, as it took advantage of the real anxieties that many Americans felt amidst the Watergate scandal and resignation of President Richard Nixon that dominated the 1970s. At the center of this chilling story about murders and conspiracies is one of Warren Beatty’s best performances as a skeptical journalist who follows a trail of clues hinting at a sinister force that ties multiple operations together.
Beatty had to bring to life the same shock, fear, and righteous anger that the viewer did, and managed to get the audience on the side of the press. Beatty would subsequently earn more attention for his work as a director on films like Heaven Can Wait and Reds, but The Parallax View showed why he was a compelling movie star unlike any other.
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The Parallax View
R
Crime
Drama
Thriller
- Release Date
- June 14, 1974
- Director
- Alan J. Pakula
- Cast
- Warren Beatty , Paula Prentiss , William Daniels , Walter McGinn , Hume Cronyn , Kelly Thordsen , Chuck Waters , Earl Hindman , William Joyce
5 'Marathon Man' (1976)
Directed by John Schlesinger

Marathon Man was a brilliant spy thriller that put an unusual protagonist at the forefront of the story, as Dustin Hoffman played a student with no expertise in the world of spycraft. It was an interesting creative choice from director John Schlesinger that allowed the viewers to bridge a more emotional connection with the character; this admiration was only strengthened by a brief supporting performance by Roy Scheider as Hoffman’s on-screen brother.
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Marathon Man is best remembered for its captivating villainous performance by Laurence Olivier, who waged a personal battle against cancer whilst filming was completed. It was rare to see an actor as well-known for his work in Shakespearean theater to take a chance on such a bold genre film, but Olivier gave Marathon Man the respect that it deserved, and earned an Academy Award nomination for it.

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Marathon Man
4 'The Hunt For Red October' (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan

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The Hunt For Red October served as the first-ever adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels, and for many fans of the original source material, Alec Baldwin is still the definitive onscreen depiction of the character. However, The Hunt For Red October is really an ensemble film, as Baldwin gets just as much screen time as Sean Connery does as a proud Soviet Union submarine captain who decides to defect to the United States.
The Hunt For Red October is absolutely stacked with great character actors, as Stellen Skasrgard, Tim Curry, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, and James Earl Jones all make surprising appearances. While both Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger proved to be interesting continuations of the franchise, they didn’t have the depth of characterization that made The Hunt For Red October such an instant spy classic.

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The Hunt for Red October
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3 'Munich' (2005)
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Munich is by far one of the darkest films that Steven Spielberg has ever made, as it aimed to deconstruct the complex series of revenge missions waged between Israel and Palestine that has only grown more relevant in recent years. Munich was a notable entry in the espionage genre because it was willing to portray its spy characters as less than idealistic; Eric Bana plays a morally dubious Israeli secret service agent who is constantly forced to question whether or not the ends justify the means when carrying through with his mission.
Munich notably featured an early performance by Daniel Craig, making it completely understandable why he was cast as 007...
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Munich notably featured an early performance by Daniel Craig, making it completely understandable why he was cast as 007 in Casino Royale around the same time. Craig has a captivating aura of charisma that dwarfs that of his co-stars, even though Munich also featured an incredible supporting performance by the great Ciarán Hinds.
2 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (2011)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is perhaps the best adaptation of any of John le Carre’s legendary spy novels, as it had enough time to flesh out all of the great author’s iconic characters. Gary Oldman received the first Academy Award nomination of his career for playing the master espionage agent George Smiley; while it was a role that the great Sir Alec Guinness portrayed in the original television adaptation, Oldman was able to make the character his own.
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Supporting performances by Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, and Stephan Graham among others ensure that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has a stacked cast like no other. Although the notion that director Tomas Alfredson would develop a sequel that would unite the surviving cast members feels rather unlikely, it's amazing that so many generational talents were able to bring this storied source material to life.

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1 'Zero Dark Thirty' (2012)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

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Zero Dark Thirty is one of the most controversial films of the 21st century, but it would be impossible to deny how well-acted it is. Jessica Chastain may have earned some notoriety for her work in The Help, Take Shelter, and The Tree of Life a year prior, but her role as a hardworking CIA agent determined to track down the terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center is absolutely captivating. She’s a morally dubious protagonist that the audience can’t help but invest in.
Zero Dark Thirty ensures that all the military proceedings in the film feel realistic thanks to the dark performances by Jason Clarke, Chris Pratt, and Kyle Chandler among others. Zero Dark Thirty has a fair amount of action, but it's the characters that make it such a spellbinding take on recent history.

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Zero Dark Thirty
R
- Release Date
- December 19, 2012
- Director
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Cast
- Jessica Chastain , Jason Clarke , Kyle Chandler , Jennifer Ehle , Mark Strong , Joel Edgerton , Chris Pratt , Edgar Ramirez , Mark Duplass , Scott Adkins , Harold Perrineau , Jeremy Strong , Reda Kateb , Ricky Sekhon , J.J. Kandel , James Gandolfini , Stephen Dillane , John Schwab , Martin Delaney
- Runtime
- 157 Minutes
- Main Genre
- War
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NEXT: The Best Spy Movies on Netflix Right Now
- Movie
- The Third Man
- Zero Dark Thirty
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