Spy films I have seen
by Alberto-7 | created - 04 Jan 2013 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicA list of all the espionage films, miniseries and TV series I have seen, from serious films to James Bond thrillers to spoofs
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1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced out of semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
Stars: Alec Guinness, Michael Jayston, Anthony Bate, George Sewell
Votes: 9,613
The best spy film/TV series ever made, bar none. Alec Guinness is great.
2. Murderers' Row (1966)
Approved | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Handsome top-secret American agent Matt Helm must recover a laser-weapons inventor who has been kidnapped by arch-villain Julian Wall.
Director: Henry Levin | Stars: Dean Martin, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Camilla Sparv
Votes: 2,459
Groovy Matt Helm film has a great hovercraft chase and a delayed-action gun.
3. The Ambushers (1967)
Not Rated | 102 min | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Secret agent Matt Helm must battle foreign spies and a rogue nation's exiled ruler in order to recover a hijacked U.S. government experimental flying saucer.
Director: Henry Levin | Stars: Dean Martin, Senta Berger, Janice Rule, James Gregory
Votes: 2,302
Only Janice Rule and the Mexican locations save this movie from being total garbage.
4. The Wrecking Crew (1968)
PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Gold bullion worth USD 1 billion has been stolen from a hijacked train in Denmark. The main suspect is Count Massimo Contini. The US government sends Matt Helm, one of its top agents, to investigate and recover the gold.
Director: Phil Karlson | Stars: Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, Sharon Tate, Nancy Kwan
Votes: 3,718
Ok Matt Helm entry. Chuck Norris has a small part in this.
5. Our Man Flint (1966)
Approved | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
When scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.
Director: Daniel Mann | Stars: James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan, Edward Mulhare
Votes: 7,079 | Gross: $16.00M
Too over-the-top to enjoy but James Coburn is good.
6. In Like Flint (1967)
Unrated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Super-spy Flint takes on a cabal of women plotting to rule the world.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Jean Hale, Andrew Duggan
Votes: 6,082 | Gross: $11.00M
Don't remember much from this film which is never a good sign.
7. Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966)
Passed | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Secret agent tries to stop a scientist who has devised a bacterium that devours the body from within.
Director: Gerd Oswald | Stars: Peter Mark Richman, Wendell Corey, Carl Esmond, Barbara Bouchet
Votes: 1,537
Wow. How cheesy can you get? Looks like they shot this over a weekend in someone's house and backyard.
8. The Silencers (1966)
TV-PG | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Retired agent Matt Helm is re-activated in order to stop an evil organization from exploding an atom bomb over the USA and starting WWIII.
Director: Phil Karlson | Stars: Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi, Victor Buono
Votes: 3,790
Easily the best Matt Helm film with terrific performances by Daliah Lavi and Stella Stevens. Gun that shoots backwards is nifty gadget
9. Some Girls Do (1969)
G | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A series of unexplainable accidents befall the people and companies responsible for developing the world's first supersonic airliner (SST1). A British agent is sent to investigate and with ... See full summary »
Director: Ralph Thomas | Stars: Richard Johnson, Daliah Lavi, Beba Loncar, James Villiers
Votes: 805
Not as good as Deadlier than the Male but it does have Daliah Lavi, which is always a good thing.
10. Operation Kid Brother (1967)
Not Rated | 104 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
The civilian brother of Britain's best spy must use his skills in plastic surgery, hypnotism and lip-reading to stop a crime syndicate's bid for world domination.
Director: Alberto De Martino | Stars: Neil Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Adolfo Celi, Agata Flori
Votes: 1,563
Total nonsense but it does have Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell as M and Moneypenny like characters. Neil Connery is, well...Neil Connery. A carpenter, not an actor. Adolfo Celi(Thunderball) , Daniela Bianchi (From Russia With Love) and Anthony Dawson (Dr. No) round out the official Bond film veterans.
11. Bons baisers de Hong-Kong (1975)
97 min | Comedy
The Queen of England has been kidnapped. As " their best man " has been dead for three years - according to Bernard Lee very own M , the British S.I.S. ask the French secret service for ... See full summary »
Director: Yvan Chiffre | Stars: Gérard Rinaldi, Gérard Filippelli, Jean Sarrus, Jean-Guy Fechner
Votes: 289
Total craziness with Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell making a short cameo as M and Moneypenny(??) Clifton James (Sheriff Pepper) also appears as does the famous Bond Gun-barrel sequence where Bond gets shot!!
12. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
PG-13 | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy
A world-class playboy and part-time secret agent from the 1960s emerges after thirty years in a cryogenic state to battle with his nemesis Dr. Evil.
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers
Votes: 256,875 | Gross: $53.88M
The best of the bunch with a gorgeous Liz Hurley and even more gorgeous Mimi Rogers. I wish they had only made this one and skipped the other two.
13. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
PG-13 | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Dr. Evil is back and has invented a new time machine that allows him to go back to the 1960s and steal Austin Powers' mojo, inadvertently leaving him "shagless".
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Michael York, Robert Wagner
Votes: 248,574 | Gross: $206.04M
Ugh. What a piece of garbage. Enough said.
14. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
PG-13 | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Upon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the aptly named villain Goldmember, who is working with Dr. Evil.
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Mike Myers, Beyoncé, Seth Green, Michael York
Votes: 222,718 | Gross: $213.31M
Who cares?
15. Code Name: Tiger (1964)
90 min | Thriller
A Turkish ambassador arrives in Paris to sign an important trade agreement, allowing Turkey to buy a sophisticated new war plane from France. Immediately he is the target of an assassin, and a special agent is assigned to protect him.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Roger Hanin, Maria Mauban, Daniela Bianchi, Roger Dumas
Votes: 253
Groovy French Bond spoof with the always great Roger Hanin.
16. The Ipcress File (1965)
Passed | 109 min | Drama, Thriller
In London, a wisecracking spy investigates the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists while dealing with the constraints of his agency's bureaucracy.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd
Votes: 17,567
Extremely well made film with an intensity you don't see in most spy films. Michael Caine is great in this as is Nigel Green. The direction by Sydney J. Furie is simply sublime and the use of locations in London is well thought out. The plot can be a little confusing but overall this is a great film. Not to be missed.
17. Funeral in Berlin (1966)
Not Rated | 102 min | Thriller
Sent to East Berlin to retrieve a Communist defector, British spy Harry Palmer suspects the situation is not what his superiors believe it to be.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Michael Caine, Oscar Homolka, Paul Hubschmid, Eva Renzi
Votes: 7,768
Gritty cold war spy drama with a lot of crosses and double crosses. Excellent use of the Berlin location.
18. Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Not Rated | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
British spy-turned-detective Harry Palmer stumbles upon an oil tycoon's plot to overthrow Communism using a supercomputer.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Michael Caine, Karl Malden, Ed Begley, Oscar Homolka
Votes: 6,004
Wow. How crazy can you get. The most "Matt Helm"ish of the Harry Palmers. Too over the top but Michael Caine is what makes this one work.
19. The Man Called Flintstone (1966)
Unrated | 89 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
While preparing for a camping trip, Fred Flintstone is enlisted by the Bedrock Secret Service to capture a criminal mastermind after a spy who looks like him is injured on the job.
Directors: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna | Stars: Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl, Gerry Johnson
Votes: 1,853
Spy spoof starring the Flintstones. That is all you need to know. Fun to watch but silly as hell.
20. Casino Royale (1967)
Approved | 131 min | Comedy
In an early spy spoof, aging Sir James Bond comes out of retirement to take on SMERSH.
Directors: Val Guest, Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish, Richard Talmadge | Stars: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Orson Welles
Votes: 32,441
The ultimate Bond spoof starring...James Bond! Too bad it is so bad. Woody Allen and Daliah Lavi(again) are the best parts of this.
21. The President's Analyst (1967)
Not Rated | 103 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
When the overworked and stressed-out White House presidential shrink runs away, the CEA and the FBR scramble to retrieve him before he could be abducted by various competing foreign intelligence services.
Director: Theodore J. Flicker | Stars: James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Joan Delaney
Votes: 3,521
Was this ever weird!
22. Crossplot (1969)
PG-13 | 96 min | Crime, Thriller
An advertising executive sets out to find a woman for a new advertising campaign. His only clue to the woman is a photograph, and the search leads him into bewildering political ploys and mayhem.
Director: Alvin Rakoff | Stars: Roger Moore, Martha Hyer, Alexis Kanner, Claudie Lange
Votes: 846
Roger Moore as...Roger Moore. Very poor "thriller" and what's with Roger's hairstyle?
23. Alphaville (1965)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A U.S. secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and free the city from its tyrannical ruler.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Valérie Boisgel
Votes: 27,572 | Gross: $0.05M
Out of this world man!
24. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
Not Rated | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Secret agent OSS 117 foils Nazis, beds local beauties, and brings peace to the Middle East.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: François Damiens, Jean Dujardin, Khalid Maadour, Youssef Hamid
Votes: 23,086 | Gross: $0.30M
Hilarious spoof with a Jean Dujardin in top form.
25. OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)
Not Rated | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Another mission of world-known French secret agent leads him to exotic Brazil.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: Jean Dujardin, Louise Monot, Rüdiger Vogler, Alex Lutz
Votes: 16,490 | Gross: $0.09M
Disappointing sequel but Dujardin is still funny.
26. Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996 TV Movie)
R | 89 min | Thriller
Spy-turned-detective Harry Palmer is tasked with recovering a consignment of stolen plutonium in Saint Petersburg.
Director: Douglas Jackson | Stars: Michael Caine, Jason Connery, Yuri Limonty, Tanya Jackson
Votes: 1,370
Wow was this ever bad. Why did they bother to resurrect Harry Palmer if they were going to treat him so badly?
27. S*P*Y*S (1974)
PG | 87 min | Action, Comedy
Two spies end up being chased by the CIA, the KGB, and a group of anarchists after a botched mission invoked an unwritten "corpse for a corpse" pact.
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Zouzou, Joss Ackland
Votes: 1,063 | Gross: $2.46M
Is this ever awful. Why did they bother?
28. The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair (1983 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
When THRUSH steals a nuclear weapon and demands a ransom delivered by Napoleon Solo, UNCLE recalls him and his partner to duty.
Director: Ray Austin | Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Patrick Macnee, Tom Mason
Votes: 742
Well George Lazenby appears in a cameo as JB and Napoleon and Ilya are back. What more can you ask for?
29. The Spy in the Green Hat (1967)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
U.N.C.L.E. agents Napoleon Solo and Ilyia Kuryakin are sent to stop a T.H.R.U.S.H. employed ex-Nazi scientist from diverting the Gulf Stream.
Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Jack Palance, Janet Leigh
Votes: 576
Man From UNCLE two-part episode released theatrically. All I remember is the stereotypical Sicilians in the film. No need to say more.
30. Johnny English (2003)
PG | 87 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After a sudden attack on MI5, Johnny English, Britain's most confident, yet unintelligent spy, becomes Britain's only spy.
Director: Peter Howitt | Stars: Rowan Atkinson, John Malkovich, Natalie Imbruglia, Tasha de Vasconcelos
Votes: 174,044 | Gross: $28.08M
Mr. Bean as a secret agent? Ok, it really isn't too bad don't expect anything serious.
31. The Pink Panther (2006)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Bumbling Inspector Clouseau must solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and find out who stole the infamous Pink Panther diamond.
Director: Shawn Levy | Stars: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer
Votes: 92,437 | Gross: $82.23M
The uncredited cameo by Clive Owen as agent 006 is easily the best part of this catastrophe.
32. The Nude Bomb (1980)
PG | 94 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Maxwell Smart is recalled to duty to help fight a villian who threatens to detonate a weapon that destroys clothing.
Director: Clive Donner | Stars: Don Adams, Andrea Howard, Sylvia Kristel, Rhonda Fleming
Votes: 3,548 | Gross: $14.66M
A huge disappointment for fans of Get Smart. The script is just bad and a lot of the jokes just fall flat. The positives: Don Adams is always fun and he is ably helped in this one by Andrea Howard as agent 22. She's no Barbara Feldon but she does a good job. Bill Dana also has a nice little cameo. For diehard Get Smart fans only.
33. Spy Hard (1996)
PG-13 | 81 min | Action, Comedy
Dick Steele, Agent WD-40 is assigned by his Director, to stop the evil General Rancor from destroying the world. WD-40 believed Rancor was dead and he teams up with the hot KGB Agent Veronique Ukrinsky to find Rancor and save the world.
Director: Rick Friedberg | Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Charles Durning, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 40,381 | Gross: $29.00M
Good old Leslie Nielsen. Thank you for this stupid but funny spoof.
34. Probe (1972 TV Movie)
100 min | Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
High-tech investigations company World Securities uses Agents, called Probes, to solve various international cases, such as the retrieval of a famous diamond collection stolen by the Nazis during World War II.
Director: Russ Mayberry | Stars: Hugh O'Brian, Elke Sommer, Burgess Meredith, Lilia Skala
Votes: 229
This was a pretty cool TV movie that spawned the "Search" TV series. The agent had some cool gadgets including (if I remember correctly) a pendant he wore around his neck with a camera hidden in it.
35. Get Smart (2008)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Maxwell Smart, a highly intellectual but bumbling spy working for the CONTROL agency, is tasked with preventing a terrorist attack from rival spy agency KAOS.
Director: Peter Segal | Stars: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, Dwayne Johnson
Votes: 228,490 | Gross: $130.32M
Not bad, but lacking the ridiculous fun of the original TV series. Steve Carrel was good but Anne Hathaway just didn't do it for me. A bit too convoluted overall.
36. Matchless (1967)
Not Rated | 104 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A secret agent possesses a ring that makes him invisible for a short time, once every 10 hours. He is in pursuit of an evil criminal mastermind but, at the same time, must evade an enemy agent who also wants the ring.
Director: Alberto Lattuada | Stars: Patrick O'Neal, Ira von Fürstenberg, Donald Pleasence, Henry Silva
Votes: 325
Ultra-groovy Euro spy film with a very silly premise: The main character has a ring that can render him invisible for 20 minutes at a time. Patrick O'Neal is having a blast in this and he is ably assisted by scantily-clad Euro-babe Ira Von Furstenberg. As silly as this is, it was shot all over Europe and in New York which gives it a really nice look. Henry Silva and Donald Pleasance are the cartoonish villains in pursuit of O'Neal who in turn is trying to get some secret vials of poison or some other such liquid . As 1960s as you can get and a hell of a lot of fun.
37. What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)
PG | 80 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A Japanese James Bond -esque spy flick reused and redubbed into the plot of a secret agent searching to uncover a recipe for the world's greatest egg salad in Woody Allen's directorial debut.
Directors: Woody Allen, Senkichi Taniguchi | Stars: Woody Allen, The Lovin' Spoonful, Frank Buxton, Louise Lasser
Votes: 9,991
What happens when Woody Allen dubs a Japanese spy film with his own silly dialogue? You get a very funny film...for 30 minutes and then it gets tiresome very quickly. The idea was great but it was too much of a good thing.
38. Get Smart (1965–1970)
TV-G | 25 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Maxwell Smart, a highly intellectual but bumbling spy working for the CONTROL agency, battles the evil forces of rival spy agency KAOS with the help of his competent partner Agent 99.
Stars: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt, Robert Karvelas
Votes: 13,768
James Bond meets Inspector Clouseau. Don Adams, Barbara Feldon and Edward Platt are simply great in this. The stories are quite repetitive and there is too much shot in the studio but the episodes are fun. Enjoyable series.
39. Get Smart, Again! (1989 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 96 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Smart is called back to duty as KAOS is back causing trouble again with a 'weather machine'.
Director: Gary Nelson | Stars: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Bernie Kopell, Dick Gautier
Votes: 1,518
After the catastrophe that was The Nude Bomb, we get the original cast in some further adventures. It is great to see the original agent 99, Larabee, Hymie, Sigfried, Starker, agent 13 and Max of course. The story is ok but the treat is seeing the original cast (a little older but still funny) having a blast. A must for Get Smart fans.
40. Carry on Spying (1964)
87 min | Comedy
Agent Simpkins and trainees chase STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans) for a stolen chemical formula, using gadgets and disguises to defeat villains The Fat Man, Dr Milchman, and Dr Crow.
Director: Gerald Thomas | Stars: Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey
Votes: 3,107
Oy!! This is so unbelievably stupid but what else would you expect from the Carry On gang. Corny jokes and double entendres galore. Makes the Matt Helm films look like The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. You have been warned.
41. The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (1965)
96 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Dauntless British agent Charles Vine is called upon to escort to London the famed Swedish scientist Henrik Jacobs to negotiate the sale of a secret formula. However, sinister forces ... See full summary »
Director: Lindsay Shonteff | Stars: Tom Adams, Karel Stepanek, Peter Bull, John Arnatt
Votes: 193
This is a very enjoyable James Bond copy/spoof. It never takes itself too seriously but never veers into total silliness (like Carry on Spying, for example). This film has a very funny, clever opening and keeps our attention throughout. Budget is limited so there is a great deal of location shooting throughout London including a sequence outside Buckingham Palace. There are several funny references to James Bond and Goldfinger which are great. The jokey theme song by Sammy Davis Jr. is very good and sets the tone right away. The plot is somewhat confusing as there are way too many double-crosses throughout but it is still entertaining. A very enjoyable film to see on a rainy day. By the way, the version I saw was called the 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World and includes the Sammy Davis song I spoke of earlier. I don't think the original British version had the song and I believe the film was called Licensed to Kill.
42. Secret Agent Fireball (1965)
89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An American CIA agent must find the whereabouts of valuable microfilm that was smuggled over by two Russian scientists who had been hoping to defect.
Director: Luciano Martino | Stars: Richard Harrison, Dominique Boschero, Wandisa Guida, Luciano Pigozzi
Votes: 144
Typical 1960s James Bond copy with a suave secret agent, a couple of beautiful women, one good, the other bad, exotic locations (Paris, Hamburg, Beirut) and plenty of fights and chase scenes. The sum total is an ok film that is no better or worse than most of the 1960s Eurospy films. A couple of scenes are above average like the helicopter chase scene and the ambulance being chased by Police driving amphibious cars but overall just an average film.
43. Call Me Bwana (1963)
Not Rated | 93 min | Comedy
A returning moon capsule with vital information goes off-course and lands in Africa, where the little-known Ekele tribesmen find it. Washington orders African expert, Matthew Merriwether - ... See full summary »
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: Bob Hope, Anita Ekberg, Edie Adams, Lionel Jeffries
Votes: 878
Silly, silly film with a pile of corny jokes by Bob Hope. The best part is the cameo by famous golfer Arnold Palmer and the game he plays with Hope (including Flinstones style golf clubs). If this does not sound like you cup of tea, avoid this at all costs. FYI, this was produced by Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, the original producers of the James Bond series.
44. North by Northwest (1959)
Approved | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis
Votes: 345,739 | Gross: $13.28M
Terrific Hitchcock film that is one of the best spy thrillers ever made with a healthy dose of humour thrown in for good measure.
45. From Russia with Love (1963)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Daniela Bianchi
Votes: 145,218 | Gross: $24.80M
The most "serious Bond" film has everything you might want in a spy film and a terrific performance by Sean Connery.
46. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Approved | 112 min | Drama, Thriller
Instead of coming in from the Cold War, British agent Alec Leamas chooses to face another mission.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Richard Burton, Oskar Werner, Claire Bloom, Sam Wanamaker
Votes: 18,787
Gritty, downbeat spy film that pulls no punches. Probably one of the best serious spy films ever made.
47. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
PG-13 | 126 min | Drama, Thriller
An American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury
Votes: 79,722
Great cold-war thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
48. Eye of the Needle (1981)
R | 112 min | Romance, Thriller, War
A ruthless German spy, trying to get out of Britain with vital information about D-Day, must spend time with a young woman and her crippled husband.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown
Votes: 11,800 | Gross: $17.58M
Donald Sutherland is as evil as you can get in this tense WW2 spy film.
49. The Little Drummer Girl (1984)
R | 130 min | Drama
An American actress with a penchant for lying is forcibly recruited by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, to trap a Palestinian bomber, by pretending to be the girlfriend of his dead brother.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Diane Keaton, Yorgo Voyagis, Klaus Kinski, Sami Frey
Votes: 2,366 | Gross: $7.83M
This is very suspenseful but the chemistry between Diane Keaton and Yorgo Voyagis is simply not there. The espionage operations are well mounted though.
50. Dr. No (1962)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Bernard Lee, Joseph Wiseman
Votes: 179,266 | Gross: $16.07M
The first Bond film is fun and light.
51. Goldfinger (1964)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
While investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
Votes: 202,389 | Gross: $51.08M
Probably the best Bond film ever but silly as hell when you stop and think about it.
52. The Kremlin Letter (1970)
M/PG | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
During the Cold War a Naval Intelligence officer endowed with a powerful photographic memory is transferred to the CIA to participate in a covert operation in Moscow.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Bibi Andersson, Richard Boone, Nigel Green, Dean Jagger
Votes: 2,306 | Gross: $0.24M
Odd film.
53. Thunderball (1965)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond heads to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi
Votes: 126,979 | Gross: $63.60M
This is when the James Bond films started to be over the top. It still is a lot of fun but there are some underwater sequences that drag on much too long.
54. You Only Live Twice (1967)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 117,449 | Gross: $43.08M
Quite silly but those Japanese locations are spectacular.
55. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
British agent James Bond goes undercover to pursue the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is planning to hold the world to ransom.
Director: Peter R. Hunt | Stars: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 99,337 | Gross: $22.80M
Great stunts and action but Lazenby is just too wooden as Bond.
56. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
PG | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood
Votes: 114,047 | Gross: $43.82M
I did not care for this. Sean Connery is sleepwalking through this and the silliness is just too present.
57. Live and Let Die (1973)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organisation and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James
Votes: 115,382 | Gross: $35.38M
Roger Moore adds a great deal of charm to the Bond films and this one is a lot of fun but they are getting more and more ridiculous.
58. The Whistle Blower (1986)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Thriller
A war veteran tries to investigate the murder of his son who was working as a Russian translator for the British intelligence service during the Cold War. He meets a web of deception and paranoia that seems to be impenetrable.
Director: Simon Langton | Stars: Michael Caine, James Fox, Nigel Havers, John Gielgud
Votes: 2,637 | Gross: $1.50M
Great performance from Michael Caine. Solid film.
59. The Fourth Protocol (1987)
R | 119 min | Thriller
John Preston is a British Agent with the task of preventing the Russians detonating a nuclear explosion next to an American base in the UK. The Russians are hoping this will shatter the "special relationship" between the two countries.
Director: John Mackenzie | Stars: Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Ned Beatty, Joanna Cassidy
Votes: 10,971 | Gross: $12.42M
It was great to see Pierce Brosnan as a villain in this. Well-made.
60. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin, while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology that is being sold to the highest bidder.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams
Votes: 112,987 | Gross: $20.97M
Yikes, is this ever bad. There are a few good moments in this film and Christopher Lee is magnificent but overall this is a stinker. The less said about the karate"fight" the better. Ugh
61. Secret Agent (1964–1967)
TV-PG | 49 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
John Drake is a special operative for M9, specializing in security assignments against any subversive element that threatens world peace.
Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Peter Madden, Frank Maher, Peter Brayham
Votes: 1,537
A terrific TV series hampered by very, very low budgets and an over-reliance on studio sets. Patrick McGoohan elevates this to another level. Some of the episodes are well written and suspenseful, others leave a lot to be desired.
62. Secret Agent (1936)
Not Rated | 86 min | Mystery, Thriller
After three British Agents are assigned to assassinate a mysterious German spy during World War I, two of them become ambivalent when their duty to the mission conflicts with their consciences.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: John Gielgud, Madeleine Carroll, Robert Young, Peter Lorre
Votes: 9,035
A mish-mash of several Somerset Maugham short stories forms the basis of this Hitchcock thriller. If you've read the source material you will be aghast, if not you will enjoy it a lot more.
63. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Not Rated | 96 min | Mystery, Thriller
While travelling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, May Whitty
Votes: 57,096
Fun Hitchcock title with a great deal of suspense.
64. The Lady Vanishes (1979)
PG | 95 min | Action, Comedy, Mystery
While travelling by rail in interwar Nazi Germany, a young socialite finds that a fellow female passenger has disappeared from the train, but nobody else remembers her having been on board.
Director: Anthony Page | Stars: Elliott Gould, Cybill Shepherd, Angela Lansbury, Herbert Lom
Votes: 2,987
Cute remake of the Hitchcock film. It manages to hold its own helped greatly by the location filming.
65. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads, with the help of a K.G.B. agent whose lover he killed.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel
Votes: 116,178 | Gross: $46.80M
Great Roger Moore Bond film is a lot of fun.
66. Moonraker (1979)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle, and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel
Votes: 108,705 | Gross: $70.31M
Oh brother. This is fun on a comic book level but ridiculous otherwise.
67. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Secret service agent James Bond is assigned to find a missing British vessel equipped with a weapons encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson
Votes: 108,213 | Gross: $62.30M
Solid Roger Moore outing as Bond. Back to basics.
68. Octopussy (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A fake Fabergé egg recovered from the body of a fellow agent leads James Bond to uncover a jewel smuggling operation led by the mysterious Octopussy, and a plot to blow up a NATO air base.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn
Votes: 112,881 | Gross: $67.90M
Roger Moore should never have made this. The quality was slipping fast in this ridiculous film.
69. A View to a Kill (1985)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
The recovery of a microchip from the body of a fellow British secret agent leads James Bond to a mad industrialist scheming to cause massive destruction.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones
Votes: 104,806 | Gross: $50.33M
Roger Moore as "grandpa" Bond. Yes, he was much too old to play Bond in this and the story is a turkey. Avoid at all costs.
70. The Sea Wolves (1980)
PG | 120 min | Action, History, War
During World War II, British Intelligence brings a crew of ex-soldiers out of retirement, using their age as cover, to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission in neutral Goa.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen | Stars: Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard
Votes: 5,270
Great WW2 action thriller with a wonderful cast.
71. The Living Daylights (1987)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker
Votes: 105,756 | Gross: $51.19M
Back to basics with Timothy Dalton. Good film in the series.
72. Licence to Kill (1989)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A vengeful James Bond goes rogue to infiltrate and take down the organization of a drug lord who has murdered his friend's new wife and left him near death.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto
Votes: 111,988 | Gross: $34.67M
After the very good The Living Daylights we get this ultra violent piece of trash. I hated this.
73. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Thriller
An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda de Banzie, Bernard Miles
Votes: 69,477 | Gross: $10.25M
Solid Hitchcock film with a good dose of humour thrown in for good measure.
74. Saboteur (1942)
Passed | 109 min | Thriller, War
A young man accused of sabotage goes on the run to prove his innocence.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Otto Kruger, Alan Baxter
Votes: 27,949
Solid Hitchcock.
75. Sabotage (1936)
Not Rated | 76 min | Crime, Thriller
A Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Oscar Homolka, Desmond Tester, John Loder
Votes: 18,700
Another good Hitchcock thriller.
76. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Passed | 120 min | Action, Romance, Thriller
On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders
Votes: 23,678 | Gross: $3.48M
Joel McCrae is great in this.
77. Notorious (1946)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
The daughter of a convicted German spy is asked by American agents to gather information on a ring of German scientists in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern
Votes: 107,177 | Gross: $10.46M
Well made thriller with a great leading couple.
78. Torn Curtain (1966)
PG | 128 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
An American scientist publicly defects to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the solution for a formula resin before planning an escape back to the West.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, Lila Kedrova, Hansjörg Felmy
Votes: 29,220
Another solid Hitchcock film.
79. Topaz (1969)
M/PG | 143 min | Drama, Thriller
A French Intelligence Agent becomes embroiled in the Cold War politics first with uncovering the events leading up to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and then back to France to break up an international Russian spy ring.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon, Karin Dor
Votes: 19,523 | Gross: $8.37M
Great film with a great premise.
80. The House on Garibaldi Street (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama
A true-life political thriller that dramatizes the 1960 capture in Argentina of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, by the Israelis.
Director: Peter Collinson | Stars: Topol, Nick Mancuso, Janet Suzman, Martin Balsam
Votes: 353
Terrific, tense, well-acted film on the capture of Eichmann by Israeli agents. Topol is solid in this. Martin Balsam and Janet Suzman are very good as well. Alfred Burke is quite creepy as Eichmann.
81. Operation Eichmann (1961)
Approved | 92 min | Crime, Drama, History
With the defeat of Germany that ends World War II in Europe, the Allies discover the true horror of more than six million Jews slaughtered by the Nazis - and the fact that one of the ... See full summary »
Director: R.G. Springsteen | Stars: Werner Klemperer, Ruta Lee, Donald Buka, Luis Van Rooten
Votes: 314
Absolutely awful film made quickly to cash in on the capture of Eichmann at the time. Don't waste your time and watch The House on Garibaldi Street instead.
82. The Odessa File (1974)
PG | 130 min | Drama, Thriller
Following the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, a journalist in possession of the man's diary investigates the alleged sighting of a former S.S. Captain, who commanded a concentration camp during World War II.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell, Mary Tamm
Votes: 12,057 | Gross: $1.11M
Tense and suspenseful.
83. The Impossible Spy (1987 TV Movie)
96 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
Young Israeli husband Eli Cohen is recruited by the Mossad in the early 1960's and sent to Syria. Telling his wife he has a new job that requires extensive business travel, he takes up ... See full summary »
Director: Jim Goddard | Stars: John Shea, Eli Wallach, Sasson Gabay, Michal Bat-Adam
Votes: 336
The story of Eli Cohen gets the movie of the week treatment but has a lot of positives: John Shea is amazing as Cohen; Eli Wallach, quite crafty as his handler and the Israeli locations give this film an air of authenticity. The pretty much all-Israeli cast are all quite good. The script is sometimes a little predictable and cliched but overall this is well done.
84. Sword of Gideon (1986 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 173 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Chronicles a Mossad team hand picked to hunt down the terrorists involved in the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: Steven Bauer, Michael York, Robert Joy, Laurent Malet
Votes: 1,340
Very well made TV movie shot in France, Israel, Canada, the USA and Italy. The script is a little contrived at times but overall this film is much more involved than Munich.
85. 13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
Approved | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When spy chief Bob Sharkey finds out one of his agents-in-training is actually a Nazi double agent, his strategic decision not to arrest him results in tragedy.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: James Cagney, Annabella, Richard Conte, Frank Latimore
Votes: 3,063
James Cagney is intense in this. Very well made spy thriller.
86. The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
Approved | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In the West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger
Votes: 4,345
This one was very interesting. I especially like that George Segal's character (Quiller) was far from perfect.
87. Bridge of Spies (2015)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, History, Thriller
During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan
Votes: 327,471 | Gross: $72.31M
Tense, well scripted story. Has a great feel for the politics of the era.
88. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
R | 127 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet Agent within MI6.
Director: Tomas Alfredson | Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong
Votes: 212,325 | Gross: $24.15M
Not as good as the 1979 TV min-series but still quite well done.
89. Deadlier Than the Male (1967)
Approved | 98 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
British agent Bulldog Drummond is assigned to stop a master criminal who uses beautiful women to do his killings.
Director: Ralph Thomas | Stars: Richard Johnson, Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina, Nigel Green
Votes: 1,996
Very cool Bulldog Drummond film with a smooth performance by Richard Johnson and a droll one by Nigel Green. Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina are excellent as well.
90. Smiley's People (1982)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Mystery
The murder of a Soviet defector forces his old handler, British spymaster George Smiley, out of retirement. His investigation leads to an old nemesis, the Soviet spymaster known only as "Karla". This will be their final dance.
Stars: Alec Guinness, Eileen Atkins, Bill Paterson, Vladek Sheybal
Votes: 4,757
Excellent sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with all the cast putting in great performances.
91. Ice Station Zebra (1968)
G | 148 min | Adventure, Thriller
USN nuclear sub USS Tigerfish must rush to the North Pole to rescue the staff of Drift Ice Station Zebra weather station.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown
Votes: 11,847
Taught, suspenseful film that goes on too long, unfortunately.
92. Ashenden (1991)
220 min | Drama
Four-part drama about a writer recruited into espionage work by British intelligence during the First World War. Based on the writings of Somerset Maugham.
Stars: Alex Jennings, Joss Ackland, Ian Bannen, Jason Isaacs
Votes: 61
Great mini-series based on the Somerset Maugham's short stories. The best of the 4 episodes is The Traitor. Great locations as well.
93. The File of the Golden Goose (1969)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
U.S. Agent Novak and Scotland Yard Officer Thompson go undercover to infiltrate a counterfeit organization.
Director: Sam Wanamaker | Stars: Yul Brynner, Charles Gray, Edward Woodward, John Barrie
Votes: 638 | Gross: $0.14M
Good, by the numbers thriller. Yul Brynner surprised me in this.
94. Munich (2005)
R | 164 min | Action, Drama, History
After the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Marie-Josée Croze, Ciarán Hinds
Votes: 238,102 | Gross: $47.40M
This was well made but I prefer Sword of Gideon, which is adapted from the same book.
95. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
PG | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
In November 1984, the Soviet Union's best submarine captain violates orders and heads for the U.S. in a new undetectable sub. The American CIA and military must quickly determine: Is he trying to defect or to start a war?
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill
Votes: 214,498 | Gross: $122.01M
Solid.
96. Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
R | 102 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Votes: 124,811 | Gross: $66.66M
Tom Hanks can do no wrong in my opinion but what the hell is Julia Roberts doing in this?
97. The Iron Curtain (1948)
Approved | 87 min | Biography, Crime, History
The story of Soviet cypher-clerk Igor Gouzenko who was posted to the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa,Canada in 1943 and defected in 1945 to reveal the extent of Soviet espionage activities directed against Canada.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, June Havoc, Berry Kroeger
Votes: 1,102
A fictionalized version of the Gouzenko Affair is very well made. Exteriors were shot in Ottawa, which lends an air of authenticity to the film. It is tense and the atmosphere is just right. They play a little fast and loose with the facts but that is to be expected. Acting is a little over the top in some cases. Well worth seeing.
98. Black Sunday (1977)
R | 143 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
When a Black September terrorist group begins a plot to carry out a massive terrorist attack in the United States, an Israeli commando works with the FBI to identify the target and conspirators, and prevent the plan from succeeding.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver
Votes: 9,075 | Gross: $15.77M
Tense film with an intense performance by Robert Shaw,
99. The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, History, War
The story of the 1960 hostile extraction of the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, by the Mossad to Israeli justice.
Director: William A. Graham | Stars: Robert Duvall, Arliss Howard, Jeffrey Tambor, Jack Laufer
Votes: 801
Very drawn out account of the story of the capture of Eichmann. The House on Garibaldi Street is much, much better.
100. The Great Manhunt (1950)
Passed | 97 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
In post-WW2 Europe, when the dictator of a small police state dies during surgery, the operating surgeon, who's a visiting American doctor, is held captive in order to preserve the terrible state secret.
Director: Sidney Gilliat | Stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Walter Rilla
Votes: 818
Exciting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Terrific "evil" performance from Jack Hawkins as the head of the State Police. Well worth watching. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is quite good in the lead.
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