The spy genre has come a long way. Originally paired with the thriller genre, spy movies can now fit into any category they please, even if they are best suited as spy thrillers. Franchises like James Bond and Mission Impossible commonly use this adaptable genre to create some of the most well-known films of all time. While fictional and suave spy movies are a staple of cinema, they also push the boundaries into realism, delivering fans with true stories and a realistic approach to spies.
With this ever-popular genre, many great spy movies continue to bless the cinemas today, but the 2010s is a unique decade in which spy movies reinvented themselves. These movies come in various shapes and forms, from over-the-top comedies to serious thrillers, but they all contain espionage and action. With daring stunts, exotic locations, dapper characters, exciting action, and political drama, these ten spy movies prove to be a step above the rest.
10 ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Kingsman is the newest spy movie franchise to grace the cinemas. With three movies currently out, Kingsman: The Secret Service is the first and best of them. Based on the comic book of the same name, the story follows a street punk who gets the chance to use his skills for good. In the spy training program, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) learns all the necessary skills that he will need if he wants to stop Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) and his worldwide killing spree.
This over-the-top spy movie features much inspiration from the old Bond films but dials it up, creating a goofy yet thrilling action-packed film. The film’s unique style is full of class, gore, and action, delivering fans with some of the most inventive fight scenes the genre has ever seen. The perfect blend of comedy, action, campiness, and style, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a must-see spy movie, giving fans something unique and fun from a decade full of serious spy thrillers.
9 ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ (2011)
Directed by Brad Bird
As part of the revolutionary Mission Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment and literally takes the series to new heights. After a bombing at the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF are the prime suspects, leading the U.S. Government to shut them down. However, Hunt and his crew don’t give up so easily and must work to clear their name without any help.
Director Brad Bird helped reinvent the franchise, taking the suspenseful and daring stunts to a new level, most famously the scaling of the Burj Khalifa. With many memorable quotes in Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol is one of the most memorable films because of its captivating action and thrilling plot. It may not feature the same spy slickness, but the heavy-hitting action and large scale more than make up for it.
8 ‘Bridge of Spies’ (2015)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
While Bridge of Spies is based on true events, it dramatizes them to create a more sustaining film experience, but it is an incredible story anyway. After the Soviet Union shoots down an American pilot spy plane, the U.S. Government works a trade deal, giving them a convicted KGB spy for the recently captured American. James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), a lawyer previously representing the KGB spy, is tasked with negotiating the deal in a thrilling political spy drama.
Bridge of Spies features many great actors, including Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, and Amy Ryan. While this movie isn’t a typical spy thriller, the historical drama is a breath of fresh air for the genre. It deals with an incredibly fascinating true story that depicts the complications of a spy trade. Bridge of Spies proves yet again that the 2010s are the best decade for spy movies because of their versatility.
7 ‘Spy’ (2015)
Directed by Paul Feig
Spy follows Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy), the guardian angel protecting the dapper and highly skilled CIA agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). However, after his sudden assassination, she takes matters into her own hands using unorthodox and clumsy methods that somehow always work. To stop the Bulgarian arms dealer from selling the nuclear codes, Susan teams up with a reluctant macho-man spy.
Unlike Jason Statham’s usual badass movies, he lends his suave acting skills to boast a comedy that works in perfect tandem with McCarthy. With fun action, hilarious comedy, and excellent character dynamics, this movie proves to be one of the best spy comedies. Spy shocked the world, delivering a genuinely good spy comedy that effectively uses its talent to create one of the best spy movies of the decade.
6 ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
After his success with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Christopher McQuarrie became the first returning director of the Mission Impossible franchise with Mission: Impossible – Fallout, with him also directing the next installment. After a terrorist organization known as The Apostles steals three plutonium cores, Hunt must team up with the hardheaded CIA agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) in a race against time.
Like Ghost Protocol, Fallout lands on this list because of its incredible stunts and action, establishing the franchise in action territory and moving away from its spy routes. This is definitely for the best, as Fallout has the best action in the Mission Impossible franchise. It greatly benefited from Cavill, giving fans the iconic arm reloading scene, many intense fight scenes, and moments of pure, relentlessly paced action.
5 ‘Argo’ (2012)
Directed by Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck directs and stars in Argo, a biographical historical drama based on actual events from the Canadian Caper where the Canadian government and the CIA worked together to bring home six U.S. diplomats. After some Iranian militants storm the U.S. embassy, six of them escape and manage to get in contact with the Canadian embassy. The CIA sends Tony Mendez (Affleck) to secretly help the six escape while posing as a film crew.
Like Bridge of Spies, Argo isn’t a typical spy movie. Because of its true story, it takes a much more grounded approach. Despite this, the film takes many liberties when telling the story but still manages to create a well-told tale. With countless details and set-up, Argo satisfyingly delivers an incredibly thrilling conclusion, helping make it one of the best biopic thrillers ever made, ultimately earning it Best Picture at the Oscars.
4 ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (2012)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Jessica Chastain stars in Zero Dark Thirty as Maya, a mix of many important women during the hunt for Osama bin Laden. After Kathryn Bigelow’s success with The Hurt Locker, she returns to deliver yet another war thriller, this time focusing on the decade-long hunt for bin Laden. The film is a dramatic retelling of the decade of hard work put in by Maya and the government leading up to the assassination.
Despite receiving criticism because of its depiction of torture, this controversial film earned numerous Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Zero Dark Thirty is yet another spy thriller based on a true story, and it is closer to being a perfect war movie. Even though fans know the outcome, the film takes them on a breathless journey full of psychological drama and captivating political intrigue.
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3 ‘BlacKkKlansman’ (2018)
Directed by Spike Lee
BlacKkKlansman follows the first African-American detective in the Colorado police department. Based on Ron Stallworth‘s 2014 memoir, BlacKkKlansam roughly tells his captivating true story. Eager to make a name for himself, Stallworth (John David Washington) sets out with the more experienced Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan and expose their actions.
Even though this movie greatly exaggerated the actual events, fans get enough to understand just how ridiculous the situation was. The dark comedy and satirical nature don’t take away from the poignant themes of racism, sexism, and radical ideologies, creating a film as funny as it is important. While not the typical spy film, BlacKkKlansman takes fans on an outrageous infiltration with plenty of laughs, delivering an enthralling narrative.
2 ‘Skyfall’ (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Bond films established the spy genre, so it’s only fitting that the revolutionary Skyfall would land on this list. After Bond (Daniel Craig) fails his latest assignment, countless MI6 agents are exposed, leading M to relocate the headquarters. Eager to clean up his mistake, Bond investigates the cause to track down one of the best James Bond villains, the vindictive Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) from M’s past, looking to enact his revenge.
Skyfall is surprisingly the only Bond film to make this list, partially because there are only two that came out in the 2010s, and critics didn’t receive Spectre as fondly. Bond is the embodiment of spy movies, and Skyfall mixes the debonair nature of the character with a gripping story while still maintaining staple spy tropes. With incredible action, top-notch acting, phenomenal writing, and a thrilling plot, Skyfall is a perfect Bond movie that brings the audience to one of the greatest spy films ever.
1 ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (2011)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Based on John le Carré‘s 1974 novel of the same name, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a Cold War spy movie. When an agent dies before revealing the identity of a Soviet double agent in the ranks of MI6, they call up the forced retiree George Smiley (Gary Oldman). He must investigate wherever he sees fit on a mission to snuff out the mole and stop the constant flow of confidential British information.
Instead of leaning into the dramatic gun fights and exaggerated escapades of a spy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy focuses on the subtleties that create a captivating spy thriller unlike any other. With some of the best acting for a spy movie, each actor does a phenomenal job, especially considering this is one of Gary Oldman’s best movies. Overall, the grounded spy drama expertly adapts le Carre’s best story, creating a riveting and intriguing movie worthy of being the 2010s best.
