Movies Similar to James Bond Movies
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- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEdward FoxTerence AlexanderMichel AuclairIn the aftermath of France allowing Algeria's independence, a group of resentful military veterans hire a professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" to kill President Charles de Gaulle.The Best Spy Movie Ever. See it to believe it.
3 Movies have been made on the Character The Jackal
1. The Day of the Jackal
2. The Jackal
3. The Assignment - DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsMichael CaineNigel GreenGuy DolemanIn London, a wisecracking spy investigates the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists while dealing with the constraints of his agency's bureaucracy.Harry Palmer movies. One of the best adaptation of a spy novel. Ex-KGB & Russia's President putin calls this the most realistic portrayal of a spy.
This Michael Caine vehicle may have been produced by the team behind the Bond films, but its hero Harry Palmer is the antithesis of Ian Fleming's suave super-spy. While Connery's Bond was scoffing at the "noise" of the Beatles, Caine's Palmer was wooing 60s dollybirds by driving them to his place in his Ford Zephyr and rustling up a meal.
Called in to investigate a scientist's disappearance, Palmer's investigation takes a turn for the psychedelic when he's subjected to brainwashing. How very 60s.
5 Movies
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Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996) (TV) Played by Michael Caine
Bullet to Beijing (1995) (TV) Played by Michael Caine
Spy Story (1976) Played by Michael Petrovitch (as Patrick Armstrong)
Billion Dollar Brain (1967) Played by Michael Caine
Funeral in Berlin (1966) Played by Michael Caine
The Ipcress File (1965) Played by Michael Caine - DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsColin FirthTaron EgertonSamuel L. JacksonA spy organisation recruits a promising street kid into the agency's training program, while a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.Years ago Tarantino said in an interview that he had written a James Bond script and that he would love to direct a Bond film. Sadly, that never happened, but ever since I read that I wondered what an R-rated Bond might be like. I don't know, maybe Matthew Vaughn has read that interview too and saw the potential, because 'Kingsman' is pretty much that: An ultra violent, funny, crazy, foul-mouthed James Bond film (with a little bit of 'Men in Black' and 'Mission Impossible' thrown in). You could say that this is to Bond what 'Game of Thrones' is to 'Lord of the Rings': Where the former can't and dare not go (for marketing and box office reasons), the latter joyfully and gloriously ventures. Dirty and (very black) humor - check. Bad language - check. Gratuitous violence - check. Needless to say, I was thrilled.
But it's also a fantastic action film with an amazing cast (Oscar winners Colin Firth and Michael Caine, plus Sam Jackson AND Mark Hamill) and spectacular, over-the-top fight-scenes that in some instances even rival films like 'The Raid' for their sheer visceral intensity. In short, if you're as fed up with lame wannabe Die-Hards and Terminators as I am, go watch this film. Apart from the rare 'John Wick' or 'Equalizer', 'Kingsman' seems to be pretty much the only antidote to the toothless, generic tripe Hollywood tries to pass for action these days. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantIngrid BergmanClaude RainsThe 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?Alfred Hitchcock at his most hard-boiled, this Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman double bill about the daughter of a Nazi war criminal recruited to infiltrate a ring of Nazis in Brazil became famous for the scene in which Hitchcock slipped around Hollywood’s ban on kissing scenes over three seconds (by having the actors break the kiss every few seconds before continuing). However, it’s Grant’s wardrobe that we’re most interested in, particularly his flawless dinner jacket, preceding a certain spy with a penchant for bow ties and tuxedos by almost twenty years.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsRudolf Klein-RoggeGerda MaurusWilly FritschThe mastermind behind a ubiquitous spy operation learns of a dangerous romance between a Russian lady in his employ and a dashing agent from the government's secret service.The menacing and dark world of espionage has rarely been so memorably created on film as in this consummate piece of cinema, with Fritz Lang’s mastery of expressionist technique at the service of a murky and complex tale of deception and death. The sinister masterspy Haghi is memorably incarnated by Rudolf Klein-Rogge.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.An Undercover Agent gets into the Underworld of Indonesia. It is one of the best action movie of all time. Must Watch.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenAlida ValliPulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.Touted as “the first great picture of 1950” and selected by the BFI as the "best British film of the 20th century", this tale of murder and smuggling in Allied-occupied Vienna remains one of the most stylish thrillers of all time. From the famous "cuckoo clock speech" scene on the Wiener Riesenrad big wheel to Orson Welles' supposedly dead black marketer Harry Lime emerging from a shadowy doorway, to the final chase through the city's cavernous sewers, The Third Man is a film that has often been imitated, but never bettered.
Much to its producers distain, director Carol Reed insisted on shooting the majority of the film on location in post-war Vienna, and the piles of rubble and bomb craters that help define the film's almost apocalyptic appeal are real. Scripted by Graham Greene (who occasionaly worked as a spy for the British government) the dialogue is to kill for, with a character named Major Calloway warning the film’s inquisitive protagonist to “Leave death to the professionals”.
All of these elements combine to make The Third Man without a doubt one of the best spy movie of all time, and according to many, including Roger Ebert, one of cinema's greatest accomplishments, "Of all the movies I have seen, this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies." - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantEva Marie SaintJames MasonA 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.The Genre defining Movie. This movie was the inspiration for the Bond Movies. Bond movie From Russia with love even copied the helicopter scene from this movie.
North By Northwest is the original anti-spy spy film. It's an espionage tale told from the perspective of the innocent as Cary Grant's advertising executive Roger Thornhill goes on the run from a shadowy organisation in a case of mistaken identity. There's lots to get excited about here, from Thornhill's devotion to a good suit to the epic finale atop a soundstage Mount Rushmore, not to mention to film's fantastically hard-boiled dialogue: "I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself "slightly" killed". - DirectorMartin RittStarsRichard BurtonOskar WernerClaire BloomInstead of coming in from the Cold War, British agent Alec Leamas chooses to face another mission.John le Carré had reason to be grateful for this perfectly judged film of his novel. Martin Ritt's utterly persuasive adaptation channelled all the key ingredients of the original, aided immeasurably by Paul Dehn’s impeccable screenplay, in which all the equivocations of the espionage world are played out to a devastating conclusion. The success of the film, of course, rested on the shoulders of Richard Burton as spy Alex Leamas, and he delivered one of his most truthful performances.
Real Life Spies relate to the deep cover spy that Richard Burton plays in the movie. Like a “moth to the flame,” the key to the mission success of Burton’s character is his deniability for those who sent him on the mission. The White Hat Powers that Be wring every ounce of decency out of the main character. Many a spy who has worked a long time in the field encounters this dilemma – the bad guys aren’t so bad and the good guys aren’t so good and you are going to have to betray a lot of good, decent people to accomplish the mission. This movie particularly represents the moral damage that spies encounter after many years in the field. - DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsLino VenturaPaul MeurisseJean-Pierre CasselAn account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France.Time has not dimmed the visceral power of Jean-Pierre Melville’s uncompromising and minatory classic about the high price paid by undercover Resistance agents in Nazi-occupied France. With strikingly etched performances, the film is as disturbing as the day it was released, notably for the controversial refusal to paint all the members of the Resistance in heroic colours. Perhaps the most persuasive performance in the film is that of Simone Signoret – only one of her impressive gallery of such achievements.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordFaye DunawayCliff RobertsonA bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.His name is Joe Turner — code name, Condor. In the next 24 hours, everyone he trusts will try to kill him. Robert Redford stars as the CIA researcher who returns from lunch to find all his co-workers murdered. Double-crossed and forced to go underground, he kidnaps a young woman (Faye Dunaway) and holds her hostage as he unravels the mystery. Conspiracy films don’t come any better.
Almost deserving of its place on this list because of its style alone (those suits, that knitwear, that peacoat). Out of his comfort zone as the cockey leading man, Redford turns in a stellar performance as he runs from both the CIA and a string of mysterious killers, with Max Von Sydow ticking the ‘evil assassin in tan trenchcoat’ box. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.Brilliant Undercover Agent Drama, with an all star cast including Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsBibi AnderssonRichard BooneNigel GreenDuring 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.A Brilliant Cold War movie with a Dream Cast including Orson Welles, Max Von Sydow, etc.
John Huston lamented the commercial failure at the time of its release of this unique, bizarre film, but it’s now crammed with cult interest, not least for its quite astonishing cast, including (among the spies) Bergman’s actor Max Von Sydow (with another Bergman alumnus, Bibi Andersson, as his wife, whose taste for sadomasochistic sex is her undoing), along with the terrifyingly avuncular Richard Boone, a menacing Orson Welles, and even George Sanders in drag. Noel Behn’s classic novel becomes a truly unique movie – one that, for years, was impossible to see. - DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsRobert De NiroJean RenoNatascha McElhoneA freelancing former U.S. Intelligence Agent tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by the Irish and the Russians.One of the best spy movie, with a good story and a great International Cast.Director John Frankenheimer helmed this action thriller at full throttle. A briefcase with undisclosed contents — sought by Irish terrorists and the Russian mob — makes its way into criminals’ hands. An Irish liaison (Natascha McElhone) assembles a squad of mercenaries, or ronin, charged with the thorny task of recovering the case. But the team, led by an ex-CIA agent (Robert De Niro), mistrusts one another. Can they accomplish their mission?
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJamie Lee CurtisTom ArnoldA fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.The Best Popcorn Spy Movie out there.
Better than Most Bond Movies or Mission Impossible Movies.
Played – as only he could – by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harry Tasker is an altogether different sort of spy to most of the characters in this list. He shoots before he thinks and does covert, under the radar things like getting into a lift on horseback. Yet despite this he's still somehow managed to convince his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) that he's a mild-mannered salesman.
His web of lies soon begins to unravel when he catches his wife cheating on him – and decides to spice up her life by sending her on a "mission."
It's harmless fun – explosions, plenty of soundbites for Arnie and a nuclear warhead or two. - DirectorGeorges LautnerStarsJean-Paul BelmondoJean DesaillyCyrielle ClairVictim of a plot which has resulted in his imprisonment in a Central African jail for two years, a French secret agent arrives in Paris to settle accounts.This is what secret agent action movies should be like...without pretension, without being overly philosophical...it's the raw simplicity and humor in "Le Professionnel" that make it oh-so-magnifique! Yes, Morricone's score is unforgettable. The characters...the heroes, antagonists...everything is so yummy and cozy. Belmondo exudes such irresistable charm that at the end I just hoped he'd RUN to the helicopter...but alas, this isnt a Hollywood production. Go Joss, woo! A definite must-see...and the car-chase was good, even in today's CGI standards. Oh, and the French ensemble cast is wonderful!
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend."Leon the Professional" meets "Man on Fire". Great Action and good action sequences.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsAlec GuinnessMaureen O'HaraBurl IvesJim Wormold, who is a vacuum cleaner salesman, participates as an Agent in the British Secret Service. But he soon realizes that his plans by lying are going to get him into trouble.This movie is a good example of how a story can be carried by the force of the actors' skill and director's art rather than relying the science of special effects. The absence of "action" means that the audience's attention has to be held by the sheer force of the story line, the actors' interpretations of it and the director's presentation of the product as a whole.
It deals honestly with what intelligence gathering is. A mundane craft open to manipulation not only by governments but also by lowly operatives. Sir Alec Guinness, as he later became, portrays the ordinariness of the seedy characters who carry on this trade. Ernie Kovacs gives a splendid presentation of the laid back but sinister not so secret policeman while Burl Ives is as powerful as ever.
The pre-Castro Cuban setting is well portrayed and one can almost feel the tropical heat as the cast of misfit characters go about there subterfuge business. - DirectorStanley DonenStarsCary GrantAudrey HepburnWalter MatthauRomance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Whom can she trust?It wasn't a Hitchcock movie!!!! Audrey Hepburn plays Reggie, a widow who's pursued through Paris by a gang of ex-OSS agents trying to track down her husband's ill-gotten fortune. Cary Grant is Peter, a charming stranger who helps her – but is he all he seems?
Everyone's wearing a mask in this frothy, fun escapade – it's as cool as… well, as Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn running around 1960s Paris in a comedy adventure caper. - DirectorLuc BessonStarsAnne ParillaudMarc DuretPatrick FontanaConvicted felon Nikita isn't going to jail; she's given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin.Internationally acclaimed director Luc Besson delivers the action-packed story of Nikita (Anne Parillaud), a ruthless street junkie whose killer instincts could make her the perfect weapon. Recruited against her will into a secret government organization, Nikita is broken and transformed into a sexy, sophisticated “lethal weapon.” Later remade in the United States as Point of No Return, starring Bridget Fonda.
Anne Parillaud stars as the titular femme fatale, a teenage junkie who's taken under the wing of a shadowy government agency after a robbery gone wrong ends with a policeman dead and her in jail. She's given a choice – work as a sleeper assassin or her fake suicide will become all too real.
Nikita's trained up to be a killer in high heels and a little black dress – but when a mission goes awry, Jean Reno's ruthless "Cleaner" (who bears more than a slight resemblence to his later role in Leon) is sent in.
Director Luc Besson lays on the clinical, European gloss with a trowel in this slick and stylish film. - DirectorTerence YoungStarsSean ConneryUrsula AndressBernard LeeA resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.James Bond Movies :-
Probably the most popular in this genre. James Bond doesn't need any introduction. The best movies are :-
1. Skyfall
2. Goldeneye
3. Casino Royale
4. Dr No
5. From Russia With Love
6. Goldfinger - DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsTom CruiseJon VoightEmmanuelle BéartAn American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.After James Bond series, this is the most popular spy movie character :- i.e. Ethan Hunt.
4 Movies till now - DirectorDoug LimanStarsFranka PotenteMatt DamonChris CooperA man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.After james bond and Mission Impossible the most popular in this genre.
Forget about the workaday Richard Chamberlain adaptation; this pared-to the bone and kinetic piece reinvented Robert Ludlum’s novel (with a low-key Matt Damon as the tough-as-nails, cut-adrift agent). The film launched a barnstorming new franchise (a franchise, moreover, that has made its mark on an older series, via the harder edge of Daniel Craig’s Bond debut, Casino Royale). It’s now widely accepted that Doug Liman’s movie and its follow-ups were better that Ludlum’s formulaic novels.
3 Movies
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The bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum - DirectorRichard MarquandStarsDonald SutherlandKate NelliganStephen MacKennaA 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.This movie happens to be a personal favourite for spies tasked with counter-intelligence. The only mission for a CI operative is to identify, deceive and mind-*beep* other enemy spies. This movie epitomizes the Spy-versus-Spy battles that take place every day without the public’s knowledge.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsRichard WidmarkJean PetersThelma RitterA pickpocket unwittingly lifts a message destined for enemy agents and becomes a target for a Communist spy ring.Made during the height of the cold war and McCarthy era, this is a film that doesn't take sides except to show that the spy game is an ugly sport.
A prostitute has her purse snatched on the subway. It contains a microfilm, and a communist spy ring will go to any lengths to recover it. Two parallel investigations unfold as both spies and cops hunt down the precious information.
Anti-hero pickpocket Skip McCoy is played with scornful assurance by Richard Widmark. He knows the cops to be his moral equals and intellectual inferiors, so he taunts them: "Go on," he says to captain Dan Tiger (Murvyn Vye), "drum up a charge. Throw me in. You've done it before." In this pitiless world, the cops are just one more gang on the streets. Just as Candy the hooker bribes Lightning Louie to get a lead, so the police are busy paying stool pigeons for information.
A Remake of this movie is The Cape town Affair 1967 starring James Brolin. - DirectorSidney LumetStarsJames MasonMaximilian SchellSimone SignoretA British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide.George Smiley is here played impeccably by James Mason – but the character is called Charles Dobbs, for rights reasons. Helping the renamed Smiley is retired police inspector Albert Mendel (Harry Andrews, every inch as exemplary as Mason). Dobbs is the ultimate real-life spy, low key and inconspicuous. As in The Spy who Came in From the cold, the moral quicksands of modern espionage have rarely been so persuasively conjured on film, with direction (Sidney Lumet) and playing perfectly dovetailed into a film in which human betrayal lays waste to a variety of lives.
- DirectorBenny ChanJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanMichelle FerreMirai YamamotoA Secret Agent loses his memory after falling from a crashing helicopter. He is then chased by several other agency operatives, but he has no idea why.Jackie Chan is Secret Agent who has lost his memory, and is now being chased by a number of other agency spies.
It has the Charm of a Jackie Chan movie combined with a Jason Bourne like treatment. Must Watch. - DirectorStephen GaghanStarsGeorge ClooneyMatt DamonAmanda PeetA politically charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved in and affected by it.George Clooney (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Golden Globe for his role) plays CIA operative Bob Barnes in this political thriller by Stephen Gaghan. America is at the beck and call of the Middle East when it comes to the oil industry, and all its players — Washington, sheiks, oil companies, field workers — intersect with each other. The star-studded cast includes Matt Damon, Amanda Peet, Chris Cooper and Christopher Plummer.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsKevin CostnerGene HackmanSean YoungA coverup and witchhunt occur after a politician accidentally kills his mistress.The voice-over in the trailer for Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman’s thriller about a U.S. Naval officer investigating a murder is pure eighties overkill. The plot, however, still stands up as one of the best spy films committed to film, with Gene Hackman turning in an on-the-money performance as the Secretary Of Defence trying to shift the blame for his promiscuous wife’s murder away from himself and on to a rumoured Soviet sleeper agent named Yuri, while tasking Costner – the other man in the affair – to investigate. Called “truly labyrinthine and ingenious” and a “superior example of the genre” in the late, great movie critic Roger Ebert’s original review, it’s Hackman and Costner’s performances that elevate this to a classic. For anyone disappointed with this year’s lacklustre Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, this is the film to watch to see Costner playing the spy game properly.
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsHenry CavillArmie HammerAlicia VikanderIn the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.Very witty, sexy movie. Take the humour of Sherlock (with Robert Downey Jr. & Jude law) and stick it in a bond movie- then you have The man from U.N.C.L.E. - I like bond movies, but I LOVED the man from uncle. It doesn't get boring, or drop at any point.
- DirectorGeorge FitzmauriceStarsGreta GarboRamon NovarroLionel BarrymoreA semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.One of the first few movie in this genre. Greta Garbo plays the real-life WWI spy.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsFrank SinatraLaurence HarveyJanet LeighAn American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.American soldiers brainwashed during the Korean War are at the heart of this black and white political thriller, directed by John Frankenheimer. Those pesky communists are to blame for making a right-wing Staff Sergeant turn against his own, in this incredible Cold War classic that's almost universally loved by those hard-to-please film critics.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsSean ConneryAlec BaldwinScott GlennIn 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?Jack Ryan Movies series.
5 Movies
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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) Played by Chris Pine
The Sum of All Fears (2002) Played by Ben Affleck
Clear and Present Danger (1994) Played by Harrison Ford
Patriot Games (1992) Played by Harrison Ford
The Hunt for Red October (1990) Played by Alec Baldwin - DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsGary OldmanColin FirthTom HardyIn the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet Agent within MI6.Le Carré’s ‘Karla’ trilogy was a key literary document of the Cold War, and its apogee is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - one the greatest espionage novels of the last century. Tinker, Tailor was subsequently transformed into one of the glories of modern television when it was adapted for the medium with Alec Guinness as Smiley. Here's the memorable opening sequence:
- DirectorJean SachaStarsIvan DesnyMagali NoëlYves VincentWho,in Mr Lead 's house, helps the villains get the stuff? Mr Lead himself? his wife? his daughter? his secretary?his servant?.A long running movie series.
The best one amongst these has Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, and directed by Michel Hazanavicius – the trio behind Oscar-baiting The Artist – OSS 117 is an equally loving homage to a bygone era of film-making. On this occasion, they're tackling the Eurospy films of the 60s, which sprang up in the wake of James Bond's success.
Dujardin plays Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, aka self-important, culturally-insensitive secret agent OSS 117. He's assigned to investigate the murder of a colleague in Cairo, which he does in the manner of Inspector Clouseau parachuted into a Connery-era Bond film. Splendidly daft.
9 Movies in total
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1. OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009) Played by Jean Dujardin
2. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) Played by Jean Dujardin
3. OSS 117 prend des vacances (1970) Played by Luc Merenda
4. OSS 117 - Double Agent (1968) Played by John Gavin
5. Atout coeur à Tokyo pour O.S.S. 117 (1966) Played by Frederick Stafford ... aka "Terror in Tokyo"
6. OSS 117: Mission for a Killer (1965) Played by Frederick Stafford
7. Panic in Bangkok (1964) Played by Kerwin Mathews
8. OSS 117 se déchaîne (1963) Played by Kerwin Mathews ... aka "OSS 117 Is Unleashed" - USA (literal English title)
9. O.S.S. 117 n'est pas mort (1957) Played by Ivan Desny
... aka "O.S.S. 117 Is Not Dead" - DirectorRidley ScottStarsLeonardo DiCaprioRussell CroweMark StrongA CIA agent on the ground in Jordan hunts down a powerful terrorist leader while being caught between the unclear intentions of his American supervisors and Jordan Intelligence.“This movie superbly illustrates contemporary tension between Western and Arab societies and the comparative effectiveness of hi-tech technology versus human counter-intelligence methods,” said the Special Operations officer.
Spying is about connecting and recruiting individuals through social engineering and behavioural science training. Many spies relate to Leonardo di Caprio’s character and the dilemma with headquarters and their reliance upon technology from 5,000 miles away. Spies have a saying: “There is nothing like being on the ground,” no satellite is going to tell you what is going on in people’s hearts and minds. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRobert DonatMadeleine CarrollLucie MannheimA man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.Real Life Spies love this movie because of the unexpected twists and turns; something that is ‘par for the course’ in the world of espionage. There is an old saying used by spies all over the world – ‘It’s a great plan until the first shot is fired!’ Any self-respecting spy will tell you that adaptability is critical in the field.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartDoris DayBrenda de BanzieAn 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.Alfred Hitchcock directs as Dr. Ben McKenna's family holiday in Africa takes a nasty turn for the worst when someone they know is murdered on a bus – but not before he divulges details of an assassination plot in London. The assassins fear that their plan may be foiled and kidnap McKenna's son as leverage. Not even Cliff Richard could sing this holiday into a merry affair.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJessica ChastainJoel EdgertonChris PrattA chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar winning exploration of the CIA’s obsessive hunt for Osama Bin Laden made a star of Jessica Chastain and was celebrated as one of the most intelligent spy thrillers of all time. Like Homeland turned up to eleven, Zero Dark Thirty brought the reality of torture, military base bombings and al Qaeda to a viewing public that had only previously read about them in broadsheets and limited published accounts. This is a spy film that dispenses with the glamour to show us that spy work is dirty work and the chilling fact that those searching for the truth are often just as clueless as the rest of us.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsEric BanaDaniel CraigMarie-Josée CrozeAfter 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.Like real-life spying, the movie is slow and steady with moments of underlying tension and moments of pure ‘dynamite’ particularly when moral dilemmas present themselves. The way Munich proceeded was a lot like real-life spying. It’s not glitz and glamour and flash all the time…successful espionage is slow, methodical, careful; sometimes there’s gripping tension when plans seem to go not quite according to plan, and other times — like in Munich — moral dilemmas can turn even the best laid plans on their head. The movie is realistic in this way.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCarice van HoutenSebastian KochThom HoffmanIn the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.This Dutch World War II film stars Carice van Houten as Jewish spy Rachel Rosenthal. Working for the Dutch resistance, Ronsenthal seduces a German officer to get inside the local Nazi intelligence organisation – and, promptly falls in love with him. With wartime gadgetry and double agents, Black Book is proof that you don't need hi-tech kit to be a spy.
Director Paul Verhoeven – the man behind Robocop, Starship Troopers and, er, Showgirls – actually lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, lending a touch of versimilitude to Black Book that sets it about as far apart from his earlier work as it's possible to get. - DirectorTony ScottStarsRobert RedfordBrad PittCatherine McCormackRetiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.Robert Redford and Brad Pitt reunite in this espionage thriller from director Tony Scott. On the verge of retiring from the CIA, veteran spy Nathan Muir (Redford) learns that his one-time protege and close friend, Tom Bishop (Pitt), is a political prisoner sentenced to die in Beijing. Although their friendship has been marred by bad blood and resentment, Muir agrees to take on the most dangerous mission of his career and rescue Bishop.
- DirectorJohn MackenzieStarsMichael CainePierce BrosnanNed BeattyJohn 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.It's Harry Palmer versus James Bond in this Cold War thriller, with Michael Caine starring as discredited MI5 agent John Preston opposite a pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan as a Russian sleeper agent.
Steeped in Cold War-era nuclear paranoia, it mixes a le Carre-esque hero with the gloss and preposterous blockbuster plot of a 007 flick. Best of both worlds, really. - DirectorJohn BoormanStarsPierce BrosnanGeoffrey RushJamie Lee CurtisA tailor living in Panama reluctantly becomes a spy for a British Agent.“REal Life Spies love Pierce Brosnan’s betrayal of the ‘loose cannon’ spy who creates all kinds of mayhem by tweaking the intelligence that he is sending back toheadquarters,” said another real-life former operative.
Real Life Spies love the fact that Brosnan’s character in the movie outwits headquarters and rides off into the sunset with a lot of money: spies have a dream of doing just that. - DirectorRobert De NiroStarsMatt DamonAngelina JolieRobert De NiroThe tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.Matt Damon and Robert De Niro (who also directs) star in this partially fact-based drama that examines the early history of the CIA as seen through the eyes of a dedicated agent. An upstanding, sharp-minded Yale student, Edward Wilson (Damon) is recruited to work for the fledgling CIA during World War II. Though loyal to his country, Wilson begins to feel the job eroding his ideals, filling him with distrust and destroying his personal life.
Although this is a fictional movie based on real events, it recounts the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency. The film’s main character, Edward Wilson (portrayed by Matt Damon), is based on James Jesus Angleton. Robert De Niro plays a great supporting role as Wild Bill Donovan. A must for any true fan of espionage movies.
The Matt Damon character represents a personality profile that you will find amongst many in the world of espionage – complexities of personalities. Angleton was a ruthless anti-communist and is a legend in the CIA, however he was also known for his love of poetry and his well-known friendship with Ezra Pound, who was not only one of the world’s greatest poets, but also a known communist who was arrested for treason during World War II. These complex behaviour patterns are baffling to civilians but tend to be quite normal in the society of espionage. - DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsAl PacinoColin FarrellBridget MoynahanA brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.Of all the CIA operatives-in-training, James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is the one agency veteran Walter Burke (Al Pacino) most wants to recruit. James is far from grateful, but he’s the sharpest of his class. Before he officially becomes an officer, however, he must prove he’s worthy at the Farm, the CIA’s secret training grounds, where he learns to watch his back and trust no one but himself.
- DirectorRichard ShepardStarsPierce BrosnanGreg KinnearHope DavisA globetrotting hitman and a crestfallen businessman meet in a hotel bar in Mexico City in an encounter that draws them together in a way neither expected.The life of Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian (Pierce Brosnan), who’s very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well, once he gets acclimated to it.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsBrad PittAngelina JolieAdam BrodyA bored married couple is surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other.Popcorn Thriller.
Marriage has gotten stale for John and Jane Smith (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), a husband and wife who don’t yet know that they share the same undercover line of work: They’re both guns for hire. Hiding their occupations has never been a hardship for either of them – until they discover that their next assignment involves them targeting each other! Can they go through with their respective missions, or will love prevail? - DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsDean MartinStella StevensDaliah LaviRetired agent Matt Helm is re-activated in order to stop an evil organization from exploding an atom bomb over the USA and starting WWIII.Younger audience might not remember this series of movies starring Dean Martin.
4 Movies
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The Wrecking Crew (1968) Played by Dean Martin
The Ambushers (1967) Played by Dean Martin
Murderers' Row (1966) Played by Dean Martin
The Silencers (1966) Played by Dean Martin - DirectorRonald NeameStarsJon VoightMaximilian SchellMaria SchellFollowing 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.Jon Voight does an excellent job in this intriguing film about a reporter searching for a war criminal who escaped Germany after World War II with the help of an organization called Odessa. His investigation leads him to Simon Wiesenthal and to a group of Israelis who train him to infiltrate Odessa. The historical setting is 1963 Germany, at the time of the Kennedy assassination This is a very suspenseful film with wonderful performances from the supporting cast as well: Mary Tamm, Maximillian Schell, Maria Schell, and Derek Jacoby.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGeorge KennedyVonetta McGeeClassical art professor and collector Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.This is an espionage thriller with a surprise ending. He plays an assassin who comes out of retirement to avenge the death of his friend. In order to catch the unidentified killer he must participate in a mountain climbing expedition which the killer is also participating. Clint really took a big chance while making this movie. He did all the dangerous mountain climbing stunts. If I was directing and starring in a movie I wouldn't do a stunt that is dangerous. I urge Clint Eastwood fans to watch this movie, they won't be disappointed.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.The opening of the movie played a huge part in setting the tone of the rest of the film. As I had no history or prior knowledge to the events that transpired in Iran in the 1980s, the brief amount of a history lesson was just enough to maintain my interest. Throughout the film, there are times when I might have started to wander through long bouts of dialog, but witty comments by the characters kept me entertained. By the time the climax was about to hit, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, biting at my fingers, awaiting their next move.
- DirectorDavid MametStarsVal KilmerDerek LukeWilliam H. MacyThe investigation into a kidnapping of the daughter of a high-ranking US government official.'Spartan' may be the best spy movie ever made by a practicing playwright/director. Director and frequent screen writer David Mamet ('House of Games,' 'State and Main,' 'Spanish Prisoner,' 'Heist,') has crafted a thriller peppered with his stylized, epigrammatic dialogue that takes on the presidency and world corruption in equal parts of vitriol and savvy. The Pulitzer Prize winner of 'Glengarry Glen Ross' shows he can keep suspense without sacrificing intelligence.
When special ops officer Scott (Val Kilmer, 'Wonderland') describes himself as no 'planner. I ain't a thinker. I never wanted to be,' I knew I was in Mamet territory, where the speeches are street-poetic, terse, and redolent of subtext. Scott eventually has to be more than just an obedient Spartan, as he moves to the conscientious soldier who begins to see much more than just the kidnapping of the president's daughter. - DirectorEric RochantStarsJean DujardinCécile de FranceTim RothAn FSB officer falls in love with his agent, an American woman, who works as a trader in a Russian bank.The story is mainly set in Monaco, where economy and national/international cabals intertwine. Alice (Cécile de France) works for a Russian Bank and as a mole for the CIA. Moïse's (Jean Dujardin) FSB (Russian Intelligence) Team recruits her without knowing her CIA-affiliation. CIA and FSB both want to get in on the bank's founder Rostovsky and his economic/criminal activities. In the thick of it, Moïse get's too close to Alice and falls in love with her. It gets more and more complicated, and in the end, Rostovsky is not that important anymore as the whole Monaco mission evolves to a standoff between CIA and FSB with the main characters as double/triple agents and lovers who betray each other unwillingly.
Plot: Really interesting idea - a plot that one would envision as close to the real mechanism behind actual intelligence affairs (current whistle-blower affairs, Cold War affairs). If you are interested in spy affairs and you can live without action scenes, this is your movie. My rating of nine shows my enthusiasm. - DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsTimothy HuttonSean PennPat HingleThe true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.If you're interested in learning about the 'real' side of spying, this movie is for you. Unlike 007 movies, this shows how things really go down in the world of espionage. Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn both give outstanding performances in this not-so-well-known film. Certainly worth watching.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanLaurence OlivierRoy ScheiderAfter the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.Schlesinger made a great action-suspense film and married it to the artistry of unique talents… Hoffman was, by then, a dynamic, young and incredibly versatile film actor with three Academy Award nominations already under his belt for "The Graduate," "Midnight Cowboy," and "Lenny."
But the key to "Marathon Man" was the chemistry between its stars… Perhaps one of the most gut-wrenching and most memorable scenes in the film comes when Hoffman is captured and tortured by Olivier who plays the role of a mean and vicious and sadistic Nazi war criminal, Christian Szell… Olivier's performance resulted in a 1976 Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor…
In 1945, Szell ran the experimental camp at Auschwitz where they called him the White Angel… He was a dentist and could provide escape for any Jew who was willing to pay the price… He started out with gold, naturally, but very quickly worked his way up to diamonds…
As Szell saw the end early, he sneaked his brother into America with the diamonds… And they were right here, in New York, in a safe deposit-box until Szell's brother got killed in a head-on collision with an oil truck…
Uniquely built, and with a marvelous, rugged face, Roy Scheider, well known for his strong performances in "The French Connection," "Klute," and "Jaws," came on board as Hoffman's mysterious businessman brother, getting the rare chance to play a character that's both hero and villain… Doc is a fascinating guy because he chooses to work out his problems in a much different way than Dustin's character does… He was very touched and very moved by his father's death, but he abandoned all his hopes for whatever he intended to do and he became a spy, a killer, a very jaded personality… - DirectorRalph ThomasStarsRichard JohnsonElke SommerSylva KoscinaBritish agent Bulldog Drummond is assigned to stop a master criminal who uses beautiful women to do his killings.Bond like movie series.
2 Movies in the series
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1. Deadlier than the male
2. Some girls do - DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsMartin SheenSam NeillBrigitte FosseyA C.I.A. Agent tries to infiltrate Soviet intelligence to stop a murderous diabolical plot.Enigma is a computer part which scrambles Russian messages, so that America can't understand them. They can only be read by the intended recipient. The Americans know that the Russians are going to transmit a message revealing the plans of five political assassinations they want to carry out.
So they send in former defector Holbeck (Martin Sheen) to grab the scrambler and substitute a false part, so they'll be able to decode the message, and block the assassination attempts.
However, as we listen in on the Americans heads of the spy organisation, we find that they already have the scrambler, and they want Holbeck to try to steal Enigma, only to convince the Russians that they don't already have it. They don't expect Holbeck to succeed. That way the Russians, who had stopped transmitting with Enigma, just in case, will begin transmitting again.
Enigma is in the computer in the office of Dimitri Vasilikov. Somehow Holbeck must gain access, and in order to do that, he must find out when Vasilikov will be out. He sends in his former girlfriend Karen (Brigitte Fossey) to seduce Vasilikov, so that she can look through his papers and find out his scheduled movements. Karen is glad to do it, as they tortured her father, a university professor, to death.
Because we know that it's better for the Americans if Holbeck fails, the movie becomes even more intense as a spy thriller. We find ourselves hoping he can survive against the odds, especially as he uses ingenious methods to beat the Russians at every turn.
But what's this? Are Karen and Vasilikov falling in love? Will Holbeck win Karen back, or will she actually end up with Vasilikov? The romantic twist lifts this spy thriller, already worthy of a ten, even higher, for its originality. The writing, the direction, and the acting all combine to make this new and fascinating twist a compellingly realistic one. - DirectorMcGStarsCameron DiazDrew BarrymoreLucy LiuThree women, detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal.2 Movies in the series
- DirectorRob CohenStarsVin DieselAsia ArgentoMarton CsokasThe US government recruits extreme sports athlete Xander Cage to infiltrate a Russian criminal ring, which is plotting the destruction of the world.Though it is basically another "generic action flick", the twists that they add to it make it worth watching. The way they incorporate their "recruitment program" into the movie is fun and original, and though Vin Diesel doesn't really "act" in it, it's a lot of fun to watch. It has a few suspenseful plot elements, and the way they incorporate his status as an extreme sports star (not a spoiler, it's in the previews) into the way he conducts himself as a secret agent makes it more believable. Ever think about some of the stunts that go on in an action movie and wonder, "Okay, exactly WHY would this particular person know how to do that?", because it seems completely unlikely that there would be some sort of training program for the stunt they just pulled off? This movie doesn't have that, because whether he's on a motorcycle, skis, or whatever, you can believe that an extreme sports star would be able to pull off what he's doing. Though the plot is as unrealistic as most movies of this genre, the stunts are a lot more believable than you'll find in most
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsAngelina JolieLiev SchreiberChiwetel EjioforA CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.Salt delivers exactly what is promised -- a solid 100 minutes of action. It keeps you watching, it keeps you guessing (even when it turns out you were right in some cases), and it entertains from start to finish. If you like the action movie genre, chances are you will enjoy this movie.
As for the reviewers who criticized the way Russians are portrayed, the action genre plays to comic book-like caricatures. The villains are no more realistic than the heroine! This isn't a documentary! - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJohn GielgudMadeleine CarrollRobert YoungAfter 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."Secret Agent" seems to be one of Hitchcock's most (unjustly) overlooked films. It may be flawed and technically creaky, but Hitchcock's talent is evident throughout. It's made with precision and has several first-rate sequences (the one involving a dog's howling is probably the greatest). Lorre overacts unnecessarily in this film, but the other actors are effective and convincing. Gielgud brings depth to a character whose motives aren't always clearly explained by the script. The plot, after the first big twist, gets quite predictable but still sustains the viewer's interest. Overall, this is an absorbing film and the director's fans will definitely appreciate it.
- DirectorMark RobsonStarsPaul NewmanEdward G. RobinsonElke SommerAs the Nobel Prize winners come to Stockholm to receive their awards, their lives are overturned and perturbed in various ways.Director Mark Robson tilts his hat to Hitchcock with this adaptation of an Irving Wallace novel. A slick, light-hearted thriller of international intrigue, with a dash of sex and humour thrown in, "The Prize" is actually BETTER than some of the stuff Hitchcock was making around that time (eg Torn Curtain and Topaz). No doubt, part of the reason for the Hitchcockian similarities is due to the fact that this film was scripted by Ernest Lehmann, who just a few years previously had written North By Northwest. Anyone who remembers North By Northwest will probably recollect the famous auction house scene, and here, in "The Prize", Lehmann has written-in an almost identical scene in which the hero narrowly evades capture by creating a stir at a nudists' conference!
- DirectorJack CardiffStarsRod TaylorTrevor HowardJill St. JohnColonel Mostyn of the British Intelligence Service suspects there is a leak in his department and hires an American expatriate to eliminate various targets working for the Soviets.MGM's answer to Bond with Rod Taylor and Goldfinger-style theme sung by Shirley Bassey.
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsGregory PeckSophia LorenAlan BadelInternational intrigue in London, involving an American university professor, an Arab prime minister, a ruthless businessman, a beautiful spy, and hieroglyphics.It is Stanley Donen's near perfect blend of Alfred Hitchcock meets James Bond. Donen made two simply wonderful films in the Hitchcock mold. The first was Charade in 1963 with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Arabesque is the second. They make a marvelous bookend set.
Both films are light, breezy and loaded with wit and humorous dialog. Both feature classic Henry Mancini scores, stylish female ward-robing by the likes of Givenchy and Christian Dior and both feature memorable titles by 007's legendary title master, Maurice Binder.
But it's Arabesque's wildly inventive cinematography which sets it apart from virtually every other action film. The cinematography is pure art school. It's amazingly inventive use of reflection and shot within a shot camera work is what first interested me in the art of cinematography as a teenager. The cinematography in Arabesque fascinates me and entertains me no end to this day.
Gregory Peck's square yet hip college professor plays perfectly with Sophia Loren's chic spy - and Sophia was never more flat-out stunning. Wow! Check out Arabesque. It's two hours of great fun. - DirectorMichael AndersonStarsGeorge SegalAlec GuinnessMax von SydowIn the West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate.This isn't your average James Bond knockoff spy thriller; the fact that the screenplay is by playwright Harold Pinter is the first clue. It's a bit strange to see such exquisitely Pinter-esque dialogue (the laconic, seemingly innocuous sentences; the profound silences; the syntax that isn't quite how real people actually talk) in a spy movie, but it really works.
Quiller isn't your average spy. He's played by George Segal with a cool superficiality that works very nicely; he doesn't go charging in with guns blazing -- he doesn't even carry a gun -- and the one time he does try to fight his way out of a sticky spot, he gets pounded. The other standouts in the cast are Alec Guinness as Quiller's controller, and Max von Sydow as the leader of the neo-Nazi cell that Quiller is attempting to crack.
At first glance, the movie is deeply frustrating, and the script appears full of holes, but in fact, it's so smart that it assumes the audience is bright enough to pick up on the breadcrumb trail of clues that it's actually leaving. All in all, I recommend it, but with reservations. If you like tidy conclusions and have limited patience with extreme subtlety, this may not be to your taste. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsPaul NewmanJulie AndrewsLila KedrovaAn 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.In Hitchcock's "Torn Curtain," Newman plays an American nuclear scientist who pretends to defect to East Germany, so that he can trick a scientist into revealing a missile formula…
His bewildered, abandoned fiancée (Julie Andrews) follows to see what he's up to… Not wishing to involve her, he lets her think he's a traitor, but when her confusion jeopardizes his position, he tells her the truth… Overjoyed, she helps him, and they end up in a series of chases and escapes…
Newman does come across as unemotional, or at least not very warm; in fact, critics complained that he was too intense and gloomy in a part that they thought required humor… But coldness and seriousness are actually essential to the character and to Hitchcock's conception…
Initially, we are supposed to share Andrews' alienation from him… Later, when we learn that he's not a traitor, we may want to view him differently, but immediately afterward he commits a gruesome killing, of a most likable villain, which again distances us from him… From that point, even though he's apparently the "hero," his actions are never purely motivated… His attitude toward Andrews is indicative: by following him, she endangers herself, which concerns him slightly, but she also endangers the mission, which is what really troubles him… - DirectorSeth HoltStarsRichard JohnsonCarol LynleyBarbara BouchetDuring the Cold War, a British secret agent is ordered to kill a Soviet-bloc defector held by the CIA in England but this straightforward mission turns into a convoluted plot involving double-agents.Based on the novel `The Eliminator' by Andrew York, this deeply cynical look at the spy game is one of the unsung gems of the genre. It would be the only spy feature film in director Seth Holt's short career although he had worked on the `Danger Man' and `Espionage' television series previously. Holt would start one more film, The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (71) but he wouldn't finish it.
This is one of those movies where everyone's motives are suspect and should be for good reasons. Hardly anyone is who they seem to be and if indeed they are genuine, they end up as dead as the straw men in the end. There are many levels to Danger Route, all working to subvert our expectations as well as those of Jonas Wilde (Richard Johnson), the agent caught in the middle of the power plays going on around him.
Understandably, Wilde would like to escape the game and even hands in his resignation during the course of the film. Naturally we know this is impossible. Even Whitehall is not above using a little blackmail to get their way. The freeze-frame of Wilde at the end of the film tells us that his predicament is as unchanging as that of the Cold War politics surrounding him. - DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsYul BrynnerBritt EklandClive RevillIn a complex piece of espionage the Russian secret service attempts to kidnap a high ranking officer in the CIA and replace him with a double of its own.A pretty solid little spy thriller; it's never as intelligent as the "Ipcress File", but it's far superior to its two sequels, for example. No great shakes here, but the combination of an intriguing story, great cinematography, good Brynner performance(s) and Schaffner's adequate direction leads to a thoroughly passable time-filler.
- DirectorAnthony MannLaurence HarveyStarsLaurence HarveyTom CourtenayMia FarrowThe British and Soviet Intelligence services attempt to out-fox one another using the homesick double-agent Krasnevin a.k.a. Alexander Eberlin as a pawn in a complex spy-game which takes place in Berlin.On paper the slightly schizoid directorial approach should be quite appropriate for this low-key spy thriller variation on The Big Clock where Harvey's undercover Russian spy is ordered by MI5 to track down and kill... himself, and perhaps to a non-fan of Mann's work it wouldn't be quite so distracting. Yet even away from the visuals and some occasionally inconsistent performances, the film has plenty of flaws that can be traced to both the screenplay and casting. Like the title sequence of a puppet getting tied up in knots in its own strings it's full of good ideas that never quite work and certainly for the first third never makes as much of its premise as it could. More Le Carre than Bond, there are certainly some strong scenes, especially with Per Oscarsson's drug-addicted Russian contact or Harvey's attempt to defect back to the East only for the East Germans to shoot at him to drive him back because he's useless to them back home, while there's some entertaining banter in the exchanges between Tom Courtney and Lionel Stander. But while the plot ultimately works itself out more or less satisfactorily, the film never flows or grips as well as it should.
- DirectorFrank PiersonStarsChristopher JonesPia DegermarkRalph RichardsonFrom the John le Carré novel about a British spy who sends a Polish defector to East Germany to verify missile sites.While this film is very bleak, so was The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. TSWCIFTC had none of the whimsical touches that distinguish TLGW, and lacked the gritty underbelly that makes TLGW so much more believable, if even less romantic and reassuring.
While TSWCIFTC is more of an intellectual overview of The Game (until its dismal conclusion), TLGW spares no one.
Christopher Jones is excellent as the charming but unbalanced ne'er-do-well, who is exactly what British Intelligence needs.
Anthony Hopkins is so good, you'll forget Hannibal Lecter.
The entire ensemble cast is superb, with supporting players able to convey fully realized characters with only a few lines in most cases. The few characters who are not fleshed out seem to come from out of nowhere, as does Jones' character, echoing the mood of a man lost in a country he does not know - first England, then East Germany. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFrederick StaffordDany RobinJohn VernonA 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.Like so many Hollywood talents, Hitchcock was stereotyped. Also like so many Hollywood talents, whenever he tried to escape stereotyping, he would get criticized. That certainly was the case with TOPAZ. Although not as humorous, nor as romantic, nor even as exciting as the director's best films, the movie is nonetheless an intelligent and intriguing spy drama, one that compares more to a motion picture like DAY OF THE JACKYL than usual Hitchcock fare.
His other spy dramas, like NORTH BY NORTHWEST, may be more fun, but none of them are as realistic. In fact, very few spy films have the authenticity as TOPAZ. The story is based on fact. In 1962, a Russian top-level KGB defector informed the U.S. that some very high-level French diplomats, in a group called "Sapphire", were selling secrets to the Soviet Union. TIME Magazine printed this story in April 26, 1968, and did so using the same source that Leon Uris did: the U.S. sympathizing (and exiled) former Chief of French Intelligence, Philippe Thyraud de Vosjoli.
Incidentally, a viewer needs to know the chronology and key events surrounding the 1962 Cuban Missile Crises as background, or else the film will be confusing. I suspect many critics condemn it because it's easier for them to dismiss the film rather than confront their own ignorance. - DirectorDick ClementStarsKirk DouglasMarlène JobertTrevor HowardAndrej (Kirk Douglas), a smuggler of microfilmed Russian manuscripts, uses the luggage of unsuspecting travellers to transport the contraband out of the country.The time of this film was in the midst of the Cold War. Spy, espionage and Berlin Wall escape movies were frequent. The 1960s defections of British spies to the Soviet Union – most notably Kim Philby, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean – were still fresh in the minds of people at the time. Other security scandals in the U.S., Britain and France gave rise to much ridicule and doubt about their respective spy agencies. Clearly, the writers intended this film as a spy spoof and jab – especially of the British government and its intelligence service.
There are several hilarious scenes with Trevor Howard and the head of British intelligence being interrupted for important messages. They can barely tear themselves away from the trivial games they are playing at the time. Of course, that the heroine is a French niece of Howard, a major British minister, is a subtle jab in itself – of both the Brits and the French. When her husband is arrested on their honeymoon in Romania (another good laugh), the heroine runs to the British embassy, pounds on the door and demands to see the ambassador – as a French- British citizen. Jobert's husband is unknown to her as a corrupt businessman in league with the Soviets. Jobert wants the Brits to exchange a captured Soviet spy for him. While he waits in the relative comfort of his Soviet contact, he pines for the much more lavish comforts of the West.
The first spy exchange scene is a riot, with an outright jab at the Soviets. The Russian spy tries to haul all the material booty he can carry with him. And the final exchange fiasco is one of the funniest "chase" scenes I can recall from decades of movies. The buffoonery of the British and Russians is a riot. All-in-all, "Catch Me a Spy" is a fun, entertaining spoof and parody of espionage and the intelligence services of all sides during the Cold War. - DirectorJames MangoldStarsTom CruiseCameron DiazPeter SarsgaardA young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.Knight and Day" is a comfort food movie. It's a pleasant diversion, a fun time at the cinema that doesn't ask a lot of of it's audience and offers an enjoyable ride. We've seen it all before, but it worked pretty well then, and it works pretty well now.
June Havens (Cameron Diaz) is an average perky blonde romantic comedy heroine who runs into the charming and mysterious Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) at the airport, and is sucked into a series of misadventures when Roy turns out to be a secret agent fighting rogue elements in his own agency . . . or maybe HE's the rogue agent . . . It depends on who she listens to. there's a mysterious device called the Zephyr that Roy is either protecting or trying to steal. All of this is fairly predictable, and, again, nothing new. But director James Mangold ("Copland", "Walk the Line", "3:10 to Yuma") always knows how to make a film play, and his skills haven't deserted him here. His pacing is brisk and fun, and he stages some terrific action (including one sequence from Diaz' point of view that did feel genuinely new). - DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsYul BrynnerHenry FondaDirk BogardeA Soviet diplomat hatches a complicated plan to enable him to defect to the West.Prototypical Cold War thriller deals about an aging soviet spy named Vlassov (here Yul Brynner plays Russian Colonel Alexei Vlassov , as such, Brynner plays a character of his own nationality ; Brynner's full birth name was Yuli Borisovich Bryner) who attempts to defect the East world . The CIA chief named Allan Davies (Henry Fonda) interrogates him, using polygrapher (interrogator played by Robert Alda), computer programming , and other means . Then Davies must decide if he's saying the truth .
This complex espionage picture is packed with thrills, suspense, tension and extraordinary performances . This movie was made and released about two years after its source French novel "The Thirteenth Who Committed Suicide" by Pierre Nord was first published in 1971 . Good spy movie , in fact the Spy agencies featured in this film include the CIA, KGB, Mi6 and the West German intelligence service . It's a slow moving spy-movie with emphasis on de-glamorizing espionage . Sensational acting by two big star names, Yul Brynner as spy who defects with a fistful of important documents and Henry Fonda as chief who must discover the truth . Strong secondary cast with Dirk Bogarde, Farley Granger, Philippe Noiret, gorgeous Virna Lisi and several others . Interesting and thrilling screenplay by the same producer and director Henry Verneuil . Atmospheric musical composed by Ennio Morricone and conducted by Bruno Nicolai . Superbyly realistic and adequate cinematography by Claude Renoir . - DirectorMichael WinnerStarsBurt LancasterAlain DelonPaul ScofieldDuring the Cold War, the CIA orders free-lance operative Scorpio to assassinate his former CIA mentor Cross and a deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues.Retirement is not always possible for a spy, particularly an agent caught in the no-man's-land between the two superpowers... Cross (Burt Lancaster) is such a spy in Michael Winner's 'Scorpio.'
A melodramatic and threatening spy film, 'Scorpio' had two rival protagonists: Cross, an experienced CIA agent being hunted by his former colleagues, and a former French paratroop officer, Jean Laurier (Alain Delon), now a 'CIA contract button man,' a professional assassin, code-name Scorpio...
Irritated by the Frenchman's independence, the CIA chief McLeod (John Colicos) has had heroin planted in his bedroom to make the hired killer more pliable... Threatened with a drug arrest, Scorpio has no choice but to accept the assignment to kill Cross, although McLeod sugars the pill with promises of a fat bonus and Cross' job as the CIA's man in the Middle East...
Although told that Cross has been a double-agent working for the "opposition," Scorpio remains doubtful... In the meantime, by a series of clever tricks and tactics, Cross has not only managed to evade the CIA men following him, but has arrived in the favorite city for cinematic intrigue, Vienna, Austria...
In a sequence that was easily the equal of some of the best spy films, Cross and his Soviet counterpart, Sergei Zharkov (Paul Scofield), laughingly discuss their mutual reject for their bosses and the identical young men who support both the CIA and KGB... While Cross accepts Zharkov's evaluation of themselves as a pair of premature anti-fascists, he can not understand Zharkov's professed belief in Communism after years spent in a Stalinist labor camp and the recent invasion of Czechoslovakia... In a later scene when Zharkov tries to get help from his superiors and is refused, the embassy official is given a dose of Zharkov's irony when told of his resemblance to another man 'who didn't leave his name, but was trying to build socialism in one country out of the bones from a Charnel house' –as strong an indictment of Stalin's Russia as any Cold War film, but more intelligent and more skillfully presented... - DirectorJohn HustonStarsPaul NewmanDominique SandaJames MasonA member of British Intelligence assumes a fictitious criminal identity and allows himself to be caught, imprisoned, and freed in order to infiltrate a spy organization and expose a traitor.A very stylish opening with James Mason as holier and smoother than thou top-politician making a high speech instantly gives a feeling of things not being quite how it seems. And quite rightly so, most things in the story have a feeling of being very cool and calculated. And with Huston's experience it is all handled very well. Compared to Huston's many sanctified classics this film has been seen as more of a minor work of his. But it does have things boiling underneath its cool surface and deserves a deeper look and maybe several viewings. This movie is largely not in-your-face action, but gets parts of the mood and style from earlier movie works and periods. For example the music reminds me of 'The Third Man'. And when action and violence finally occur, it gets surprisingly tense and raw in its effect.
The movie crosses interestingly several genres, like a cold war spy thriller and prison movies. Some of the scenes manage to catch something familiar from early Hitchcock, specially the runaway and chase scene on an Irish moor. The locations in London and Ireland with real local people add much to the realism and fascination of the story. Even the car chases use old beaten up vehicles keeping far away from usual top agent style.
Paul Newman as Joseph Rearden does a strong role but the cool center of the story is Dominique Sanda as an almost emotionless beauty whose appearance covers secrets and surprises. The plot holds up very well all the way to the final moments with some nasty surprises. A film worth seeing for Huston fans and others. - DirectorDon SiegelStarsMichael CaineDonald PleasenceDelphine SeyrigA British agent's son is kidnapped and held for ransom.Don Siegel will always be remembered as the man who gave us Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers and Dirty Harry, as well as being the mentor of Clint Eastwood when he was just starting out in the acting business. Here he tackles very atypical material with a low-key British spy thriller based on the book Seven Days To A Killing by Clive Eggleton. Although this is not really Siegel's kind of thing, he manages to coax sound performances from an impressive cast, and gets across a certain degree of excitement. From time to time the suspense slackens a little, but on the whole this is an engaging enough potboiler.
Major John Tarrant (Michael Caine) is a secret agent who is distraught to learn that his son has been kidnapped by a gang who want a batch of diamonds for his safe return. Tarrant's boss Cedric Harper (Donald Pleasance) has never got on well with Tarrant, and even goes so far as to suggest that maybe the kidnapping is an elaborate double-cross hatched by Tarrant himself in order to get hold of the diamonds. Supported by his wife Alex (Janet Suzman), Tarrant steals the diamonds needed for his son's safety, and attempts to elude his own colleagues plus the police long enough to secure the return of the young boy. - DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsDiane KeatonYorgo VoyagisKlaus KinskiAn 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.It begins with the assassination (bombing) of an Israeli diplomat and family and then jumps to an American stage actress, Charlie (Diane Keaton), who's currently living in Britain. She is ideologically a supporter of the Palestinian cause. She has a problem with falling in love easily and sympathizing with her lover. You begin to see the wheels turning in Israeli intelligence as they research and try to react to this most recent terrorist bombing.
They skillfully recruit/seduce her by pretending to support the Palestinian movement. To be effective in their scheme, they need someone authentic. They try to get under her skin and into her personal psyche (why she is an actress, pain in her life). Klaus Kinski is superb as the head of the Israeli intelligence effort.
After feeling more confident, they put her work to infiltrate the Palestinian-backed terrorist camps to ultimately get to the almost impossible to find bomber Khalil. This involves serious physical/military training. She excels and is given more and more trusted tasks as the story progresses. The story takes many twists and is very detailed and realistic in it's portrayal of both sides. It gets a little heavy, but is fascinating to watch unfold even a second time. - DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsMichael CaineAnthony AndrewsVictoria TennantThe son of a German General becomes part of a mysterious conspiracy to gain hidden Nazi funds.The movie's opening title card read "Berlin 1945" , these opening scenes, set during the end of World War II, were shot in black-and-white, unlike the rest of the movie which was filmed in color ; the black-and-white opener reflected newsreels of the era . The picture is set approximately exactly forty years after the end of the Second World War. It's second after the film's opener read "New York 1985". There , the son named Noel Holcroft (Michael Caine replaced James Caan ; Caan walked off the production the day before filming started) of a German General becomes part of a mysterious conspiracy to gain hidden Nazi funds . As the amount of secret money in Noel Holcroft's inheritance was US $4 billion . Under the terms of the covenant Noel have to locate the sons (Anthony Andrews , Victoria Tennat , Mario Adorf) of his father's two associates so they can jointly activate their fathers' account. As the movie's MacGuffin was a World War II era large heavy metal case, embossed with Nazi insignia, and containing the The Holcroft Covenant . Noel efforts attempting to release the hidden fund that his father humanly set up to relieve the future sufferings of Holocausto survivors .
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsSean ConneryMichelle PfeifferRoy ScheiderA British publisher is sent a manuscript detailing Soviet Union nuclear missile capabilities. British Intelligence intercept it and recruit him to investigate the author's editor, a beautiful Russian woman he claims never to have met.It captures the majesty of Russia in visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg (Leningrad) as well as the crumbling Soviet state. The first western movie filmed in the Soviet Union, The Russia House is better defined as a love story than as a spy thriller. Do not be concerned however, spy fans. There is plenty of intrigue to be had in this beautiful movie. The interplay between Sean Connery, Roy Scheider and J.T. Walsh in a scene from Vancouver, British Columbia alone is worth the price of admission. However, the true star of this understated romance is James Fox, who plays the British contact for Connery's Scott Blair and the foil for the CIA's Scheider character in such gentlemanly fashion as to make the audience believe the true Bond-style gentleman-spy really does exist in this world. From the beautiful scenery to perhaps the best and most haunting soundtrack of any movie--ever
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonJulia RobertsPatrick StewartA taxi driver with a penchant for conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of these theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is.Now that the TV series "Monk" has become so popular, maybe a few more people will check this film out. Mel Gibson's character isn't exactly like Monk - more like a super hyperactive and politically paranoid "Monk." He fits right in with Oliver Stone and the rest of the "conspiracy" freaks. Stone, in fact, would like this film since it gives credence to these paranoid fantasies and gives several cheap shots to conservatives along the way.
Political propaganda-aside, this is a fun movie to watch and the most fun might be Gibson's house, which is too incredible to describe here. Mel is fascinating to watch and really makes this movie what it is with his outrageous character "Jerry Fletcher." Julia Roberts gives a solid performance while looking about as good as she ever looked. Patrick Stewart is very effective as the bad guy. He reminded me of Laurence Olivier's Nazi villain in "Marathon Man." - DirectorTony ScottStarsWill SmithGene HackmanJon VoightA lawyer becomes targeted by a corrupt politician and his N.S.A. goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a politically motivated crime.Why? Well for starters there is the best chase sequence since The French Connection. Then there is Will Smith as an actor - not just a star, though later in the movie he is admittedly overshadowed by veteran Gene Hackman.
There are two layers to this movie: On the surface is a pacy thriller with edge-of-the-seat chases but underneath lies a telling commentary on government surveillance. It is one of those truth-in-fiction stories which makes its point about government intrusion into privacy dramatically and effectively.
There are references to the classic, The Conversation: The surveilled couple talking in the park, and the Hackman character's premises are an obvious recreation of his workshop in the earlier movie. If you haven't yet seen The Conversation - see it before you see this one - you will understand the Hackman character a lot better (besides, it is a superb movie in its own right).
Oh, and Jon Voight is terrific as the bad guy... - DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGeorge ClooneyCate BlanchettTobey MaguireWhile in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation that involves his former mistress and his driver.Reporter Clooney comes to Berlin just as the war ends to work, and to find former lover Blanchett. Covering the Potsdam Conference, he uncovers a murder, and the fierce post-war battles between Russia and the U.S. to win Germany's scientists. The movie is filled with people willing to betray any good inclination for their causes, which range from enhanced military strength to a better life away from war-ravaged Germany. What's the price for Clooney's reporter, and is it worth the cost?
- DirectorBilly RayStarsChris CooperRyan PhillippeDennis HaysbertFBI upstart Eric O'Neill enters into a power game with his boss, Robert Hanssen, an agent who was put on trial for selling secrets to the Soviet Union.This was a good spy story, but since it is based on real events which have already happened and we already know how it's going to end up, it is good that Breach is also more than just a spy story.
The pacing flows very well. We're brought along into the story with O'Neill, who's a "confident, bordering on cocky" agent who is doing it all for the promotion. As he realizes there is more to behind the case than just sexual perversion, his life, his morals and his beliefs are forced to be questioned as he struggles with the investigation of his Boss, of his Sir.
As we reach to the end of the movie towards an obvious fate, we learn much about the dark corners of life, how easily we can all fall when we choose to only blame others, when we choose to only remember the bad aspects of our lives. - DirectorPierre MorelStarsLiam NeesonMaggie GraceFamke JanssenA retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.3 Movies till now in the series of Spy's daughter gets kidnapped Series.
- DirectorJeffrey NachmanoffStarsDon CheadleGuy PearceArchie PanjabiWhen straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn.Tired of fake 007 James Bond action where even the pigs fly? Watch this real James Bond where every action is genuine. James Bond fans must watch this excellent spy movie packed with REAL action! Today is Election Day and Obama is going to be the president I think. Well, the James Bond is black, too, in this excellent thriller. There are no invisible cars here, no lasers that are capable of burning half of the Earth, no caviar, no cigars. There are no any fictional gizmos or gadgets in this film. The hero uses only very real and very tangible things. Yet, the Good Ole 007 can not even come close to this Modern Bond.
- DirectorTony GilroyStarsJulia RobertsClive OwenTom WilkinsonTwo ex-government agents turned rival industrial spies have to be at the top of their game when one of their companies prepares to launch a major product. However, they distract each other in more ways than one.A finely mounted spy thriller that has more plot twists than a James Bond novel. Writer/director,Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)directs Julia Roberts & Clive Owen in a top notch tale of two corporate spy's that try to steal company secrets from a corporate sleazy weasel CEO to try & sell to a rival interest. Is it salad dressing,or plans for the end of the world? The film gets some solid support from Tom Wilkinson (not seen nearly enough in this film),and Paul Giamatti (who also worked with Owen in the too silly for words,way over the top 'Shoot 'em up' from a couple of years back).
- DirectorTom TykwerStarsClive OwenNaomi WattsArmin Mueller-StahlAn Interpol agent attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution's role in an international arms dealing ring.Tykwer made a good work as a director.The meditative moments never feel boring and the action sequences are well filmed and perfectly choreographed.I have to mention that the movie's intention is not to be an action movie,but a methodical spy thriller which has some action scenes.Clive Owen has been doing very similar characters to the one he performs in this movie on recent years,but his development is always competent.Naomi Watts also brings a solid performance but,by my point of view,the best member of the cast is Armin Mueller-Stahl,an excellent character actor who has an impressing presence and style.
- DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsGeorge ClooneyPaolo BonacelliViolante PlacidoAn assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.This is a masterpiece of realistic spy drama. Its been labelled a thriller but, hold on a sec if you think your walking in to the next Bond or Born action epic. This show is much more grounded. Not that a fancy assassin thriller dose not work for yourself or me as well. It more then likely dose. Anton Corbijn's The American seems like a dated movie to the late 60s or 70s. This thriller is also for mature minds not ones longing for explosions and gun fights galore.
Assassin movies like this one, are a very rare treat. Its not to often we have a realistic thriller of any sort, let alone an assassin picture. The acting is perfect but the characters are not. At the core this film is a drama, and uses peaceful, romantic and then dangerous drama to spring up thrilling moments in a controlled or more realistic experience. - DirectorRobert SchwentkeStarsBruce WillisHelen MirrenMorgan FreemanWhen his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last-ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants.2 Movies till now in this series of Retired Undercover Agents movies.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsNaomi WattsSean PennSonya DavisonCIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.There are many sides to a coin, and this film is based on the memoirs of Valerie Plame's Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, and that of her husband Joseph Wilson's The Politics of Truth which chronicled their experience in The Plame Affair, or the CIA leak scandal which blew the cover of Valerie Plame as a covert CIA agent in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion in 2003.
Directed by Doug Liman is himself no stranger to themes of betrayal and spy vs spy type of films like Mr and Mrs Smith and The Bourne Identity. - DirectorFlorian Henckel von DonnersmarckStarsJohnny DeppAngelina JoliePaul BettanyRevolves around Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.It's not a Hollywood blockbuster, and that is in it's favour. It's a return to the trans-European train riding, gun blazing, espionage and cold-war spy romp done with the sort of humour Depp excels at with the sultry tease but action packed character brought to life by Jolie. Think Mrs Smith on a solo mission in Europe.
The story is setup aboard the Lyons to Venice TGV with most of the action taking place in Venice, ala James Bond on the waterways, with a definite tongue in someones cheek. - DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsLiam NeesonDiane KrugerJanuary JonesWhen a man awakens from a coma only to discover that someone has taken on his identity, he teams up with a young woman to prove who he is.Very intriguing plot, which keeps you nervous all the time, solid characters and of course Diane Kruger who can adorn every movie.
Bruno Ganz is very convincing and draws a lot of attention to his small role of ex-spy.
Beyound doubt, the best amnesia-action thriller i have seen for years. - DirectorJoe WrightStarsSaoirse RonanCate BlanchettEric BanaA sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.The story keeps a good pace, the mystery builds - even if you figure out what is happening (and it isn't hard) - the fight choreography is great, the camera work is stunning (in particular one scene involving Eric Bana), the locations are unusually good and the script is clever, funny and menacing. Cate Blanchett makes for a great villain as a megalomaniac spy handler and the lead, Saoirse Ronan, keeps us swooping from regarding her as a woman and a girl.
If you don't like films with a European tinge to them (Taken is an example), then Hanna will not appeal to you. But if you do, go rent this now. - DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGina CaranoEwan McGregorMichael FassbenderA black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.A well done, edgy, spy thriller has been put together in a strangely but well-done dark backdrop.
Not only is there a dark feel because of the plot, the cinematography adds to the flavor in an excellent way.
This movie's arrival is so uncanny because of what is going on politically in the world. The fact that intelligence agencies which, according to WikiLeaks, Private Contracting Companies, not the U.S. or British Governments are taking the active role in the war zones.
This addresses, who wags the dog. Recommend - DirectorDaniel EspinosaStarsDenzel WashingtonRyan ReynoldsRobert PatrickA young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.If you are a fan of films like the Bourne legacy then you will definitely like this one! Ryan Renolds pulls off a good job at acting alongside vet actor Denzel Washington. THe film is fast paced, and not like a 007 bond film thats full of unrealistic spy action; rather this film is very realistic and believable which adds to the excitement of the 1001 and one bullets of action. The direction was decent, a good storyline
- DirectorMabrouk El MechriStarsHenry CavillBruce WillisSigourney WeaverAfter his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.The movie was in the mould of Bourne style spy thriller. Bruce Willis was the type of spy you can believe in and it was not labored in any fashion. The movie took on several twists and turns which you could believe because they were ones that you would never guess.
- DirectorPhilipp StölzlStarsAaron EckhartNick AlachiotisLiana LiberatoAn ex-CIA agent and his estranged daughter are forced on the run when his employers erase all records of his existence, and mark them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy.Can we make a new genre here? British/American executive/spy/father gets in trouble in Europe and has to go on the run with corporate/government/counterspy evil everywhere.
I could list some (never mind the great Bourne films, which are extremes of the type). Certainly the "Taken" films (there are three now) are the closest parallel, but even "The International" comes to mind in the same vein. All of these have a sense of fear and darkness about the global order that glooms down on the characters.
And "Erased" is powerfully made, with good claustrophobic and jittery camera-work, believable acting, and a reasonable (if roughly familiar) plot. You get swept up quickly, as Aaron Eckhart juggles a high-security job and a teenage daughter going to private school. Through a quick (a peanut allergy) he avoids an early death and the movie takes off. All along the daughter is both emotional fodder for the feeling side of the film and a bit of a formative action figure (now and then). But it's dad who is really showing his smarts and fighting skills as an ex-CIA man. - DirectorPaul FeigStarsMelissa McCarthyRose ByrneJude LawA desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer and prevent diabolical global disaster.If you love Bruce Willis's RED movie series you'll love this too.
It's hard to find spy movies these days but some how SPY made it. The humor is good without too many slapstick and Melissa played the female spy role nicely.
The use of F words by Susan and Ford is also very entertaining and not offensive. Guaranteed to make you LOL.
The hi-tech gadgets is surprisingly funny but yet useful during the mission.
Cant wait for the sequel and hope SPY2 will be as good as this one with more F words.