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This article was originally published in March 2019.
As with most genres, any attempt to define the spy movie falls apart pretty quickly.
(At leastWesternstake place in the Old West.
Except those that dont.
See, genre definitions are hard!)
A few dominant types of spy movies do help provide a little definition, however.
If that puts you in mind of James Bond, theres a reason.
the quintessential stale-beer writerJohn le Carre.
Even these groupings are less firm categories than the two poles between which most spy movies fall.
And, as for the latter, we tried to include some representative samples from each Bond era.
(Unless your favorite Moore movie isMoonraker, because that one is terrible.)
(Available to stream onMax.)
(Available to stream onTubiandThe Roku Channel.)
The twist: The list includes his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett).
The stakes are global, but the conflicts disarmingly intimate.
(Now in theaters.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to stream onThe Roku Channel.)
(Available to rent onPrime Video.)
One of Cronenbergs most intimate films,M.
(Available to rent onPrime Video.)
(Available to rent onPrime Video.)
(Available to rent onApple TV.)
And sometimes its hard to tell the difference.
InOur Man Flint, James Coburn plays a former agent of Z.O.W.I.E.
(But go deeper into the subgenre at your own peril.
)(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to stream onPrime Video.)
38.The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
That might be whyGuy Ritchies 2015 adaptationstruggled at the box office, which is a shame.
(Alicia Vikander holds her own nicely in the middle of their over-the-top machismo.)
The film stays light, but Ritchie brings excitement and flair to the action scenes.
The only disappointment: Well likely never see the potentially charming sequel set up in the films final moments.
(Available to stream onNetflix.)
37.Duplicity(2009)
Not all spies work for governments.
(Available to stream onMax.)
YetSaboteurnever plays like a dry run forNorth by Northwest.
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
In this case, its talented amateurism for the win.
(Available to stream onPluto TV.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
Moore gets a bit of a bad rap.
By 1977, Moore had made the part his own.
Gone were the early attempts to set himself apart by smoking cigars and drinking bourbon.
Here, Moore skillfully employs an arched eyebrow in the midst of some of the seriess best action scenes.
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to stream onParamount+.)
)(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
29.Top Secret!
(Available to stream onPluto TV.)
His methods: charm everyone he meets and stab everyone who figures him out.
(Available to stream onMGM+.)
(Available to stream onParamount+.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Possible alternate title:The Spy Who Came Out of Her Shell.)
(Available to stream onPeacock.)
Germans, after all, went to the movies, too.
(Available to stream onMaxandTubi.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to stream onPluto TVandTubi.)
Everything aboutGoldfingeris bigger and flashier than in previous entries.
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to stream onParamount+.)
Sometimes paranoia is just another form of self defense.
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
)(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
In the first of his several outings as Palmer,Michael Caineis put-upon and bogged down with paperwork.
He wears thick spectacles, has dubious-looking teeth, and has presumably consumed many a stale beer.
(Hed return to the part of Palmer in four sequels.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
Jean-Pierre MelvillesArmy of the Shadowsbelongs to the latter camp.
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
All are worth watching, butThe 39 StepsandThe Lady Vanishesdeserve special considerations.
(Both are available to stream onTubiandPluto TV.)
Brad Bird, too, had something to prove when he signed on toMission: Impossible Ghost Protocol.
(Available to stream onParamount+.)
The author born David Cornwell wasnt writing as a distant observer.
(Available to stream onMGM+.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
Ingrid Bergman stars as Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a Nazi spy coaxed by T.R.
(Available to stream onTubi.)
Also worth seeing:Jonathan Demmes 2004 remake, which revisits the story through a post-9/11 prism.
(Available to stream onPrime VideoandPluto TV.)
This Tomas Alfredson adaptation demands close attention.
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
(Available to rent onPrime VideoandApple TV.)
2.Black Book(2006)
Dutch directorPaul Verhoevens earliest memories involve falling bombs.
Falling in with the Dutch Resistance, she agrees to go undercover in an attempt to undermine the Nazis.
(Available to stream onTubi.)
(Available to stream onTubi.)
