This past week we were all treated to Phillip Noyce‘s latest spy film Salt. While I enjoyed myself with it, our very own Jordan Raup didn’t. To make him feel all better about himself I decided to cook up this list of my Top Ten Spy Films. Check it out below:
This list could be named my Stirred, not Shaken List since I’ve decided to leave all James Bond properties off the list. I know the first spy in cinema will always be James Bond. There are currently 22 films that he’s featured in and already 6 actors have played the role. So let’s take him as a given and move on with our lives.
10. The Matador (2005) (dir. Richard Shephard)
This movie always struck me for some reason. I know a lot of people would write it off as an average comedy film, but since it’s Pierce Brosnan‘s first film out of the massive James Bond franchise it was a hit for me. Brosnan was crazy enough to keep me laughing throughout. Julian Noble is a spy that’s finally lost it and just can’t seem to do the job anymore. He ends up meeting Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) who’s a regular guy trying to make a living for him and his family. The two become odd friends and end up helping each other out in a big way after their chance meeting in Mexico City.
9. Spies Like Us (1985) (dir. John Landis)
Who doesn’t like a good 80s John Landis comedy? Everytime I watch the The Other Guys trailer all I can think about is this movie. Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd are two bad spies. However, they are sent on a decoy mission to keep the bad guys focus on them as opposed to the real spies who’re trying to save the day. But somehow they end up saving the day anyways. It’s a fun movie and it reminds me that Chevy Chase was once a funny actor.
8. Top Secret! (1984) (dir. Jim Abrahams & David Zucker)
When an American rock n’ roll singer goes to East Germany and becomes involved in the resistance during WWII we’re in for a fun ride. In one of Val Kilmer‘s earliest roles he shows us his comedic talent. I still can’t forget the scene where he is dancing with the love interest and it starts out as a regular everyday 1940s ballroom dance scene and slowly the dance moves become things like making fart noises and all that jazz. The movie is slapstick humour at its best, inclusive of underwater saloon fight scenes.
7. The Good Shepherd (2006) (dir. Robert De Niro)
The film that portrays the beginning of the CIA. Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) is a regular citizen who enlists in the army and eventually is groomed to be one of the founding members of the Central Intelligence Agency as we see the early days of the US trying to figure out what the rest of the world does in their free time.
6. Taken (2009) (dir. Pierre Morel)
Lesson of the day; when you kidnap a hot American girl to sell on the black market try to make sure her father isn’t a former spy that can come and find you and kill you. Liam Neeson reminds us that he can still be a grade-A action star. The film takes us through the streets of France in an action packed Spy film with a ticking clock as a man tries to find his daughter.
5. True Lies (1994) (dir. James Cameron)
When you think of all the action movie stars over the years Arnold Schwarzenegger is the one that you imagine fits the role of an over-the-top action ready special agent. As he tries to keep his home life in check while working his 9 to 5, which is being a spy for the US, he has to deal with the trouble of trying to keep an eye on his wife’s extra-marital affairs and using his spy techniques to deal with the problem. All while keeping the truth from her. The film is ridiculously enjoyable ride that I love to pop in at least once a year to remind myself why people voted for him.
4. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) (dir. Doug Liman)
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are married and both happen to be spies. However, neither of them know that the other is a spy. After a job is double booked they begin to suspect each other and so the cat and mouse game of catch the spy starts. The film develops as this great action/comedy for the first half and the second goes balls-to-the-wall action. This is definitely one of those films people need to be more honest with themselves and just admit that it’s plain awesome.
3. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) (dir. George Clooney)
Here’s one of the stories that claims to be true but I have no idea how true it really is. I’ve never researched it and kind of prefer the idea of staying in this state of questioning. Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) is the creator of such of the most beloved television game shows such as The Gong Show and The Dating Game. What you may not know is that he was also an American assassin and was sent all over the world to carry out killings while on business for these shows he did. It’s a great movie and for those of you who are just discovering Sam Rockwell as this fabulous actor after his performance in Moon then you better go back and check this one out.
2. The Bourne Trilogy (2002 – 2007) (dir. Doug Liman & Paul Greengrass)
In 2002 one of the most action packed spies came to screen in The Bourne Identity. Matt Damon played the role of this multilingual and highly trained assassin that’s lost his memories and being chased by the US government. Many people love to pretend that the only film in this series is The Bourne Ultimatum with Greengrass‘ stand-out shaky cam action sequences but I still think that the first film set the pace for the series which cements it as one of the best trilogies to date.
1. Spy Game (2001) (dir. Tony Scott)
When you’re on your last day on the job and you find out that one of your trainees have been captured in the act of unsanctioned espionage what do you do? Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) answers this question by spying on his entire staff and bosses to try and get the edge and save his student, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt). I’ve always been a huge fan of Redford and somehow he’s never lost his screen presence and ability to bring his cool and calm persona to the screen in a way that you just have to love him. A majority of this film is spent with Pitt and Redford apart on screen, but when they’re together – in flashbacks and all – the chemistry is just brilliant. This is one of those spy movies which has little action and centered around the idea of these characters constantly outsmarting the other spies in the movie. If you’ve yet to see this movie then treat yourself and pick it up on Blu-ray immediately.
What are you favorite spy films? Does Salt make the list for you?