List of spy films explained

The following is a list of spy kids

in alphabetical order.

Overview and history

The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films). Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, le Carré, Ian Fleming (Bond) and Len Deighton. It is a significant aspect of British cinema,[1] with leading British directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed making notable contributions and many films set in the British Secret Service.[2]

Spy films show the espionage activities of government agents and their risk of being discovered by their enemies. From the Nazi espionage thrillers of the 1940s to the James Bond films of the 1960s and to the high-tech blockbusters of today, the spy film has always been popular with audiences worldwide. Offering a combination of exciting escapism, technological thrills, and exotic locales, many spy films combine the action and science fiction genres, presenting clearly delineated heroes for audiences to root for and villains for them to hate. They may also involve elements of political thrillers. However, there are many that are comedic (mostly action comedy films if they fall under that genre).

James Bond is the most famous of film spies, but there were also more serious, probing works like le Carré's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold that also emerged from the Cold War. As the Cold War ended, the newest villain became terrorism and more often involved the Middle East.[3]

List of films

Released Title DirectorReferences
2019 6 Underground [4]
1935 The 39 Steps [5]
1959 The 39 Steps [6]
1978 The 39 Steps [7]
2022 The 355 [8]
2008 Jumper
1943 Above Suspicion
2016 [9]
2017 Atomic Blonde [10]
1948 The Big Clock [11]
2021 Black Widow [12]
1974 The Black Windmill
2002 The Bourne Identity
2004 The Bourne Supremacy [13]
2007 The Bourne Ultimatum [14]
2015 Bridge of Spies [15]
2014
1958 Carve Her Name with Pride [16]
2019 Charlie's Angels [17]
2001 Charlotte Gray [18]
1994 Clear and Present Danger [19]
1939 Confessions of a Nazi Spy [20]
2005 The Constant Gardener [21]
1962 The Counterfeit Traitor [22]
1966 The Deadly Affair [23]
1951 Decision Before Dawn [24]
2001 Enigma [25]
1981 Eye of the Needle [26]
2021 F9 [27]
2017 The Fate of the Furious [28] [29]
2023 Fast X [30]
1982 Firefox [31]
1987 The Fourth Protocol [32]
2015 Furious 7 [33]
2022 The Gray Man [34]
1921 The Great Impersonation [35]
1935 The Great Impersonation
1942 The Great Impersonation [36]
2016 Grimsby [37]
2011 Haywire [38]
2019 Hobbs & Shaw [39]
1980 Hopscotch [40]
2005 Icon [41]
2023 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny [42]
1965 The IPCRESS File [43]
2014 [44]
2016 Jason Bourne [45]
2017 [46] [47]
2019 [48]
2023 [49]
2014 [50]
2017 [51]
2021 The King's Man [52]
1938 The Lady Vanishes [53]
1984 The Little Drummer Girl [54]
2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. [55]
2017 [56]
2019 [57]
2023 [58]
2025 [59]
2018 [60]
2015 [61]
2020 My Spy [62]
2021 No Time to Die [63]
1987 No Way Out [64]
2019 Official Secrets [65]
1974 The Odessa File [66]
1983 The Osterman Weekend
1959 Our Man in Havana [67]
1992 Patriot Games [68]
2014 Penguins of Madagascar [69]
2019 [70]
1966 The Quiller Memorandum [71]
2019 The Red Sea Diving Resort [72]
2018 Red Sparrow [73]
1990 The Russia House [74]
2012 Safe House [75]
1934 The Scarlet Pimpernel [76]
1936 Secret Agent [77]
1992 Shining Through [78]
2015 Spectre [79]
2019 [80]
2019 Spies in Disguise [81]
1914 The Spy [82]
2015 Spy [83]
1965 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold [84]
2018 The Spy Who Dumped Me [85]
2002 The Sum of All Fears [86]
2001 The Tailor of Panama [87]
2020 Tenet [88]
1943 They Met in the Dark [89]
1975 Three Days of the Condor [90]
2017 [91] [92]

See also

Notes and References

  1. "The Spying Game: British Cinema and the Secret State", 2009 Cambridge Film Festival, pp. 54–57 of the festival brochure.
  2. Web site: Spy movies – The guys who came in from the cold. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/spy-movies-the-guys-who-came-in-from-the-cold-1796078.html . 2022-05-24 . subscription . live. October 2, 2009. The Independent.
  3. Web site: Spy Film Movies and Films – Find Spy Film Movie Recommendations, Casts, Reviews, and Summaries – AllRovi . 2012-01-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120117090541/http://www.allrovi.com/movies/genre/spy-film-d515 . 2012-01-17 .
  4. Web site: Netflix Sets Premiere Date For Ryan Reynolds/Michael Bay Action Feature '6 Underground'. Deadline Hollywood. Peter. White. October 1, 2019. October 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191002131223/https://deadline.com/2019/10/ryan-reynolds-6-underground-premiere-date-netflix-1202748963/. October 2, 2019. live.
  5. Alfred Hitchcock: Thirty-seven years after '39 Steps'Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 27 Feb 1972: v2.
  6. Web site: Vanessa Thorpe . Hitchcock's inventions disappear in BBC's latest version of The 39 Steps. The Guardian. 2008-11-30 . 2012-04-08.
  7. News: Would You Believe an Industry Could Die?. Sunday Times. London, England. 15 June 1980. 63. The Sunday Times Digital Archive.
  8. Web site: 'The 355': Simon Kinberg Femme Action Ensemble Going Earlier In 2022. Deadline Hollywood. Anthony. D'Alessandro. May 6, 2021. May 7, 2021.
  9. Web site: Sneider. Jeff. 2015-11-03. Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard WWII Spy Movie Sets Release Date. 2021-07-22. TheWrap. en-US.
  10. News: Jagernauth. Kevin. SXSW Books 'Atomic Blonde' Starring Charlize Theron & 'Life' With Jake Gyllenhaal And Ryan Reynolds. February 22, 2017. The Playlist.
  11. https://archive.org/stream/variety173-1949-01#page/n45/mode/1up "Top Grossers of 1948", Variety 5 January 1949 p 46
  12. Web site: Rubin . Rebecca . March 23, 2021 . 'Black Widow,' 'Cruella' to Debut on Disney Plus and in Theaters as Disney Shifts Dates for Seven Films . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210323190428/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/disney-postpones-black-widow-shang-chi-1234935874/ . March 23, 2021 . March 23, 2021 . Variety.
  13. Web site: The Bourne Supremacy. https://web.archive.org/web/20090129032515/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/788997. dead. January 29, 2009. British Film Institute. September 30, 2012. London.
  14. Web site: The Bourne Ultimatum . . March 3, 2015.
  15. Web site: McNary. Dave. 2014-06-16. Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg Cold War Thriller Set for Oct. 16, 2015. 2021-07-17. Variety. en-US.
  16. Web site: Carve Her Name With Pride (1958). BFI. 28 November 2014. Eddie Dyja.
  17. Web site: 'Charlie's Angels' Flies To Mid-November . Anthony . D'Alessandro . 28 March 2019 .
  18. Web site: Charlotte Gray struggles to find box office gold. Screen International. Robert. Mitchell. 26 February 2022. 3 July 2022.
  19. Web site: Clear and Present Danger. Turner Classic Movies. March 23, 2016. June 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629192811/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/71061/clear-and-present-danger. live.
  20. Web site: Joseph D'Onofrio. Confessions of a Nazi Spy. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070312092824/http://tcmdb.com/title/article.jsp?contentId=313. 2007-03-12. 2006-01-23. tcm.com. mdy-all.
  21. Web site: AFICatalog – The Constant Gardener. catalog.afi.com. 2020-02-23.
  22. Web site: Alexander Klein, 83; Wrote Spy Thriller (obituary) . New York Times . August 24, 2002 . 2007-11-16.
  23. On Three War FrontsBy A. H. WEILER. New York Times 9 Jan 1966: 69.
  24. "Top Box-Office Hits of 1952", Variety, January 7, 1953
  25. Web site: Miramax buys UK, Manhattan close to US on Enigma. Screen International. Mike. Goodridge. 23 April 2001. 6 October 2021.
  26. Web site: Eye of the Needle . Roger Ebert . January 1, 1981 . February 27, 2015.
  27. Web site: Rubin . Rebecca . March 4, 2021 . F9 Postponed for the Third Time, Minions Sequel Pushed to 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210304233401/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/f9-release-date-postponed-summer-1234883492/ . March 4, 2021 . March 4, 2021 . Variety.
  28. Web site: The Fate Of The Furious. BookMyShow. February 20, 2017.
  29. News: 'Furious 8' Gets 2017 Release Date. Rebecca Ford. The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. April 23, 2015. April 24, 2015.
  30. 'Fast & Furious 10' Moves Release Date to May 2023. December 14, 2021. Lawrence. Derek. Entertainment Weekly. December 16, 2021. December 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211216033802/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/fast-furious-10-release-date-1235133442/. live.
  31. https://books.google.com/books?id=w6i25jxBIwcC&dq=Firefox+%28film%29+budget&pg=PA337 "Firefox: Budget."
  32. Forsyth, Frederick. "A shy spymaster who likes to hide behind protocol." Sunday Times [London, England] 22 Mar. 1987: 10. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
  33. Web site: Fast & Furious 7. British Board of Film Classification. March 2, 2021. March 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302002323/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/fast-furious-7-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtota0mzcx. live.
  34. Web site: 'The Gray Man' Release Date & First-Look Photos: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans & Ana de Armas In Russo Bros' Netflix Spy Thriller . April 26, 2022 . Erik . Pedersen . . April 27, 2022.
  35. Web site: Great-Impersonation - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306183848/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/93762/Great-Impersonation/overview. dead. March 6, 2016. Movies & TV Dept.. The New York Times. Janiss Garza. 2016. January 27, 2015.
  36. Web site: BFI | Film & TV Database | The GREAT IMPERSONATION (1942) . https://web.archive.org/web/20090209235922/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/224095 . dead . 2009-02-09 . Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk . 2009-04-16 . 2012-08-15.
  37. Web site: Grimsby . ComingSoon.net . February 13, 2014.
  38. Web site: Haywire . ComingSoon.net . 2011-06-15.
  39. Web site: Kroll . Justin . Idris Elba to Play Villain in 'Fast & Furious' Spinoff Starring Dwayne Johnson (EXCLUSIVE) . Variety . 5 July 2018 . 5 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180706000318/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/idris-elba-fast-and-furious-spinoff-dwayne-johnson-jason-statham-1202852226/ . 6 July 2018 . live .
  40. Screen International. November 3, 1979. 1. US exhibitors win new deal. Vaines. Colin. Colin Vaines.
  41. Web site: The Cold War goes on in Charles Martin Smith's made-for-TV tale of cops and communists. 24 December 2017. TV Guide.
  42. Web site: Indiana Jones 5 Delay Pushes Sequel Back a Year. Treese. Tyler. October 18, 2021. October 18, 2021. October 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211018155913/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1198085-indiana-jones-5-delay-pushes-sequel-back-a-year. live.
  43. The Times, 18 March 1965, page 9: Film review of The Ipcress File
  44. Web site: McClintock. Pamela. 2013-10-24. Jack Ryan Release. The Hollywood Reporter. 2014-11-09.
  45. Web site: Jason Bourne (12A) . . July 15, 2016 . July 15, 2016 . July 16, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190716145515/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/jason-bourne-film . live .
  46. Web site: John Wick 2. BookMyShow. January 2, 2017.
  47. Web site: John Wick: Chapter Two. Coming Soon. ComingSoon.net. February 18, 2016.
  48. Web site: Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston Join Cast For 'John Wick: Chapter 3' . Deadline Hollywood . 21 May 2017.
  49. Web site: 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Pushed Back to 2023. Variety. Angelique. Jackson. December 22, 2021. December 23, 2021. December 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211222234337/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/john-wick-chapter-4-delayed-release-date-1235142381/. live.
  50. https://www.allmovie.com/movie/kingsman-the-secret-service-vm478384881
  51. Web site: Abdulbaki. Mae. 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' Release Date Pushed Up. heroichollywood. March 19, 2017.
  52. Web site: The King's Man (15). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211007214148/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-kings-man-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00odgymjg. 7 October 2021. 26 December 2021. British Board of Film Classification.
  53. Web site: Alfred Hitchcock Collectors' Guide: The Lady Vanishes (1938). Brenton Film.
  54. Spy. The Unstoppables. November 1988. 90.
  55. Web site: Team. The Deadline. 2014-08-13. Warner Bros Dates 'American Sniper'; Moves 'Point Break', 'Man From U.N.C.L.E'. 2021-07-17. Deadline. en-US.
  56. Web site: Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. Comingsoon. October 15, 2017.
  57. News: Anita . Busch . 2018-10-23 . 'Men In Black' Spinoff Gets Summer 2019 Release Date Change . Deadline . January 18, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180614012200/https://deadline.com/2018/01/men-in-black-untitled-spinoff-release-date-change-summer-2019-1202248296/ . June 14, 2018 . live .
  58. Web site: Lang . Brent . January 21, 2022 . 'Mission: Impossible 7' and '8' Postponed Until 2023 and 2024 Due to Pandemic . January 22, 2022 . Variety.
  59. Web site: 'Mission: Impossible 7' and '8' Postponed Until 2023 and 2024 Due to Pandemic . Lang . Brent. . January 22, 2022. January 21, 2022.
  60. Web site: Alec Baldwin & Sean Harris Returning For 'Mission: Impossible – 6' . heroichollywood . March 29, 2017 . 2017-03-29.
  61. Web site: Acuna. Kirsten. The first trailer for the next 'Mission: Impossible' movie is here. 2021-07-17. Business Insider. en-US.
  62. Web site: 'My Spy': STX Dave Bautista Action Comedy To Stream On Amazon Prime By Month's End . June 12, 2020 . June 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200612164036/https://deadline.com/2020/06/my-spy-dave-bautista-amazon-prime-release-date-1202957758/ . June 12, 2020 . live .
  63. Web site: 21 January 2021. James Bond: 'No Time To Die' Release Date Delayed to Fall. March 2, 2022. The Hollywood Reporter. 22 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122005029/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/james-bond-pic-no-time-to-die-delays-release-to-fall. live.
  64. [Alain Silver|Silver, Alain]
  65. Web site: Official Secrets. Box Office Mojo. 30 June 2021.
  66. "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 46
  67. "Rental Potentials of 1960", Variety, 4 January 1961 p 47. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross.
  68. Web site: Patriot Games (15) . . June 9, 1992 . September 4, 2016 . March 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180306202320/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/patriot-games-film . live .
  69. Web site: 2014-05-20. Deadline.
  70. Web site: STX Pushes 'Playmobil', Dates Guy Ritchie's 'The Gentlemen' . . 2 August 2019 . 2019-08-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190803003824/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stx-pushes-playmobil-dates-guy-ritchies-gentlemen-1229033 . 2019-08-03 . live .
  71. "Big Rental Films of 1967", Variety, 3 January 1968 p 25. Please note these figures refer to rentals accruing to the distributors.
  72. Web site: WATCH: Netflix's 'The Red Sea Diving Resort' Film Trailer . Click The City . 17 July 2019 . 19 July 2019.
  73. Web site: 'Deadpool 2', 'New Mutants' & 'Dark Phoenix' Find 2018 Dates Among Fox's Slew Of Release Changes & Additions . Deadline Hollywood . April 22, 2017 . 2017-04-22.
  74. Web site: AFI|Catalog.
  75. Web site: Safe House . ComingSoon.net . 2010-10-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100926214650/https://comingsoon.net/films.php?id=63154 . 26 September 2010 . live.
  76. Web site: The Scarlet Pimpernel. TCM. 28 December 2013.
  77. Web site: Alfred Hitchcock Collectors' Guide: Secret Agent (1936). Brenton Film. 14 February 2020 .
  78. Web site: Shining Through (15). British Board of Film Classification. February 12, 1992. September 24, 2019.
  79. Web site: AFI|Catalog . 17 September 2018 . 17 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180917143507/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/70719?sid=eee64a3c-4b88-4649-bb50-c42cdcef0998&sr=1.479148&cp=1&pos=0 . live .
  80. Web site: Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, Bad Boys 4 set for Summer 2019 . EW.com . December 9, 2016 . December 9, 2016.
  81. Web site: Spies in Disguise . British Board of Film Classification . January 11, 2020 . December 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191225075921/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/spies-disguise-2019 . live .
  82. http://silentera.com/PSFL/data/S/Spy1914.html The Spy at silentera.com
  83. News: Lesnick. Silas. 2015-03-04. 20th Century Fox Shifts Dates for Spy, Poltergeist and Paper Towns. comingsoon.net. 2015-03-09.
  84. Web site: Erickson . Hal . The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965) . https://web.archive.org/web/20071123174528/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/46310/The-Spy-Who-Came-in-from-the-Cold/overview . dead . 23 November 2007 . Movies & TV Dept. . . Hal Erickson (author) . 2007 . 22 March 2013.
  85. Web site: Lionsgate Pushes Mila Kunis' 'The Spy Who Dumped Me' Release Date Back . December 22, 2017 . The Hollywood Reporter . December 23, 2017.
  86. Web site: The Sum of All Fears (12) . . May 31, 2002 . September 4, 2016.
  87. Web site: The Tailor of Panama (2001). AFI Catalog of Feature Films. 23 March 2021 .
  88. Web site: Rubin. Rebecca. July 27, 2020. 'Tenet' Will Release Internationally in August Ahead of U.S. Debut. July 27, 2020. Variety. en.
  89. Web site: They Met in the Dark (1943) - Articles - TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies.
  90. Web site: Three Days of the Condor (1975) . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014020057/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/49657/Three-Days-of-the-Condor/overview . dead . October 14, 2013 . Movies & TV Dept. . . Lucia Bozzola . 2013 . February 8, 2014.
  91. News: McNary. Dave. Vin Diesel's 'xXx 3' Gets Release Date From Paramount. February 24, 2016. deadline.com. February 24, 2016.
  92. Web site: XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage. BookMyShow. January 2, 2017.

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