Spy: 166

Atomic Blonde (2017), an American action thriller film directed by David Leitch, is adapted from the graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. Set in November 1989, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, MI6 agent James Gascoigne is killed and his wristwatch, which contains a crucial microfilm document known as The List, is stolen by KGB agent Yuri Bakhtin. In response, top-level MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton is called in for a debriefing with MI6 executive Eric Gray and CIA agent Emmett ...

In Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Jane Goldman and Vaughn, Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin has officially joined the Kingsman a year after the events of the previous film. He now holds the title of Galahad, previously held by his late mentor Harry Hart, and is in a relationship with Tilde, Crown Princess of Sweden. On his way home from the tailor shop, Eggsy is suddenly attacked by Charlie Hesketh, a former Kingsman trainee who lost his arm and vocal chords during the Valentine ...

Criminal (2016) is an American action thriller film directed by Ariel Vromen and written by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg. The story follows the death of London-based CIA operative Billy Pope in an unsuccessful deal with hacker Jan Strook, also known as The Dutchman, for a wormhole program that provides access to nuclear codes. In order to retrieve the missing program and $10 million, Quaker Wells, Billy’s superior, enlists the help of Dr. Micah Franks to transfer Billy’s brain functions into another person. ...

Allied (2016) is a romantic war drama thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Steven Knight. Set in 1942 during World War II, the plot centers on Wing Commander Max Vatan, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot with intelligence duties. His assignment takes him to Casablanca in Morocco, where he is tasked with assassinating a German ambassador. To aid him in his mission, he is joined by Marianne Beauséjour, a courageous French Resistance fighter who fled France after her group was compromised and killed. Pretending to be a married couple, Max and Marianne begin ...

Oliver Stone’s biographical thriller Snowden (2016) follows the story of Edward Snowden, who in 2013 arranged a secret meeting in Hong Kong with documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald. During the meeting, they discussed releasing classified information regarding illegal mass surveillance conducted by the NSA. This meeting was later documented in Poitras’ film Citizenfour, which was also featured in the movie Snowden. Prior to this, in 2004, Snowden joined the U.S. Army with plans to join the Special Forces but was discharged due to a fractured tibia. He then applied for a position at the ...

Susanne Bier’s British television serial, The Night Manager (2016), follows the story of Jonathan Pine, an Englishman working as a night manager in a Cairo hotel. When he becomes entangled with the girlfriend of a local gangster, he discovers information that connects illegal arms sales to wealthy English billionaire Richard Roper. Shortly after, the woman is found dead, prompting Pine to flee for his own safety. Four years later, he encounters Roper at a remote Swiss hotel, reigniting his thirst for revenge. With the help of British Intelligence, Pine is recruited to spy on Roper and sets off a treacherous game ...

Central Intelligence (2016) is an American buddy action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and written by Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. In 1996, Calvin ‘The Golden Jet’ Joyner, a star athlete, was being honored at his high school. During his speech, a group of bullies led by Trevor Olson decided to play a cruel prank on the morbidly obese Robbie Weirdicht, who was happily dancing in the locker room shower. They threw him naked into the gymnasium in front of the entire school. While everyone else ...

The film The Brothers Grimsby (2016) is a hilarious blend of spy action and comedy, directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston, and Peter Baynham. The main character, Kyle Alan ‘Nobby’ Butcher, had been estranged from his younger brother Sebastian for almost three decades. During their time apart, Nobby became a hard-drinking football hooligan who settled down with his girlfriend Dawn and their 11 children in Grimsby. Meanwhile, ...

Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016) is an American action comedy directed by Greg Mottola and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Jeff Gaffney holds a human resources position at MBI, a defense contractor located in Atlanta. Together with his wife Karen, they reside in a desirable cul-de-sac with their two children away at summer camp. The couple becomes acquainted with their new neighbors, Tim and Natalie Jones – Tim being a globetrotting writer interested in glassblowing while Natalie pursues social media consulting, food blogging and charitable work. The seemingly perfect duo exude charm and sophistication as they ...

The American action-thriller film, Jason Bourne (2016), was directed and written by Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse respectively. This movie is the fifth installment in the Bourne franchise and serves as a direct sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). After revealing Blackbriar’s corruption twelve years ago, ex-CIA agent Jason Bourne has finally regained his memories and now lives in isolation in Greece working as a street fighter. In Reykjavík, Nicky Parsons – a Treadstone technician – hacks into the CIA’s server with the ...

In the American spy action comedy film Spy (2015), directed by Paul Feig, Susan Cooper is a 40-year-old CIA employee who supports her partner Bradley Fine on a mission remotely from her desk. However, during a mission to retrieve information from arms dealer Tihomir Boyanov, Fine accidentally kills him without obtaining the location of a dangerous suitcase nuke. This leads Susan to discover that Rayna, Boyanov’s daughter, has made contact with terrorist Sergio De Luca. Seeking justice for her deceased partner, Susan offers to track down Rayna even though she has never served in the field and is unknown among other ...

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) is a fast-paced American action spy film written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, collaborating with Drew Pearce on the script. In the film, IMF Agent Ethan Hunt thwarts The Syndicate’s attempt to transport nerve gas, a group of rebel field operatives from different intelligence agencies whom he has been pursuing. During his briefing at an IMF facility in London, Ethan is ambushed by The Syndicate itself, revealing that they have infiltrated both him and the organization. As he falls unconscious from being exposed to ...

The film Bridge of Spies (2015) is an American historical drama directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. It was written by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers. Set in New York City in 1957, the story follows the arrest of Rudolf Abel on charges of spying for the Soviet Union. James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer, is appointed as Abel’s legal counsel. Despite pressure from the CIA to violate client confidentiality, Donovan remains committed to providing a vigorous defense for Abel. Ultimately, Abel is convicted ...

The spy film The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) was directed and co-written by Guy Ritchie, based on the 1964 television series of the same name created by Norman Felton and Sam Rolfe. In 1963, CIA-Agent Napoleon Solo is tasked with rescuing Gaby Teller, daughter of a nuclear scientist, from East Berlin. He also recruits KGB Agent Illya Kuryakin to help stop a pair of Nazi sympathizers, Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra, who are using Teller’s father for their own nuclear weapon project. With Gaby’s uncle Rudi ...

Spectre (2015) is the latest James Bond film produced by Eon Productions. Tasked with a mission by his former boss, M, MI6 agent James Bond foils a bombing attempt at a Day of the Dead festival in Mexico City. After recovering a telltale octopus ring from the deceased attacker, Marco Sciarra, Bond uncovers his involvement with an enigmatic organization. However, upon returning to London, the new M – Gareth Mallory – reprimands Bond for acting without authorization. Meanwhile, M finds himself embroiled in a power struggle with Max Denbigh (dubbed ‘C’ by Bond), Director-General of the newly formed Joint Intelligence Service that combines ...

Citizenfour (2014), a documentary directed by Laura Poitras, delves into the NSA spying scandal involving Edward Snowden. It premiered in the US on October 10, 2014, at the New York Film Festival and in the UK on October 17, 2014, at the BFI London Film Festival. The film received widespread praise and numerous awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the 87th Academy Awards. After Poitras received encrypted emails from an informant with knowledge of government surveillance programs, she joined forces with journalist ...

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) is an American action thriller film based on the character Jack Ryan from author Tom Clancy’s series. As the fifth film in the franchise and second reboot, it stands apart from previous adaptations by featuring an original storyline. Following the events of September 11, Jack Ryan is a Marine serving in Afghanistan and suffers a critical injury while bravely saving his comrades in a helicopter crash. After a long recovery, he meets Cathy Muller, who assists him during his rehabilitation and eventually becomes his fiancée. It isn’t until ten years later that Jack is recruited by CIA veteran Thomas Harper to ...

A Most Wanted Man (2014), an espionage thriller based on the 2008 novel by John le Carré, is directed by Anton Corbijn and written by Andrew Bovell. Political refugee Issa Karpov, who suffered torture at the hands of Russian security forces, illegally enters Hamburg, Germany. Günther Bachmann leads a covert team working for the German government to enlist local informants with ties to terrorist organizations. His trusted associate, Irna Frey, is the complete opposite in terms of organization and appearance. The team ...

3 Days to Kill (2014) is an action thriller film directed by McG and written by Luc Besson and Adi Hasak. American CIA agent Ethan Renner, along with his team, is on a mission to capture the Albino, lieutenant to an arms trafficker known as the Wolf. The Wolf plans to sell a dirty bomb to terrorists at a hotel in Belgrade. However, their plan goes awry when the Albino recognizes and kills one of Renner’s fellow agents, who was disguised as a chambermaid. While chasing the Albino, Renner becomes dizzy and only manages ...

The November Man (2014), a spy film, is based on Bill Granger’s novel There Are No Spies from the seventh book in The November Man series, originally published in 1987. In 2008, CIA agent Peter Devereaux leads a mission in Montenegro with young operative David Mason. Despite Devereaux instructing Mason not to fire, he disobeys and ends up taking down an assassin but also causing the death of a child. Five years later, Devereaux has retired in Lausanne, Switzerland when his former boss John Hanley shows up requesting his help in extracting Natalia Ulanova – an aide to Russian President-elect ...