The upcoming release of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, complete with as much secrecy, intrigue, and surprise as its plot must contain, as well as an impending James Bond film, inspired this pulse-taking of the contemporary spy genre. Unsurprisingly, there is as much talent, originality, and reason for revisiting as there was in Hitchcock's 60s and MacGyver's 80s.
A credit to the spy genre is its range, as represented below. Fans of movie agents equally appreciate, equally expect even, a sharp-tongued cocktail lounge interrogation and a mountainside helicopter leap to be within the bounds of possibility for their backed protagonists.
Haywire (2011)
Haywire presents a banal spy story via a talent frenzy. Director Steven Soderbergh, of recently re-enthused Contagion fame, is the strong director of English talents Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender, the latter of who would go on to be nominated for an Oscar two years later.
At the film’s core is Gina Carano’s Mallory Kane. She is as energetic and assured as her accomplished counterparts. You’ve seen her since in Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
While there has been espionage since the days of Julius Caesar and up through the life of Edward Snowden, modern espionage fiction has pooled around the Cold War; and there is no Cold War spy storyteller more renowned than John le Carré. Film adaptations of his novels, which feature recurring characters, have been just as popular for decades.
Thus was the excitement when le Carré (via source material) was linked with another of England's most exceptional talents, Gary Oldman. He dominates a powerhouse cast and handles a complex narrative all with his textbook carefree impact.
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
After one of the more concise trilogies of all time, based on Robert Ludlum's novels and brought to life by Matt Damon's titular performances, drew to a close, rising Avenger Jeremy Renner stepped into the intimidating picture. As an agent affected by Jason Bourne's ripple effects, he brings just as much tenacity.
The Bourne series works the aforementioned spy-genre range better than most. It is at once cerebral and rewatchable while rarely letting up the action.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Novelist Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is among the most famous fictional spies in popular culture. He has been brought to life by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and most recently John Krasinski for Amazon Prime.
For this one-off installment, directed by Shakespeare aficionado and Tenet actor Kenneth Branagh, the multifaceted Chris Pine brought his A-game. His hometown charm makes every high-octane moment seem more daring, while his beefy build makes his surviving always more believable.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Over the past decade or so, the MCU has popularized a particular blend of action and comedy which is ripe for utilization in the non-superhero action world. Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman, with its cast of fan favorites (Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Taron Egerton) completing kick-ass choreography, is a perfect example.
A 2020 prequel is scheduled to make this fantastic series into a proper trilogy, but there is undoubtedly potential for far more. After all, the "Millarworld" is the type where any type of expansion is possible.
Barely Lethal (2015)
There is no cinema list focused on the 2010s that would be complete without an A24 submission. For untested director Kyle Newman, the white-hot (even in 2015) indie studio was able to rile Sophie Turner, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jessica Alba.
The real star of Barely Lethal, however, is Hailee Steinfeld. Oscar-nominated as a teenager for her performance in True Grit, she is apparently in line to take on a certain Avenger's costume.
Bridge Of Spies (2015)
A fascinating sub-era of recent film has been the slew of quieter, more introspective masterworks from big-name directors famous for larger-than-life spectacles. Critics and The Academy alike were warm to Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Scorsese's The Irishman, and Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies.
The latter brings the same high stakes as Spielberg espionage entries such as Munich and Minority Report, but strips away much of the action, leaving only an emotional husk filled by virtuoso performances by Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
In 1962, Dr. No brought Ian Fleming's novel protagonist James Bond to the big screen, launching a tradition that is celebrated riotously to this day. Within a few years, television was flooded with half a dozen spy-themed thrillers, including The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which debuted in 1964.
Having been less adapted than the Bond brand only provides more opportunity for inventiveness in this 2015 reboot. Director Guy Ritchie is in action-packed full form and Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill are as sleek as a duo of believable tough guys as could be imagined.
Spy (2015)
Since her outrageous, Oscar-nominated turn in Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has starred in a blockbuster-caliber comedy romp just about every year. Among those, Spy is the best.
McCarthy and fellow Bridesmaid Rose Byrne are an endlessly entertaining expectation-subverting duo. Byrne poses as too posh to be hilarious, whereas McCarthy plays up the goofy before holding her own against straight-playing sleuths like Jude Law's Bradley Fine. As is always impossibly true, the laughs and plot intensity balance one another.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
The Mission Impossible series is over twenty years and six films old. Star Tom Cruise is approaching sixty. Yet the franchise's most recent installment was so successful among critics and fans that it feels as if the only desire is for more. This is reportedly to be arranged over the next two years.
Fallout brings back numerous familiar allies to Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, as well as Henry Cavill's studly CIA adversary August Walker. Also returning, of course, will be the iconic score.