For three seasons, audiences have been captivated by the hit Netflix series, The Night Agent. Created by Shawn Ryan and based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, the political action thriller follows Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), a low-level FBI agent working in the White House basement, who answers an emergency phone line. He is immediately thrust into a deadly conspiracy involving a mole at the highest levels of government.
Rich with sabotage, cover-ups, and mistrust all the way up the political chain, The Night Agent has scratched the itch of espionage lovers. If you can’t commit to a full series binge, these movies are perfect companion pieces. From iconic spies to mesmerizing stories, each film is filled with non-stop thrills similar to what you might find in The Night Agent. And for the titles that start a franchise? Lucky you, you have a long-lasting binge on your hands!
‘Argo’ (2012)
We know Ben Affleck for his extraordinary acting resume, but he’s stretched his directing skills in the 21st century. One of his most monumental was the film adaptation of the Wired article “The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran” and U.S. CIA operative Tony Mendez‘s memoir, Argo. From a screenplay by Chris Terrio, the film dramatizes the events during the 1979–81 Iran hostage crisis. Focusing on the Canadian Caper, Mendez (Affleck) led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science-fiction film. A high-stakes true story, Argo is a tense, witty, and masterfully paced drama.
Through a political perspective with hints of Hollywood satire, Argo is a nail-biter, even if you know the ultimate outcome. There’s a wealth of intense suspense built into the story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. With a gritty aesthetic that matches the vintage period, Argo is a precisely crafted film. And by the way, Argo wouldn’t be sitting at a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score without the cast. Filled with sensational performances, including those from Alan Arkin, John Goodman, and Bryan Cranston, Argo is a near-perfect film. There have been tons of political thrillers since Argo, but very few have reached the heights that Affleck’s masterpiece hit.
‘Three Days of the Condor’ (1975)
It’s fitting that in a post-Watergate world, Robert Redford, star of All the President’s Men, starred in the enthralling Three Days of the Condor. Capturing the paranoia of the time, the Sydney Pollack-directed film tells the story of Joe Turner (Redford), a bookish CIA analyst who returns from lunch to find all his co-workers murdered. He discovers a rogue, unauthorized, and corrupt CIA unit is behind the massacre to cover up a secret plan to seize Middle Eastern oil fields. A conspiracy like none other, Three Days of the Condor dives straight into themes of institutional distrust, the moral ambiguity of the intelligence community, and the terror of the deep state.
Pollack builds a tension-filled world where a virtual amateur must navigate the dangerously deadly waters of government bureaucracy. There’s a strong chance you’ll be squirming as you watch because the story is so believably authentic. You’ll be restless partially because of Max von Sydow‘s portrayal of professional assassin Joubert. As much as we might hate to say it, the 1975 thriller remains relevant today. With institutional corruption and surveillance at the forefront, Three Days of the Condor is a gripping story that’s become reluctantly timeless. And yes, the film strongly inspired Captain America: The Winter Soldier, featuring Redford himself, so add that to your watch list!
‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (2012)
Sometimes it takes the movies for us to truly grasp the reality of a situation. In Kathryn Bigelow‘s powerful Zero Dark Thirty, the nearly decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden is dramatized for the big screen. Using fictional characters to tell the tale, the political action thriller follows the intelligence-gathering process, led by dedicated CIA analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain), to the identification of bin Laden’s compound by the 2011 Navy SEAL raid. Highlighting the emotional and psychological toll of the operation, Zero Dark Thirty delved into the brutal, high-stakes world of intelligence and the war overseas.
Bigelow’s crowning achievement, she uses an intense, documentary-style reality with meticulous attention to detail to drive the action. With Chastain’s sensationally gripping performance, Zero Dark Thirty became a powerhouse film that defined the decade. Zero Dark Thirty is a stylized film that moves away from the typical Hollywood thriller to offer an unsettling portrayal of a major historical event. A brilliantly executed masterpiece, Zero Dark Thirty is unmatched.
‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996)
Let’s begin where it all started. On the big screen at least. Based on the 1966 television series of the same name, Mission: Impossible put Tom Cruise in the role of Ethan Hunt, a young IMF agent that jumpstarted a massive franchise. In the first film, Hunt is the sole survivor of a botched Prague mission that kills his team, including Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). Falsely accused of being a mole by CIA boss Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), Hunt, now a fugitive, goes rogue to expose the true traitor by sneaking into the heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a confidential computer file. A death-defying action hit, Mission: Impossible, brought genuine blockbuster action films to the ’90s cinema.
Through Brian De Palma‘s sensational direction, anchored by groundbreaking practical action sequences, Mission: Impossible shaped the espionage genre since 1996. Cruise has had a world of prominent parts, but his work in this film, and the subsequent franchise, set him up as one of the biggest action heroes of all time. As much as Peter Sutherland wishes he were Ethan Hunt, no one can match what Cruise did in this film. Mission: Impossible is an old-school spy thriller that is simply iconic.
‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002)
Another start-from-the-beginning franchise film, The Bourne Identity, put Matt Damon in the spotlight as the 21st century’s best new action hero. Based on Robert Ludlum‘s 1980 novel of the same name, The Bourne Identity launched a major franchise thanks to its unique premise and amiable lead. Jason Bourne, an amnesiac, is found floating in the Mediterranean with two bullets in his back and a Swiss bank account number implanted in his hip. Jason goes on a daring adventure in an attempt to uncover his identity, discovering he has elite combat skills, multilingual abilities, and is being hunted by the CIA’s secret Operation Treadstone program. An epic thriller, The Bourne Identity is a powerful film that’s non-stop fun.
The Bourne Identity redefined the spy genre thanks to its character-driven approach. Unlike James Bond and Ethan Hunt and the gadget-heavy spy trend, Jason Bourne was an underdog everyman that you cheered on. The more he learned and showcased his underlying skills, the cooler he became. By the sequels, he found himself in the same category as Bond and Hunt. The first film’s ability to balance a fast-paced thriller with a personal mystery provided an engaging story. Jason Bourne is a formidable spy who is in the pantheon of the best.
’13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi’ (2016)
If there’s one individual who knows how to make a big-budget blockbuster, look no further than Michael Bay. In 2016, he adapted a true story into 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Based on the non-fiction book by Mitchell Zuckoff, 13 Hours tells the story of six members of the Annex Security Team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, following the wave of attacks by militants on September 11, 2012. A powerful story that highlights the chaos of the attacks, the confusion of the situation, and the bravery of the individuals, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi brings a heroic, apolitical perspective that honors the courageous individuals.
Bay’s ability to build tension is one of his strongest traits. Instead of transforming robots, Bay showcases maturity in his direction, focusing less on the flashy and more on the emotional turmoil and the high-stakes reality of the situation. The entire ensemble did remarkable work, namely John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, and James Badge Dale. You very likely heard about Benghazi but may not have truly grasped the events. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi helps put the harrowing moment into perspective authentically.
‘Bridge of Spies’ (2015)
Tom Hanks starring in a film written by the Coen Brothers and Matt Charman, directed by Steven Spielberg, sounds like a recipe for success. And guess what? It was! In 2015, Spielberg directed the historical drama, Bridge of Spies. Set during the Cold War, the film follows James B. Donovan (Hanks), an American lawyer tasked with defending a captured Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), and later negotiating a high-stakes prisoner exchange for convicted CIA U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). Named after the Glienicke Bridge, the location of the prisoner exchange, Bridge of Spies is a daring and polished film with a masterclass in every category.
Though some artistic liberties were taken, the result was an entertainingly tense Cold War thriller. Rather than keeping the focus on action-packed scenes, Bridge of Spies dives deep into the negotiation, moral integrity, and the humanism of the event. Bridge of Spies showcases the nuanced elements of espionage that Hollywood tends to push to the back burner. Spielberg sensationally lifts the script to provide for an old-fashioned film. His expert prowess in bringing tension without action is a mark of his mastery. Hanks gives a solidly grounded performance, but it’s Rylance that stole the film. His Oscar win was well worth it. Bridge of Spies defies the good-versus-evil trope to introduce the humanity of all involved.
‘The Recruit’ (2003)
With a passion for action in the new millennium, director Roger Donaldson brought a two-handed spy thriller to the screens with 2003’s The Recruit. Starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell, the psychological thriller follows James Clayton (Farrell), a brilliant graduate who is recruited by Walter Burke (Pacino). As he rises in the ranks, he begins to fall for another recruit, Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan), just as he learns there’s a mole in the ranks. A cat-and-mouse chase in a dizzying maze. If there’s anything James can count on, it’s that he can’t trust anyone and nothing is as it seems. An engaging CIA thriller, The Recruit brings intrigue and suspense that leaves you hooked as the twists keep coming.
The Recruit relies heavily on the psychological tests and the paranoia that comes with the job. A fast-paced popcorn movie, The Recruit may feel obvious at times, but you simply cannot deny the on-screen chemistry between Pacino and Farrell. Both actors have an innate gruffness to them that makes them a formidable duo. Though the CIA may have found the film to be a tad ridiculous, there’s no denying the entertainment factor attached.
‘Sicario’ (2015)
Taylor Sheridan may have the Westerns on lock, but before the Yellowstone craze, Sheridan brought action-lovers a high-voltage thriller in 2015’s Sicario. The film follows Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), who rises in the ranks in the male-dominated FBI. She’s given a top assignment, recruited by the mysterious Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), joining a task force against the escalating war on drugs along the U.S.-Mexico border. Led by the intense Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro), a former prosecutor turned assassin, the team travels across the border using one cartel boss to flush out an even bigger drug lord. Sicario is a fiery film that is unafraid to let bullets fly.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film earned critical acclaim and a sequel, though the follow-up fell deeply into the sequel trap. With relenting tension and masterful imagery, Sicario dives deep into the dark, hidden costs of the war on drugs. Though Blunt is the draw into the story, it’s del Toro’s performance that sets up the film for success. His take on the vengeful Alejandro is one of his strongest performances. Gritty and grounded, Sicario pushes the audience to question the moral ambiguity of the drug war and whether the methods used to defeat evil make the good guys just as bad.
‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ (2014)
Jack Ryan is one of the most beloved characters ever written. Created by Tom Clancy, the role has been taken on by a wealth of actors — Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck. In 2014, Chris Pine became the fourth, and certainly not the last, actor to take on the part. In this film, a young Jack Ryan transitions from a Marine Veteran to a CIA analyst, and finally into a field operative. After discovering a Russian plot to collapse the U.S. economy, Ryan travels to Moscow to stop billionaire Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) from executing a massive, coordinated terrorist attack. Directed by Branagh, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit puts a more analytical lens on the character who must step out of his comfort zone to save the country, and his fiancé (Keira Knightley), from certain death.
A modern take on the classic character, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a sleek film that rightly updates the franchise for a contemporary audience. Not that The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger are dated, they are products of their time. Pine’s more youthful and energetic Ryan is a welcome shift that worked for this particular film. Though his time in the role was a one-and-done experience, as John Krasinski took on the part for the television series and upcoming feature. If you’re a fan of Clancy and Jack Ryan, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is the closest comparison to The Night Agent.