There is no bigger spy movie character than James Bond. Based on the novels by Ian Fleming, 007 made his big screen debut in 1962, with Sean Connery donning the tuxedo in Dr. No. Over the last six decades, Bond has also been played by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. There have been some great Bond movies, like Goldfinger, GoldenEye, Casino Royale, and Skyfall, but as thrilling as they are, there are six spy movies that are even better.

Key Takeaways

• James Bond’s legacy: The character has been portrayed by multiple actors since 1962.
• Influential films: Movies like North by Northwest and The Manchurian Candidate have set benchmarks in the spy genre.
• Cinematic evolution: Spy films have evolved from serious thrillers to action-packed adventures.
• Cultural impact: These films reflect societal issues and have left a lasting imprint on cinema.

1
‘North by Northwest’ (1959)

We’ll start with Alfred Hitchcock‘s North by Northwest. Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, an ad exec from New York who is mistaken for a spy and chased across the country by corrupt secret agents, led by Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), out to stop him. Along the way, he meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) and falls madly in love with her. Is she a friend or foe?

It’s easy to see that North by Northwest inspired what was to come with James Bond and Mission: Impossible. It takes a lighter tone at times, going for more fun than serious, like the early, playful Bond films. Hitchcock’s action thriller is a masterpiece in suspense, with one twist after another, and truly mesmerizing shots, such as when Thornhill is hanging off the side of Mount Rushmore, or when he’s chased by a crop duster plane through an open field.

2
‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (1962)

While the 2004 Denzel Washington-led reboot of The Manchurian Candidate is pretty good, it can’t hold a candle to the 1962 original. Directed by John Frankenheimer and based on Richard Condon‘s 1959 novel, the film stars Laurence Harvey as Sergeant Raymond Shaw, a brainwashed sleeper agent activated to do something diabolical. He’s accompanied by a phenomenal performance by Angela Lansbury as Shaw’s mother, Eleanor, and crooner Frank Sinatra as Major Bennett Marco, the only man who knows the truth and can stop Shaw before it’s too late.

Although filmed in black and white, The Manchurian Candidate is a colorful satire with a lot to say about the features of McCarthyism. Over 60 years later, its message is still so very important. It’s a film that’s more than a warning, though. It’s Shakespeare meets spy thriller, where the enemy is within, and paranoia reigns supreme. In 1962, with the Cuban Missile Crisis leaving everyone on edge, this one was just as much a horror movie as a thrilling spy flick.

3
‘Three Days of the Condor’ (1975)

Robert Redford knew a thing or two about political thrillers with important movies likeAll the President’s Men. For a spy movie, though, you can’t do any better thanThree Days of the Condor. Based onJames Grady’s novelSix Days of the Condor , directed bySydney Pollack, Redford plays CIA analyst Joe Turner, who goes by the name Condor. When he returns from lunch to find all of his co-workers murdered, Turner must find who is responsible before it’s too late.