# The best spy movies of all time

From Hitchcock to Bourne and le Carré: the espionage films critics rank highest (IndieWire, The Week, Rotten Tomatoes).

- 161 votes · 12 items
- Jan 16, 2026 · Ryan Clarke
- https://even.best/en/l/1901/the-best-spy-movies-of-all-time

## Top 12

1. **The 39 Steps (1935)** (17 · ▲17 ▼0) — Hitchcock's early template for the spy chase.
2. **North by Northwest (1959)** (15 · ▲16 ▼1) — IndieWire's number one: Cary Grant and Mount Rushmore.
3. **From Russia with Love (1963)** (14 · ▲14 ▼0) — The most spy-like of the Connery Bonds.
4. **The Manchurian Candidate (1962)** (14 · ▲14 ▼0) — Brainwashing and paranoia with Frank Sinatra.
5. **Black Bag (2025)** (11 · ▲13 ▼2) — Steven Soderbergh's married spies, Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.
6. **Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)** (10 · ▲12 ▼2) — Gary Oldman as George Smiley.
7. **Three Days of the Condor (1975)** (9 · ▲13 ▼4) — Robert Redford on the run from the CIA.
8. **The Lives of Others (2006)** (9 · ▲11 ▼2) — A Stasi officer listening to an East Berlin couple.
9. **The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)** (9 · ▲10 ▼1) — Richard Burton in le Carré's bleak Cold War.
10. **Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)** (7 · ▲8 ▼1) — Ethan Hunt's best mission.
11. **Casino Royale (2006)** (6 · ▲9 ▼3) — Daniel Craig's reboot of 007.
12. **The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)** (6 · ▲7 ▼1) — Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass at full speed.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.