Last Updated on 12 June 2024

The following list is the Official Definitive List of the 250 best spy movies of all time.

I found 31 different ranked lists online of “best spy movies of all time” and pulled them all into Excel and merged them all to get this definitive compilation.  See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including links to all 31 lists that were averaged. Below is a checklist you can print to track which ones you’ve seen, followed by the ranked list with links to IMDb.

Greatest-Spy-Movies-Viewing-ChecklistDownload
  1. North By Northwest (1959)
  2. The Courier (2020)
  3. The Lives of Others (2006)
  4. Notorious (1946)
  5. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
  6. Casino Royale (2006)
  7. The Bourne Identity (2002)
  8. Argo (2012)
  9. Goldfinger (1964)
  10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
  11. Bridge of Spies (2015)
  12. Skyfall (2012)
  13. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
  14. From Russia With Love (1963)
  15. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
  16. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
  17. The Third Man (1949)
  18. The Conversation (1974)
  19. Enemy of the State (1998)
  20. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
  21. Burn After Reading (2008)
  22. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
  23. Munich (2005)
  24. Spy Game (2001)
  25. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
  26. Mission: Impossible (1996)
  27. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
  28. The Ipcress File (1965)
  29. The 39 Steps (1935)
  30. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
  31. The Departed (2006)
  32. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
  33. True Lies (1994)
  34. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
  35. No Way Out (1987)
  36. Atomic Blonde (2017)
  37. Spy (2015)
  38. Ronin (1998)
  39. Dr. No (1962)
  40. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
  41. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
  42. The Imitation Game (2014)
  43. A Most Wanted Man (2014)
  44. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
  45. Barry Lyndon (1975)
  46. The Good Shepherd (2006)
  47. Spies in Disguise (2019)
  48. Spy Kids (2001)
  49. Lust, Caution (2007)
  50. Charade (1963)
  51. GoldenEye (1995)
  52. Top Secret! (1984)
  53. Spione (1928)
  54. Duck Soup (1933)
  55. Salt (2010)
  56. Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
  57. Black Book (2006)
  58. The Day of the Jackal (1973)
  59. Pickup on South Street (1953)
  60. Duplicity (2009)
  61. Sneakers (1992)
  62. Army of Shadows (1969)
  63. Clear and Present Danger (1994)
  64. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
  65. Body of Lies (2008)
  66. Breach (2007)
  67. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  68. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
  69. Red Joan (2018)
  70. Stalag 17 (1953)
  71. Where Eagles Dare (1968)
  72. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
  73. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
  74. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
  75. Thunderball (1965)
  76. The Quiet American (2002)
  77. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
  78. Snowden (2016)
  79. Eye of the Needle (1981)
  80. No Time to Die (2021)
  81. Safe House (2012)
  82. Citizenfour (2014)
  83. A Call to Spy (2019)
  84. The Counterfeiters (2007)
  85. The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
  86. Sicario (2015)
  87. Traitor (2008)
  88. Spectre (2015)
  89. Mission: Impossible II (2000)
  90. Official Secrets (2019)
  91. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
  92. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
  93. Tenet (2020)
  94. Patriot Games (1992)
  95. The Debt (2010)
  96. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
  97. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
  98. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
  99. RED (2010)
  100. Ministry of Fear (1944)
  101. The Fourth Protocol (1987)
  102. Allied (2016)
  103. The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
  104. Die Another Day (2002)
  105. The Bourne Legacy (2012)
  106. You Only Live Twice (1967)
  107. Syriana (2005)
  108. Haywire (2011)
  109. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
  110. Black Widow (2021)
  111. Marathon Man (1976)
  112. Red Sparrow (2018)
  113. Octopussy (1983)
  114. Saboteur (1942)
  115. The Constant Gardener (2005)
  116. Live and Let Die (1973)
  117. Quantum of Solace (2008)
  118. All the President’s Men (1976)
  119. The Double Man (1967)
  120. The Sum of All Fears (2002)
  121. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
  122. Torn Curtain (1966)
  123. Farewell (2009)
  124. The Living Daylights (1987)
  125. Eastern Promises (2007)
  126. Salvador (1986)
  127. To Be or Not To Be (1942)
  128. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
  129. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
  130. Unthinkable (2010)
  131. Licence to Kill (1989)
  132. Never Say Never Again (1983)
  133. M. Butterfly (1993)
  134. The East (2013)
  135. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
  136. Le Petit Soldat (1963)
  137. Telefon (1977)
  138. Eye in the Sky (2015)
  139. The Tailor of Panama (2001)
  140. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
  141. JFK (1991)
  142. Spies Like Us (1985)
  143. Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
  144. The Devil’s Own (1997)
  145. The Kremlin Letter (1970)
  146. The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
  147. Thirteen Days (2000)
  148. Undercover Brother (2002)
  149. Shadow Dancer (2012)
  150. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986)
  151. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
  152. Cars 2 (2011)
  153. Taken (2008)
  154. Hopscotch (1980)
  155. The Interpreter (2005)
  156. Our Man in Havana (1959)
  157. The Recruit (2003)
  158. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
  159. The Saint (1997)
  160. Fair Game (2010)
  161. A View to a Kill (1985)
  162. Our Man Flint (1966)
  163. House of Flying Daggers (2004)
  164. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
  165. The Russia House (1990)
  166. The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
  167. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
  168. The November Man (2014)
  169. Moonraker (1979)
  170. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  171. The English Patient (1996)
  172. Cloak & Dagger (1984)
  173. Enter the Dragon (1973)
  174. xXx (2002)
  175. Gotcha! (1985)
  176. The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)
  177. The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (2009)
  178. D.E.B.S. (2004)
  179. Get Smart (2008)
  180. The Fury (1978)
  181. Central Intelligence (2016)
  182. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
  183. The Exception (2016)
  184. The General (1926)
  185. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
  186. Charlie’s Angels (2000)
  187. Hanna (2011)
  188. Infernal Affairs (2002)
  189. The Odessa File (1974)
  190. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
  191. The Rock (1996)
  192. Mata Hari (1931)
  193. Cloak and Dagger (1946)
  194. Dishonored (1931)
  195. Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)
  196. Lady Vengeance (2005)
  197. Europa Europa (1990)
  198. The Ghost Writer (2010)
  199. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
  200. Cats & Dogs (2001)
  201. The Age of Shadows (2016)
  202. Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
  203. The Equalizer (2014)
  204. Funeral in Berlin (1966)
  205. Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
  206. Inherent Vice (2014)
  207. Flame & Citron (2008)
  208. Knight and Day (2010)
  209. Shooter (2007)
  210. The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
  211. American Made (2017)
  212. Nikita (1990)
  213. Shining Through (1992)
  214. The Emperor and the Assassin (1998)
  215. The In-Laws (1979)
  216. Red Cliff (2008)
  217. Sabotage (1936)
  218. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
  219. The 355 (2022)
  220. The Gray Man (2022)
  221. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
  222. Red Notice (2021)
  223. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
  224. This Means War (2012)
  225. X-Men: First Class (2011)
  226. The Spy Gone North (2018)
  227. Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
  228. The Kingdom (2007)
  229. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
  230. Marcel Proust’s Time Regained (1999)
  231. The Tuxedo (2002)
  232. Walk on Water (2004)
  233. Agent Cody Banks (2003)
  234. Killers (2010)
  235. Firefox (1982)
  236. Kill the Messenger (2014)
  237. The 39 Steps (1959)
  238. Page Eight (2011)
  239. Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011)
  240. Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)
  241. Green Zone (2010)
  242. Night Train to Munich (1940)
  243. The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
  244. I Spy (2002)
  245. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
  246. Secret Agent (1936)
  247. The Art of War (2000)
  248. Bad Company (2002)
  249. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
  250. The Front Line (2011)

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