The spy film is one of cinema’s most enduring genres – shifting shape with the politics of the day but always offering intrigue, suspense and danger.
From shadowy Cold War dealings to the high-octane glamour of James Bond, the espionage thriller has produced some of the most iconic moments in film history.
The British Film Institute (BFI) recently highlighted 10 essential spy films, spanning almost a century of cinema. Here’s a closer look at each one:
10. Spione (1928)
Fritz Lang’s silent classic Spione is often considered the blueprint for the modern spy thriller. After the costly failure of Metropolis, Lang was forced to work on a smaller scale – but Spione proved that style and suspense didn’t require a blockbuster budget.
The film follows a nefarious supervillain, Haghi (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), who runs a vast espionage network. Secret documents, assassination plots, disguises and double-crosses fuel the story.
Lang’s mastery of montage and suspense is already evident, and the climactic train crash remains startling even by today’s standards.
(Image: Getty)
9. Dishonored (1931)
Greta Garbo may have played Mata Hari the same year, but it was Marlene Dietrich’s turn as Agent X-27 in Josef von Sternberg’s Dishonored that left a greater mark.
Dietrich plays Marie Kolverer, a Viennese prostitute recruited into Austrian intelligence. Glamorous yet deadly, she undertakes dangerous missions against the Russians – only to face tragic consequences. The BFI calls it Dietrich’s most complex performance, a role full of disguises and shifting identities.
Though not an awards darling at the time, the film has since been praised for its subversive gender politics, with Dietrich embodying both seductress and patriot.
(Image: Getty)
8. Contraband (1940)
The wartime thriller Contraband reunited Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson after their success in The Spy in Black (1939). Veidt plays a Danish sea captain caught in the London blackout after chasing down a stolen pass – only to uncover a Nazi spy ring.
Lighter in tone than their earlier work, the film blends romance, adventure and patriotism. BFI highlights Powell’s Hitchcockian flair, while Veidt’s charisma carries the story.
(Image: Getty)
7. North by Northwest (1959)
Arguably the definitive spy adventure, Hitchcock’s North by Northwest is described as a dazzling mix of mistaken identity, Cold War paranoia and breathtaking set-pieces.
Cary Grant stars as Roger Thornhill, a suave advertising executive mistaken for a government agent. Pursued across America, from crop-duster planes to Mount Rushmore, he becomes entangled with Eva Marie Saint’s enigmatic femme fatale and James Mason’s villainous spy chief.
Frequently cited as one of the greatest films ever made, it earned three Oscar nominations and is preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry.
(Image: Getty)