On October 15, 2016, it will be the 99th anniversary of the execution of Mata Hari, a Parisian dancer convicted of pro-German espionage against France.
The question is, what is the/are the greatest spy movie(s) of all time? Why? And what is it about a spy movie that make them so thrilling? You can comment on only one, or several if you are up on the genre.
Below is the list of Top Ten Spy Movies compiled by Esquire Magazine. You don’t have to consult this list, but it’s there if you want or need it.
10. The Ipcress File (1965) 9. No Way Out (1987) 8. The Bourne Identity (2002) 7. Notorious (1946) 6. Three Days Of The Condor (1975) 5. From Russia With Love (1963) 4. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) 3. North By Northwest (1959) 2. The Lives Of Others (2006) 1. The Third Man (1949)
Personally, I’d have to add Hitchcock’s "The 39 Steps," but I’d watch a Hitchcock movie even if he showed up in it.
It might also be worth looking at Mata Hari, the fact that she was a performer, so would be a great subject for film, yet no films about her that spring to mind. Perhaps it could be addressed as a 'Great Women Spy Movies' (although Charlotte Grey and Spy are the only two that spring to mind...) – Francesca Turauskis8 years ago
Kind of want to add The Man from UNCLE (2015), just because it is incredibly stylish, and style has almost always been a brand of spy movies (I think) – Joie8 years ago