One of the coolest Easter Eggs you can find in a movie based on a book is a cameo by the person who wrote the source material. However, sometimes it is even more fun when a renowned author makes an appearance in a movie that they had no creative involvement with. Take a look at our favorite examples of both kinds.

S.E. Hinton (The Outsiders)

S.E. Hinton (born Susan Eloise) made a striking debut as a writer in 1967, and at only 18 years old, with her groundbreaking coming-of-age novel, The Outsiders. She went on to appear in the 1987 adaptation (one of the best Francis Ford Coppola movies) as a nurse.

Cheryl Strayed (Wild)

Podcaster Cheryl Strayed chronicled her life-changing woodland hike in 1995 in her 2012 memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which was adapted into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon two years later. Not only does the author appear at the beginning of the film as wa oman who drops the onscreen Strayed off at a motel but her real-life daughter, Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom, also plays her younger self.

Lee Child (Jack Reacher)

In the first screen adaptation of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels from 2012, the author plays a cop who gives the titular heroic drifter (played by Tom Cruise) a skeptical look. The English writer would later appear in 2016's Jack Reacher: Never Look Back as a TSA agent and was seen in Amazon Prime's Reacher Season 1 finale walking past Alan Ritchson as he walks into a diner.

Hunter S. Thompson (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas)

Johnny Depp starred in two adaptations of Hunter S. Thompson's memoirs: 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Rum Diary from 2011. While his death in 2005 prevented him from appearing in the latter, the influential gonzo journalist does have a brief cameo in the former as an expressionless patron at a rowdy party.

Kathryn Stockett (The Help)

Kathryn Stockett's 2009 debut novel The Help is a bestseller that was made into an Academy Award-winning film told from the perspective of Black maids working for middle-class white families in 1960s Mississippi. In addition to cast members Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone, the author herself would make a brief appearance as a housewife attending a meeting.

Ken Kesey (Even Cowgirls Get The Blues)

Tom Robbins had a pivotal role in Gus Van Sant's Uma Thurman-led adaptation of his novel, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, as its narrator. The most surprising appearance by a writer in the 1993 road dramedy was countercultural novelist and essayist Ken Kesey as the central character's father.

Greg Behrendt (He’s Just Not That Into You)

Comedian Greg Behrendt was working as a script doctor for HBO's Sex and the City when he came up with the idea for He's Just Not That Into You, which he co-authored with Liz Tuccillo. The bestselling self-help book was adapted into a dramatized ensemble rom-com in which Behrendt appears as the minister at a wedding.

Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club)

Amy Tan's influential 1989 novel, The Joy Luck Club, consists of various vignettes each from the perspective of a different woman in a Chinese family. The author can be spotted during the party scene at the beginning of the 1993 adaptation, which is also one of Ming-Na Wen's best movies.

Mar­shall McLuhan (Annie Hall)

In one memorable scene from Best Picture Oscar winner Annie Hall, Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) has an argument with a movie theater patron about his expertise in the work of media theorist Marshall McLuhan. To get him to pipe down, Alvy asks the real McLuhan to step in and bring the stranger down a size, at which point Alvy address the camera and says, "Boy, if life were only like this."

John Le Carre (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

Some of the best spy movies (and TV shows) in recent memory have been inspired by the work of John Le Carre, such as his 1974 novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The suspense master makes a brief appearance in the 2011 film adaptation as a party guest.

Stephen King (Pet Semetary)

There have been numerous memorable Stephen King appearances in movies and TV shows based on his storied bibliography. One of the most famous comes from the 1989 adaptation of Pet Sematary, in which he goes pretty far against type to play a priest presiding over the funeral for Missy Dandridge (Susan Blommaert).

Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting)

In one of the best movies of the 1990s, director Danny Boyle's 1996 dramedy Trainspotting, Renton (Ewan McGregor) seeks "one more hit" before going clean from a dealer named Mikey Forrester, who has nothing to offer him but a couple of suppositories. The grinning Forrester is actually played by Irvine Welsh, the Scottish author who wrote the original novel.

Sapphire (Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire)

To avoid confusion with another 2009 movie called Push, the adaptation of Sapphire's 1996 novel Push was named after its central character but also acknowledges the source material with the full title, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. The author (née Ramona Lofton) can also be spotted in the heavy, Academy Award-winning drama about an abused teen (played by Gabourey Sidibe) playing a daycare center employee near the end of the film.

Kurt Vonnegut (Back To School)

Some of Rodney Dangerfield's best one-liners can be found in his 1986 comedy Back to School, which is also known for its brief but hilarious cameo by Kurt Vonnegut. The satirical novelist shows up to see the wealthy Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) right after his son, Jason (Keith Gordon), confronts him about how he is going to write a midterm paper about the author, which Melon still ends up failing.

Gore Vidal (Gattaca)

In addition to his influential and thought-provoking exploits as a writer, Gore Vidal also worked as an actor from time to time. One of his most memorable roles comes from one of the best '90s sci-fi movies, 1997's Gattaca, in which he plays Director Josef.

Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)

It could be safe to assume that Stephanie Meyer is portraying herself in the 2008 premiere installment of the Twilight movies, in which she can be seen briefly as a writer sitting at the bar in the Carver Cafe typing away at her laptop. The author would also appear in the vampire movies' penultimate entry, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 as a guest at the wedding of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson).

Salman Rushdie (Bridget Jones’s Diary)

In the classic rom-com, 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary, the title character (Renée Zellweger) is at a book launch party where she spots novelist Salman Rushdie speaking with a group of other authors. She tries to subtly implement herself into the conversation when the writer courteously asks for her opinion, to which she awkwardly asks where the restroom is.

Charles Bukowski (Barfly)

Director Barbet Schroeder's 1987 dramedy Barfly follows the L.A. exploits of a heavy drinker named Henry Chinaski, played by Mickey Rourke. The screenplay was written by Charles Bukowski, who based the story on his own life experiences and the author also makes an appearance in the film as, indeed, a barfly.

Colleen Hoover (It Ends With Us)

One of the most talked about 2024 movies adapted from a novel was the romantic drama It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively. The source material comes from author Colleen Hoover who revealed in an interview with E! that she makes a brief cameo in the film as a party guest but was sure to add that she found the 12-hour shoot to be quite taxing.

Stan Lee (Mallrats)

Highly influential, beloved comic book writer Stan Lee was, just about, the king of cameos, having appeared in countless Marvel movies until his passing in 2018. However, before starring in brief roles in films based on his work, he appeared as himself in a movie that celebrates superhero culture through satirical conversation, Kevin Smith's 1995 comedy Mallrats, in which he offers Brodie (Jason Lee) some much-needed romantic advice.

Maya Angelou (Poetic Justice)

How fitting that a movie called Poetic Justice features a cameo appearance by one of the most influential poets of the 20th Century. Maya Angelou – known for writing "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," among many other famous works – plays Aunt June in director John Singleton's 1993 romantic drama starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur.

Jean Shepherd (A Christmas Story)

One of the all-time greatest Christmas movies, 1983's A Christmas Story, was inspired by Jean Shepherd's semi-autobiographical novel In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. Not only did the humorist and radio personality also narrate director Bob Clark's timeless comedy but he even makes a brief cameo during the scene at the mall as a man waiting in line with his child to see Santa Claus.

John Irving (The World According To Garp)

Starring Robin Williams, 1982's The World According to Garp is a dramedy about a writer grappling with his wife's infidelity and the fame of his feminist activist mother. The Academy Award-nominated film is based on the novel by John Irving, who also makes a cameo in the film as a referee for a scene taking place at a wrestling match.

Peter Benchley (Jaws)

One can only imagine what it must have felt like to be the author of the book that inspired the highest-grossing movie in history (at the time), which was also later deemed the first Hollywood blockbuster. Of course, not only did Peter Benchley write the source material for director Steven Spielberg's 1975 horror movie classic, Jaws, but he is also in it, appearing as a TV field reporter visiting the Amity Island beach early on.

Veronica Roth (Divergent)

Veronica Roth, author of the coming-of-age dystopian young adult novel series that inspired the Divergent movies, makes an appearance in the first installment from 2014 that is a bit cooler than most movie cameos that authors can claim. She can be spotted during the zipline scene as an unnamed member of the Dauntless faction.

Michael Crichton (The Andromeda Strain)

The first adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel would also mark the first and last time he appeared in an onscreen acting role. The Jurassic Park author and ER creator has an uncredited cameo in 1971's sci-fi pandemic drama The Andromeda Strain as "Bearded Surgeon."

Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed)

The 2011 rom-com Something Borrowed is inspired by the 2004 novel of the same name by Emily Giffin, who appears as a woman eavesdropping on a conversation between Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Marcus (Steve Howey) on park benches. In a TikTok video, the author revealed that the book her character is reading is the 2005 sequel to Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and that her cameo had to be shortened in a post because she addressed the camera in every take.

James Dickey (Deliverance)

The best-known work of author James Dickey is Deliverance, which was adapted into an acclaimed film two years later. The author would appear at the end of the harrowing thriller about four men terrorized by savage locals on a canoe trip as Sherriff Bullard, who warns Jon Voight's character to leave and never come back.

Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes)

Fannie Flagg received an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the screenplay for the 1991 adaptation of her 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was shortened to just Fried Green Tomatoes. The author, comedian, and frequent Match Game panelist also appears in the acclaimed dramedy as a self-help guru helping women "get that spark back" into their marriages.

William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist)

One of the most iconic examples of a horror movie based on a true story is 1973's The Exorcist, which used William Peter Blatty's novel inspired by an alleged possession as its basis. The author (who later directed 1990's underrated sequel, The Exorcist III) also briefly appears in the classic thriller as a man speaking Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran) on the set of Chris MacNeil's (Ellen Burstyn) movie.

Truman Capote (Murder By Death)

The 1976 comedic whodunnit Murder By Death boasts one of the best ensemble casts in a movie, which even includes Truman Capote. The author of such iconic works as In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's plays eccentric aristocrat Lionel Twain, who gathers a group of detectives and their guests for a party at his luxurious estate, which goes terribly.

Graham Greene (Day For Night)

In the 1973 French romantic dramedy Day for Night, writer Graham Greene makes a brief appearance as an insurance agent. According to a DVD special feature, director and star, François Truffaut was not told until after the fact that the role was played by the author, which disappointed him because he was a great admirer of his work.

Sometimes an actor can carry an entire movie with a performance, while others make a lasting impression in merely one scene of action. We’re going to focus on the latter category today, as we present this list of single scene crushers who took a moment to bring the house down.

Ned Beatty - Network

Even in a big ticket classic like Sidney Lumet’s Network, there’s room for a performer like Ned Beatty to steal the entire movie in one fell swoop. Brought in as a last minute replacement, and with four pages of dialogue to work through, Beatty booms in a scene that nails the core tenets of writer Paddy Chayefsky’s blistering satire.

Drew Barrymore - Scream

Wes Craven’s reinvention of teen slashers kicked off the legendary Scream franchise with a murder no one saw coming. With Drew Barrymore featuring prominently in trailers and promotional art, everyone thought she’d be safe and sound for a good part of the picture. One scene was all it took to shake the audience to its core, and prove that anything can happen in Woodsboro… and it often does.

J.T. Walsh - Outbreak

As if having the late Donald Sutherland didn’t already inject a White House briefing scene with enough gravitas, legendary character actor J.T. Walsh gets a moment to protest an action that could wipe the small town of Cedar Creek off the map. His righteous anger is a lynchpin moment that perfectly sets the stakes for a nail-biting finale.

Viola Davis - Doubt

In just one scene of Doubt’s powerhouse narrative, Viola Davis scored something every actor dreams of: their first Academy Award nomination. A scene of masterful acting between herself and fellow legend Meryl Streep, Davis drives this moment of intense conversation with a gamut of authority and vulnerability. In a cast that also includes Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, Viola Davis should have been credited on the poster, as her moment is that powerful.

Alec Baldwin - Glengarry Glen Ross

People who go to see David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross on stage are probably disappointed that Alec Baldwin’s Blake doesn’t appear in that version of the narrative. Crafted especially for the 1992 film adaptation the man that taught us to “Always Be Closing” sees Baldwin holding court viciously with a room that includes Ed Harris and Jack Lemmon among its ranks. Don’t worry if you forgot that character’s name… he’ll tell you soon enough.

Dame Judi Dench - Shakespeare In Love

Network actor Beatrice Straight is the record holder for the shortest performance to win an Academy Award. In a similar fashion, one scene in Shakespeare In Love was all it took for Dame Judi Dench to win her own golden accolade, playing the role of Elizabeth I. Although this is Dame Dench we’re talking about here, and that performance was certainly worth the hoopla… even if Saving Private Ryan is the film that should have won Best Picture that year.

Alfred Molina - Boogie Nights

You will never listen to “Sister Christian” the same way again after watching Alfred Molina’s single scene performance in Boogie Nights. His portrayal of unstable drug dealer Rahad runs the gamut from hysterical to horrifying, in a scene that only persists in the horrors that unfold to threaten Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) and his friends. Chekov’s Gun is so much more effective when you have firecrackers going off at irregular intervals.

Cate Blanchett - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring

Is anyone absolutely sure Cate Blanchett isn’t really an Elf? The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring made a pretty good case for her actually being an ethereal being, as Galdriel’s one scene with Frodo (Elijah Wood) is an all-time stunner. You probably didn’t need the special effects to enhance the scene, as Blanchett’s actual physical performance in that moment makes you believe that she comes from the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien, and we should all be thankful.

August Diehl - Inglourious Basterds

Never, ever, set a meeting in a basement. Quentin Tarantino taught us that lesson in just one scene of Inglourious Basterds, as what was supposed to be a simple clandestine meeting of Allies became a bloody free-for-all. And it was all thanks to Dieter Hellstrom (August Diehl), the Nazi equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, sniffing out the truth behind Lieutenant Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) and his team.

Alice Nunn - Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

Children who grew up on the best ‘80s movies will still tell you that the appearance of Large Marge (Alice Nunn) in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is something that just may have traumatized them. In a moment that’s akin to the ultimate campfire story, Marge’s story is made even more terrifying by her transformation into a horror only Claymation could properly convey.

Dave Bautista - Blade Runner 2049

Dave Bautista has been building an impressive resume through roles in projects like Blade Runner 2049. The eventual fight between his character Sapper and Officer K (Ryan Gosling) isn’t the point of his soft spoken presence, as the moments leading up to that explosion double as a crucial clue to the existential unraveling our protagonist undergoes. It’s a perfect showcase of the former wrestler turned actor’s range at work.

Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement

Atonement is a film that plays with the truth throughout time, through the eyes of its protagonist Briony. In the final incarnation of the character, Vanessa Redgrave devastates the audience by delivering the stone cold truth of what really happened between Robbie (James McAvoy) and Cecilia (Keira Knightley). Turning this romantic drama into a bittersweet tragedy, Redgrave delivers it like an expert.

Marcel Marceau - Silent Movie

Leave it to Mel Brooks to give famed mime Marcel Marceau the only line of dialogue in a film like Silent Movie. As Mel Funn (Brooks) and his pals make an important phone call to try and convince Mr. Marceau to join their motion picture, they get their answer pretty quickly. In a movie replete with cameos, this one takes the cake.

Carol Kane - The Princess Bride

Everybody remembers Billy Crystal’s Miracle Max from The Princess Bride, otherwise “Have fun storming the castle” wouldn’t be a memorable line of dialogue in human culture. But we also need to give Carol Kane’s Valerie an equal amount of credit for the magic, as she and Crystal are the ultimate double act that absolutely crush in just a short span of time.

Donald Sutherland - JFK

Whether you believe in conspiracy theories or not, Donald Sutherland’s appearance in Oliver Stone’s JFK will probably have you nodding your head in agreement throughout his patch of screen time. Commanding authority with his hushed oaken tones through a scene that lays down a lot of ground, it’s no wonder Kevin Costner’s memory of working with Sutherland is so fond.

Gloria Foster - The Matrix

Exposition is nothing new to The Matrix franchise, and neither is the concept of an all seeing character delivering the knowledge we need for the road ahead. And the OG actor that embodied that concept was the late Gloria Foster, playing the original Oracle who put Neo (Keanu Reeves) onto his path to destiny. Succeeded by actor Mary Alice after her untimely passing, Foster’s on-screen wisdom still sings to this day.

Ralph Fiennes - Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

The first appearance of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the Harry Potter movies is a revelation. Set as the ultimate threshold of importance, The Goblet of Fire heads into that point of no return with a scene so atmospheric, you can feel yourself standing in that graveyard. Seeing Fiennes step into the role for the first time is something akin to magic itself.

Edie McClurg - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Working the customer service desk of Marathon Car Rental when Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ Neal Page (Steve Martin) has an expletive filled breakdown over a portion of his trip from hell, veteran character actor Edie McClurg’s rental agent goes from friendly to fierce as quickly as any luxury car in the fleet; dropping the F-bomb that ties the scene together in its ultimate laugh line.

Christopher Walken - Pulp Fiction

With Quentin Tarantino’s non-linear narrative of cool customers trying to make it through the day in Pulp Fiction, anything can fit if you do it right. And Walken’s single moment of action is, without question, a scene that nails in the importance of one gold watch that you can sympathize with Butch (Bruce Willis) when he decides to risk it all to find it.

Alfre Woodard - 12 Years A Slave

12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley once told Vulture that the toughest scene he wrote for that film was the one where Alfre Woodard’s Mistress Burke tells Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o) to “take comfort” that vengeance will eventually visit “the plantation class.” Hearing her alternate between the distant promise of judgment and rationalizing her own lot in life, similar to that of her younger guest, is something that remains as chilling as it was when first heard.

Wilford Brimley - Absence of Malice

In just one scene of Absence of Malice, the legendary Wilford Brimley moves from quips to threats in fast fashion, and the man never fails to compel the audience for his one brief scene. Wasting no time as a character that has none to waste, where Brimley’s Wells cuts to the heart of the entire picture’s mystery and lays out the consequences that will play out, lest anyone involved lose more face than they have to.

Kathy Burke - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Author John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the antithesis of the pulpy action that Ian Fleming injected into the books that would inspire the James Bond movies. Nowhere is that more present than in Kathy Burke’s monumental scene as Connie Sachs, ally and admirer of spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman). All at once, she goes from hitting on her former colleague to lamenting how the Cold War has left their kind adrift, and the sum total is properly heartbreaking.

Bill Murray - Little Shop of Horrors

Much like Jack Nicholson in Roger Corman’s 1960 original, Bill Murray gave Little Shop of Horrors’ musical movie adaptation a moment where the audience just had to laugh at someone who freaks out even sinister dentist Orin (Steve Martin). Coming in for a brief comedic interlude, Murray’s mania is a welcome pit stop in this tale of horror, Faustian bargains, and horticulture.

Molly Ringwald - Not Another Teen Movie

Not Another Teen Movie is Airplane! for generations who grew up in the presence of She’s All That, and some of the other best ‘90s movies. So having John Hughes alum Molly Ringwald highlighting just how ridiculous Janey (Chyler Leigh) and Jake (Chris Evans) are in their young romance is a late hour punchline that absolutely kills.

Clifton Collins Jr. & Thomas Jane - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Playing something as ridiculous as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’s Vegan Police is something that needs expert timing, as the right amount of menace and lunacy is required to make the gag work. With that in mind, Clifton Collins Jr. and Thomas Jane were just the pair to do it, as director Edgar Wright used their talents to give us a scene where even the threat of finger guns with laser pointers makes you feel something.

Kathleen Freeman - The Blues Brothers

Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman) isn’t called “The Penguin” for nothing. As the inciting character that sends The Blues Brothers’ heroes on their mission from God, her demeanor is as stinging as her ruler. So watch your language, and pray you leave her office standing up.

Brian Tyree Henry - If Beale Street Could Talk

Playing Daniel, an old friend of If Beale Street Could Talk’s Fonny (Stephan James), Brian Tyree Henry briefly holds court in a movie that knows how to simultaneously break and mend its audience’s heart. After James sets the scene up with his character’s own woes, Henry proceeds to build on that foundation with an understated sense of dread and sorrow that only scratches the surface of his talents.

Matt Damon - EuroTrip

What happens when you’re writing a teen sex comedy, and you happen to be friends with Matt Damon? You offer him a role like that of the rocker from EuroTrip, who admits in song that he’s been romancing the girlfriend of our hero. You have to wonder if this was an opportunity Damon took as a break from the intense seriousness of the Bourne movies. Whatever the truth may be, it’s a brief but memorable laugh riot, no matter where you parked your car.

Charlize Theron - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Charlize Theron’s shocking MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first of a couple big Marvel reveals that still haven’t panned out to something greater. That doesn’t stop her moment in the sun as sorceress Clea from being any less impressive, as she literally shows up, tears a hole of the fabric of dimensions, and invites Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) on an adventure we’d still love to see play out.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - Reno 911: Miami!

You wouldn’t expect Dwayne Johnson to bite the big one if he were to randomly show up in a movie sporting SWAT tactical gear. And yet, Reno 911!: Miami gave us just that moment brought to hysterical life, thanks to the brave sacrifice of Agent Rick "The Condor" Smith. Ok, maybe “brave” is the wrong term to use, as the man did kind of fumble a live grenade into an unforced error of grave proportions.

Salma Hayek - From Dusk Till Dawn

Having an alluring talent like Salma Hayek in your movie can move things along in a number of ways. Perhaps one of her greatest achievements is when she acted as the literal pivot point of Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn, as the gorgeous Santanico Pandemonium. One moment she’s dancing for a crowd of thankful patrons, and the next she’s plunging this delightful genre mashup into horror-comedy hell.

Will Smith - Winter’s Tale

Winter’s Tale is a movie that still has people scratching their heads, thanks to its magical thinking and high fantasy style story. If you match that description of moviegoer, the appearance of Will Smith in a cameo as Lucifer isn’t going to do much to change your mind. However, this rare performance that sees Smith playing the heavy is amazing, as he commands Shakespearian style language with an intense rage that absolutely sells the CGI enhancement that tops it off.

Not every secret agent in the world of cinema wears a tuxedo, enjoys martinis, and says their name as their catchphrase. This list of movie spies not named Bond are still pretty awesome though, and some of them are actual fixtures in the landscape of the James Bond movies! 

Austin Powers (Austin Powers)

Britain’s shagadelic man out of time knows a thing or two about fighting maniacs with a doctorate in evil. Mike Myers’ titular hero of the Austin Powers movies is a pretty awesome parody of 007, while also standing as a fantastic example of what a man of mystery should be.

Ilsa Faust (Mission: Impossible)

In the later run of Mission: Impossible movies, the introduction of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust gave the world a female spy as steadfast as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) himself. Introduced in Rogue Nation, with an unfortunate departure after Dead Reckoning, Ilsa’s loyalties may have been in question, but her skills never were.

Napoleon Solo (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.)

Leave it to Henry Cavill to land a sort of backdoor James Bond audition by playing another creation that owes its life to Ian Fleming. As Napoleon Solo in Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the former Casino Royale hopeful found a stylishly comic role that proves why he could be Bond…if we didn’t want to see more of his Solo in action! 

Nomi (No Time To Die)

Not everybody gets to be called 007, but one of the two people that have had that distinction in No Time To Die was the agent we call Nomi (Lashana Lynch). The successor to James Bond (Daniel Craig) during his temporary retirement, her skills made even Commander Bond himself proud to observe; making them an effective team in the field.

Harry Hart (Kingsman: The Secret Service)

Manners maketh man, and Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is a firm reminder of the Kingsman oath in action. Charming and sophisticated, he mentors young Eggsy (Taron Egerton) in the ways of modern spycraft, with a patience that any parent would raise a glass to. Though when he has to stir the pot, Harry knows how to get exactly the reaction he’s hoping for, and nothing less. 

Olivia ‘M’ Mansfield (James Bond)

Not all spies leave the desk, but the woman known as M (Dame Judi Dench) has certainly proven why she ascended to the role of James Bond’s maternally-natured boss. Revealed to be named Olivia Mansfield during Spectre’s twisted adventure, her service to England is as invaluable as the blunt instrument she wields with calculated concern.

George Smiley (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

Most people would never return to work after being unceremoniously forced out during a regime change. But then again, not everyone is John Le Carre’s legendary George Smiley (Gary Oldman), the lead of the espionage ensemble film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. With a close-knit group of friends and a calculating mind, George helps oust a traitor and put himself back in the game with high class.

Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)

One of, if not the best spy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) knows when to take people down and when to give them a talking to. Revisiting her solo antics in Black Widow shows just how cool of a spy she is…and her love of Moonraker kind of explains her use of wit and levity in the field. 

Nathan Muir (Spy Game)

Aspiring spies could learn a thing or two from Spy Game’s Nathan Muir. Played by the legendary Robert Redford, this Tony Scott-directed hero shows strength under pressure, as he works against a ticking clock that could kill his former student (Brad Pitt). His lesson on obtaining information through mere conversation is enough to put him on this list.

Major Anya Amasova (The Spy Who Loved Me)

One of the many James Bond women who are 007’s equal, The Spy Who Loved Me’s Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) is a KGB agent who knows how to get under the skin of the good Commander. Luckily for Mr. Bond, the good major really is interested in preserving peaceful relations by foiling a crazed shipping magnate (Curt Jurgens) and his plot for world domination.

Harry Palmer (The Ipcress File)

Technically, Michael Caine’s heroic spy in The Ipcress File doesn’t have an official name. But most seem to agree that Harry Palmer is the closest thing we’ve got to an actual moniker for author Len Deighton’s answer to James Bond. A working-class gourmand who’s rough around the edges, Harry is the sort of guy that can handle pretty much anything you throw at him; even severely psychedelic brainwashing techniques.

Lorraine Broughton (Atomic Blonde)

The Cold War has its fair share of espionage heroes, and Atomic Blonde’s Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) just might be one of the most brutal. Then again, one can’t be “too effective” in sealing a leak that could expose double agents vital to East/West relations, just as the Berlin Wall is set to come down. 

Ethan Hunt (Mission: Impossible)

 Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is an expert on having his back against the wall. What separates him from most spies is that when the chips are down, he isn’t afraid to scale the wall and dive into some ridiculous stunt to escape. It’s what makes the Mission: Impossible franchise a consistent hit among its fans, and it’s one of the many skills Ethan possesses that have saved humanity over so many missions. 

Eve Moneypenny (Skyfall)

Breaking the mold of what the Moneypenny character typically represents, Naomie Harris’ variant during the reign of Daniel Craig’s James Bond showed the future right hand to M (Ralph Fiennes) as a capable field agent. Reintroduced in Skyfall, one can only hope that the future of the Bond franchise keeps this action-ready Ms. Moneypenny in the mix for years to come.

Jack Ryan (The Ryanverse)

In the Marvel movies, Steve Rogers is the ultimate boy scout who believes in due process, and justice above all. However, in Tom Clancy’s Ryanverse, analyst Jack Ryan personifies that ethos without a hint of super soldier powers at his disposal. No matter which actor you prefer in the role, at his best Mr. Ryan is someone who will get the intel, and wade into action to deliver it if he has to. 

Yelena Belova (Black Widow)

As headstrong as her sister Natasha Romanoff, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is another well-trained “Widow” who rebelled against the system that created her. Black Widow offered her character a fantastic platform to launch from, as her place in the MCU has been well enforced with films like Thunderbolts* and series such as Hawkeye giving her more time to shine while avenging her fallen sibling. 

Courtland Gentry (The Gray Man)

Ryan Gosling’s charm truly knows no boundaries, and Netflix’s would-be franchise starter The Gray Man still has us wanting more. An expert assassin being chased around the world, author Mark Greaney’s Courtland “Court” Gentry character is as quick with his trigger finger as he is with his quips. Don’t worry: if he doesn’t like you, he’ll tell you before the next explosion goes off.

Paloma (No Time To Die)

No Time To Die’s fresh CIA agent Paloma (Ana de Armas) only had three weeks of training before she jumped into action with James Bond (Daniel Craig). Those three weeks definitely paid off though, as her assistance in breaking up a SPECTRE party gone horribly wrong helped 007 stay alive, at least for that evening. 

Harry & Helen Tasker (True Lies)

At the start of True Lies, Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a lone clandestine agent who is having problems at home with his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis). But by the time the two of them foiled an international terror plot together, they became quite the team. It’s never too late for a sequel, Mr. Cameron. 

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Kingsman)

Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton) was a rough around-the-edges delinquent who ultimately wanted to do right by his family legacy. Through his adventures in the Kingsman movies, the young man known as “Eggsy” grew up to become a paragon of spying, thanks to the tutelage of the stoic but friendly Harry Hart (Colin Firth). 

Ilya Kuryakin (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.)

Ilya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) is a hothead who’ll tear down an entire bathroom if you bad mouth his already tarnished family legacy. But he’s also quite a good friend to have in a pinch, especially when the pinch is smuggling nuclear arms. This Russian wrecking machine has his soft spots, but he’s loyal to the cause, and the friends he serves. 

Melina Vostokoff (Black Widow)

Sometimes the responsibilities of being a spy and a parent are equally matched in difficulty. But never once does anyone question the abilities of Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) to handle either side of that coin. A brilliant scientist, despite her initial allegiance presented, 

Evelyn Salt (Salt)

Both in the interest of clearing her own name, and also preventing a devastating attack on the American political infrastructure, Salt’s main spy Evelyn (Angelina Jolie) is someone who could give Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt a run for his money. That much is especially true when considering how she neutralizes the threat at the heart of this would-be franchise starter.

Luther Stickell (Mission: Impossible)

Though Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) is technically an IMF field agent in the Mission: Impossible movies, his specialty is as a “man in the chair.” A formerly disavowed operative who was enlisted by Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) to execute the “Mount Everest of hacks,” Luther became more than the flavor of the month; he became one of the most loyal and resourceful people in Ethan’s life.

Agent 99 (Get Smart)

Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) would never have survived his tangle with KAOS if it wasn’t for the skills of Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). One of CONTROL’s star players, her tradecraft made Max a better agent, while also allowing Ms. Hathaway to display her deadpan comedy chops all throughout the movie adaptation of Get Smart. 

John Clark (Without Remorse)

If Jack Ryan is the Captain America of Tom Clancy’s Ryanverse franchise, then Without Remorse’s John Clark (Michael B. Jordan) is The Punisher of that same series. Losing his wife and unborn child to a tragic case of operational blowback, Clark survives to become an avenging angel of righteousness; while also forming the Rainbow Six organization to combat international acts of terror.

One (6 Underground)

With a character name like Magnet S. Johnson (Ryan Reynolds), it’s kind of hard not to root for the head of 6 Underground’s undercover network of do-gooders. Though it definitely helps that he’s got some impressive weapons training and infiltration skills, as well as the cool codename of “One,” seeing as he’s the leader of the entire outfit. 

Celia Harrison-Favreau (All The Old Knives)

Celia Harrison-Favreau (Thandiwe Newton) is a spy who seems to have studied at the George Smiley School of Mole Hunting. Exposing the nefarious party at the heart of a terrorist attack that’s reopened for investigation almost a decade after it occurred, all it took was one dinner for her to identify and neutralize All The Old Knives’ surprising traitor.

Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez (Spy Kids)

Spy Kids’ Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are one of those movie couples you’d love to watch, even if they weren’t spies. However, when Robert Rodriguez’s family classic rounded out the ranks with their equally impressive kids (Daryl Sabara and Alexa PenaVega), the argument for how perfect this couple was became even stronger.

Sarah (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre)

It takes a special kind of person to stand up to someone like Jason Statham, no matter what character he may be playing. So when Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre made it the job of Aubrey Plaza’s Sarah to bust his chops to the fullest extent, it was a dream-given form. Ms. Plaza’s character is also a fantastic hacker and a great field operative who keeps even the most neurotic action star (Josh Hartnett) mission-ready. 

Derek Flint (Our Man Flint)

Much like James Bond, Derek Flint (James Coburn) loves retirement. At least, that was until  Z.O.W.I.E. brought him out at the beginning of Our Man Flint. A master linguist and inventor, on top of being an expert spy, Mr, Flint helped write the blueprint for Austin Powers to pick up during his time in the pop culture sun. 

Matt Helm (The Silencers)

Dean Martin has always been known as the king of cool, so you can see exactly why he’d lead the cinematic adaptation of author Donald Hamilton’s books. While able to carry himself with distinction in the field, Matt Helm knows when to crack a joke; especially when Frank Sinatra comes on the radio.

If you grew up anytime from the 1950s to the 1980s, The Cold War was omnipresent. Bomb drills, proxy wars, and fear of a nuclear apocalypse were on everyone's minds, pretty much all the time. It was a scary time, to be sure, but it also produced some great movies. This is a list of all those great movies that couldn't have happened without The Cold War and the fear of the Soviets. 

The Hunt For Red October

Nothing sums up the Cold War quite like a good Tom Clancy story, and The Hunt For Red October is one of the author's best, and Sean Connery's performance as a Soviet submarine captain equals it. It was also the first book to get turned into a film, though it was ironically released in 1990, just months after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

Oppenheimer

While 2023's Oppenheimer is partly about the development of the bomb during World War II, before the Cold War, the portrayal of the Red Scare and J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) having his security clearance taken away for being a suspected communist fits firmly in the Cold War era. 

The Spy Who Loved Me

In a way, almost every James Bond movie from Dr. No to A View To A Kill is Cold War adjacent, at least. In The Spy Who Loved Me, however, Bond (Roger Moore) is pursued by Soviet agents in the beginning, and then teams up with a KGB agent, Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to thwart the evil Stromberg's plans for world domination over both countries. 

Bridge Of Spies

There is no more true example of a Cold War movie on this list than Bridge Of Spies. For starters, it's based on a true story about a prisoner exchange between the US and the USSR, including one very famous U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). The movie takes place during one of the "hottest" moments of the Cold War, when tensions were almost boiling over. 

WarGames

By the 1980s, the Cold War was so ubiquitous in American life that even teen romance movies took place with the backdrop of potential nuclear war. WarGames, with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, is the best example of this, as Brodderick's character unwittingly almost starts World War III. 

Dr. Strangelove

Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb depicts the epitome of Cold War nuclear missile madness. The obscurity of it all is presented in such a perfect way, that if this had been the only Cold War movie, it would tell the whole story. 

The Right Stuff

There may not be any nukes in The Right Stuff, but it has to be on any list of Cold War movies. The space race was a major component of the competition between the USA and the USSR. the specter of the Soviets looms over everything in the movie, and the true story it is based on. 

Charlie Wilson's War

One of the biggest aspects of the Cold War was the proxy wars that the two superpowers fought and supported. The Soviets provided weapons and support for the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War and the US supported the Afghan Mujahidin after the USSR invaded Afghanistan. Charlie Wilson's War shows the CIA's support and how Congress funded the US's allies in the war. 

Stripes

Cold War movies aren't all serious, though. Stripes has one of the best lines in the history of war movies, when Winger (Bill Murray) explains that invading Czechoslovakia is like invading Wisconsin. It's not Moscow! 

Red Dawn

Director John Milius' Cold War fever dream, Red Dawn, depicts an actual hot war between East and West, with nothing but a group of high schoolers fighting off the Russians and Cubans. It's a ridiculous movie, but it's still a classic for anyone who grew up in the 1980s. It's also remembered for being the first movie ever rated PG-13. 

By Dawn's Early Light

HBO's By Dawn's Early Light brings to bear all of our worst fears of a Soviet first strike in a nuclear attack and the holocaust that could happen after such an event. With an all-star cast that includes James Earl Jones, Martin Landau, Powers Boothe, Rebecca De Mornay, Darren McGavin, and Rip Torn, it's a much better movie than it's remembered for being. 

Gotcha!

1985 Gotcha! is a really fun movie about a college student (Anthony Edwards) who unwittingly finds himself in the middle of a Cold War dispute when he falls in love with who he thinks is a Czechoslovakian woman (Linda Fiorentino), but finds out later something very different. It also features a great scene at the infamous Checkpoint Charlie in a divided Berlin. 

Spies Like Us

Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd star as bumbling would-be spies in Spies Like Us who find themselves in the middle of the Cold War when the CIA sends them out as patsies, but they end up the heroes anyway. 

Thirteen Days

It's been said that the closest the USSR and the USA came to actually fighting a real war was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was a terrifying moment that was really well chronicled in Thirteen Days with Bruce Greenwood playing President Kennedy and Kevin Costner as one of his closest advisors. 

Good Night, And Good Luck

One of the more fascinating aspects of the Cold War didn't really involve the Russians directly. McCarthyism and the Red Scare of the 1950s show just how scared some American politicians were of the influence of communism around the world and at home. Good Night, And Good Luck brings the Red Scare to life on the big screen, explaining it to a younger generation that didn't remember it directly. 

Miracle

The geopolitics of the Cold War were so pervasive that they even reached sporting events, like the 1980 Winter Olympics. Miracle tells the true story of the underdog 1980 US Olympic hockey team who beat the mighty Soviets in Lake Placid, eventually winning the Gold Medal. It was much more than just a hockey game. 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Although most of the movies on this list involve the United States, in a very real way, Europe was the front line in the Cold War. The dividing line between East and West ran right down the middle of the continent and the Brits were very much involved in fighting the espionage battle, as depicted (fictionally) in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. 

The Shape Of Water

Guillermo del Toro's The Shape Of Water adds a love story and some science fiction to the commentary on the Cold War.  Sally Hawkins plays a cleaning lady who discovers that her facility is conducting experiments on a humanoid amphibian to get a leg up on the Soviets in the '60s. It's a weird movie, and one you wouldn't expect to incorporate the Cold War, but that's what makes the subject so fascinating. 

The Good Shepherd

Director Robert De Niro's spy movie The Good Shepherd, starring Matt Damon tells the largely fictionalize-but-based-on-a-true-story tale of Edward Wilson (Damon) and the creation of the art and science of counterintelligence at the CIA, which before the events in the movie, did not really exist. 

Crimson Tide

The Cold War reached right down to the men and women on the front of the conflict, especially those on a nuclear submarine like the one Gene Hackman's character captains in Crimson Tide. While the movie is fictional, it's not hard to believe something like it, a conflict between two officers (Hackman and Denzel Washington) over the launching nukes, could have happened in real life. 

Rocky IV

Rocky IV is pure, unadulterated pro-America jingoism, but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie. It's over-the-top and ridiculous, sure, but it actually does capture how many Americans felt in Reagan's America, that we had the Soviets on the ropes and we were one knockout punch away from winning. It turns out, that wasn't far off in 1985 when the movie came out. 

K-19: The Widowmaker

Harrison Ford plays a Soviet submarine captain in K-19: The Widowmaker and if you think that sounds ridiculous, you're only partly correct. The title, and a brief description, make the movie sound insane, and it is, but it's also kind of great. Ford pulls off the role and director Kathryn Bigelow someone makes the crazy premise work. It's the sort-of-true story of the captain of the first Soviet nuclear sub and it's fun, if far from perfect.  

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind is a bonkers movie, supposedly based on the bonkers life story of Chuck Barris, the original host of The Gong Show and, at least according to him in his autobiography, a spy against the Soviets during the Cold War. Whether or not you believe Barris (most don't), the movie is a really fun watch. 

Spy Game

You can't go wrong with a team of Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, and director Tony Scott and while Spy Game isn't the best movie for any of them, it's still a wonderful movie. Though it's set a couple years after the Cold War ended, much of the movie happens in a flashback to 1970s East Berlin, setting it firmly in the heart of the quiet conflict. 

No Way Out

No Way Out is pure 1980s Cold War. Kevin Costner plays a Navy officer who gets involved with another officer's girlfriend, played by Gene Hackman and Sean Young, respectively. Costner's character is also working for the CIA, looking for a mole, who is suspected to be Hackman's character. There is a murder, and everyone is trying to pin it on everyone else, so the movie is kind of all over the place, but it's still a classic. 

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

Author John le Carre wrote some of the best Cold War spy fiction of his day and the movie The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is based on one his best books. The great Richard Burton stars as a British spy who is sent to East Germany as a double agent, to help spread misinformation through the Warsaw Pact countries. Released in 1965 when tensions were high, it's a spy movie classic. 

Firefox

To be fair, Firefox, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood is really a heist movie disguised as a Cold War movie. Eastwood's character, whose mother is Russian, is charged with infiltrating the Soviet Union and stealing a cutting edge jet fighter plane. It's everything you would expect from a military movie made in the 1980s. 

Top Gun

In Top Gun Maverick and the boys might not have been fighting the Russians, but make no mistake, the movie was, in a real way, fighting the Russians by getting America fired up about its own military. The movie, made with the help of the Defense Department, is awesome, to be sure, but it's also a piece of serious Cold War propaganda. 

X-Men: First Class

The X-Men, both in the comics and in their on-screen story, began in the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, so it makes sense that both sides would be interested in recruiting the mutants for their powers. This is central to the origin story film X-Men: First Class. Professor X and Magneto both go to work for the CIA in the movie, infiltrating the Soviet Union to rescue other mutants. 

Atomic Blonde

released in 2017, but set just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Atomic Blonde tells the story of an MI6 agent, played by Charlize Theron, sent to recover a stolen file containing "The List" of the names of all the spies in Berlin. Lorraine (Theron) is one of the best agents MI6 has... or is she?

Little Nikita

Decades before The Americans came Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix in Little Nikita, about a teenager (Phoenix) who is told he isn't who he thinks he is, and that his parents, unbeknownst to him, are Soviet spies raising him as an American. If you were a kid in the '80s, this was something you actually worried about. For real. 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. from the early '60s was an early attempt by television to bring Cold War espionage into the homes of Americans. The 2015 movie, set in the early '60s, doesn't set the Soviets as the bad guys, instead, East and West team up to take out their old foes, Nazis. 

Salt

Angelina Jolie stars in Salt as a suspected Russian sleeper agent, after she grew up in the USSR, but works now for the CIA. While it's not set during the Cold War, it has heavy Cold War overtones. It might as well be the US versus USSR, rather than the US vs. Russia as it's presented. 

It's safe to say that these won't be the final say on the Cold War on film. With so many stories to tell over the decades-long standoff, filmmakers will certainly continue to mine it for great ideas and exciting stories. 

In the world of espionage fiction, few names stand out quite like John le Carre's, and today that world is in mourning, as it has been announced that the legendary author has passed away. The news has been confirmed by his family, who have informed the press that he died of pneumonia on Saturday night at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. The author of books such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardner was 89, having celebrated his last birthday this past October.

Born David John Moore Cornwell, the writer grew up in 1930s England, the son of a father who was a criminal and a mother who abandoned his family. He first got his taste of the espionage world while a part of the Intelligence Corps of the British Army in the 1950s – stationed in Austria and serving as an interrogator for individuals crossing the Iron Curtain. After returning to England, he studied at Lincoln College in Oxford while also secretly operating for the British Security Service a.k.a. MI5, specifically working to infiltrate far-left groups and investigate potential Soviet spies. He became an MI5 officer in 1958 before transferring to the foreign intelligence service a.k.a. MI6 two years later – and all of the experiences wound up creating a key foundation for his career as an author.

It was in 1961 that the first John le Carre novel was published - specifically Call For The Dead, which was the book that introduced the author's most famous character: George Smiley. Ultimately the book was one of 10 novels about Smiley that le Carre got published – the most recent being A Legacy of Spies, which hit bookstores in 2017. Most of his career was spent writing fiction, primarily in the spy genre, but he also penned multiple short stories and multiple non-fiction books, including the autobiographical titles The Naive And Sentimental Lover and A Perfect Spy.

John le Carre not only saw success in the literary world, but also in Hollywood. His third book, 1963's The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, was adapted as a film directed by Martin Ritt starring Richard Burton in 1965, and that proved to be the first of many cinematic takes on his work. Sidney Lumet made a version of the aforementioned Call For The Dead as 1967's The Deadly Affair, and other notable big screen efforts include Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardner (starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz), Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (which saw Gary Oldman play George Smiley and earn his first Academy Award nomination), and Anton Corbihn's A Most Wanted Man (starring Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Most recently director Park Chan-wook developed a miniseries adaptation of the 1983 novel The Little Drummer Girl, which starred Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgard, and Florence Pugh and first aired in late 2018 in both the United Kingdom and United States.

We here at CinemaBlend send our best wishes to John le Carre's family and friends, whose passing was reported by Deadline, and in celebration of his career, encourage you to hit the comments section with your favorite books of his and/or adaptations.

Somehow, My Spy has returned. With the oft-delayed movie landing a cozy streaming release on Amazon’s Prime Video earlier this year, it looks like that partnership was a rather successful one. At least, that’s what it would look like on the surface, as My Spy 2 is apparently a project that’s being discussed between the streaming retailer and the film’s production company, STX Entertainment.

Which is fine and all, as if the public really wants another My Spy, they should get it. But there are 10 other spy franchises that should easily get sequels if we’re really getting serious. We submit, for your eyes only, the spy sequels we’d rather get than My Spy 2:

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

It’s been five years since Guy Ritchie’s uber-slick adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. reinvented the swinging ‘60s TV caper into a smooth and adventurous adventure for today. And yet, despite being well-regarded by fans far and wide, the lack of blockbuster success for Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer,and Alicia Vikander’s Cold War romp is probably the big reason why a sequel hasn’t happened yet. It’s about time that changes if My Spy 2 is really what we’re looking at here.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

While part of the reason Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was made was probably because Focus Features knew it had an Oscar caliber spy film on its hands, you might be surprised to know that the movie actually hauled in a decent take at the box office. One would think that with two more books in author John Le Carre’s Karla Trilogy waiting to be adapted, and Gary Oldman raring to go, keeping this saga going would have been easy. Yet almost a decade has passed, and no movement has taken place; which is a shame in the light of this beautiful, but stone cold sober look at the world of spying.

Atomic Blonde

One of the most teased sequel prospects on the scene today has to be Charlize Theron’s potential return to the Atomic Blonde herself, Lorraine Broughton. There’s even been talk of a similar move to that of My Spy 2, with some folks theorizing that Netflix could bring Broughton back in for another destructively entertaining sequel. As The Old Guard has put up some solid numbers, and Netflix is making some exciting moves to compete with its streaming rivals, it feels like Atomic Blonde 2 should have already been a done deal. So if you have that magic idea that crosses John Wick over with this franchise, speak up now or forever hold your explosions!

Spy

It’s not an easy feat to spoof the James Bond franchise, or the spy genre on the whole, very effectively. Paul Feig’s action-comedy Spy is a prime example of just why, when done right, a send-up that also acts as an effective entry in the canon makes sense. Another smash hit under Feig’s career belt, with frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy by his side, we haven’t seen Susan Cooper back in the field for five years now. It’s time to reactivate her, with or without her charmingly goofy sidekick Ford (Jason Statham), and let the explosive laughs fall where they may.

True Lies

A long time ago, writer/director James Cameron said that the world wouldn’t be interested in a counterterrorism comedy like True Lies, squelching any chances for a potential sequel. With Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis enjoying an active career returning to franchises like The Terminator and True Lies, and the public still obviously having an interest in spy games, it feels like the only thing that’d stop True Lies 2 from happening is the Avatar series. In which case, what’s to say Mr. Cameron couldn’t hand this property off to eager, trustworthy hands if the public was still sweet on the idea. This bridge isn’t out yet, Jim!

Spy Game

In losing legendary director Tony Scott, we lost a unique voice that few have been able to capture since his passing. But director Joseph Kosinski seems to be doing a really good job so far living up to his high flying skills, based on what we’ve seen come out of Top Gun: Maverick. If he were up to it, it’d kind of be killer to see the Tron Legacy director also try his hand at showing us the adventures of Brad Pitt’s Tom Bishop, years after being rescued in the first Spy Game. If Kosinski has proven one thing to the world, it’s that he can make a sequel well after the fact, and bring fresh life to a long-held vision.

Get Smart

Here’s a fun fact to consider: My Spy director Peter Segal has previously dipped his toes in the world of comedic espionage with the Steve Carell/Anne Hathaway film adaptation of the classic TV show Get Smart. But somehow, despite that film doing exceedingly well at the box office, it failed to garner a sequel, even though there was enough confidence to launch a parallel spin-off movie. There was definitely movement on a follow-up to Maxwell Smart and Agent 99’s adventures for some time, and even if Segal himself thinks the time has come and gone, it couldn’t hurt to let someone else pick up the allegedly killer sequel draft from the pen of Carell himself, and put it into the world.

Spies Like Us

What do Spies Like Us and Ghostbusters have in common? The correct answer, besides Dan Aykroyd, is that they’re both ‘80s comedies that have a pretty healthy fandom. While Spies Like Us is a bit of a more obscure title, it could still be a pleasant surprise to see Aykroyd and co-star Chevy Chase heading into today’s world of international espionage. They may not have been the best spies in the service back in the day, but surely they’ve learned new and exciting ways to get into trouble in the off season.

Agent Cody Banks

If the world really wants super spy kid action, then our last two options definitely have the juice to get the job done. The first of which would be a long overdue sequel to the Agent Cody Banks series. Surely by now, Frankie Muniz’s cool operative is settled into somewhat of a family life, though he’s still probably in the business of saving the world. If True Lies 2 is never going to happen, then why not bring back Cody Banks in a story where he has to hide his spying from his family, only to potentially have them find out anyway?

Spy Kids

During a panel for this year’s ComicCon@Home festivities, Alita: Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez revealed an interesting fact: Spy Kids is absolutely killing it on Netflix. With this particular statistic in play, and Rodriguez already working with the streamer/studio on his superhero film We Can Be Heroes, it feels like the time and conditions are right to bring the Spy Kids brand back to life in the world of streaming. Netflix is uber competitive like that, and with Prime Video doing so well with My Spy that it wants to pursue a sequel, it feels like the best move to keep the market satisfied, and to stoke the fires of gamesmanship between the two rivals.

There is still an outside chance that the work put into My Spy 2 will be an improvement over that first film. But even putting those feelings aside, if My Spy can get a sequel, there are a lot of other spy movies that should find their licenses to thrill renewed, and soon. Even if you’re a fan of Prime Video’s family romp starring Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman, the discussion at hand could be a prompt for other studios to get back into spy games of their own. Whatever the case, if you’re interested in seeing My Spy for yourself, or if you want to revisit the film you can’t get enough of, it’s available now on Prime Video for viewing.

Most people would likely agree that there are no spy movies more important or influential to popular culture than the James Bond franchise, which consist of 25 (technically 28) films from over the past several decades. Therefore, we believe the 007 movies deserve their own streaming guide and have opted to reserve this guide for other action-packed, thrilling, and even ridiculous cinematic treats the genre has offered so far. The following are our picks for the best spy movies (without James Bond) and where you can find them.

The Mission: Impossible Movies (1996-Present)

A secret agent (played by Tom Cruise) and his crew take on assignments of an unusually high-risk nature, which often require going rogue, enduring death-defying stunts, and wearing very convincing masks as a disguise.

Why they are some of the best spy movies: Inspired by a hit TV series of the same name, the Mission: Impossible movies (which consists of seven chapters with an eighth installment on the way) have become an unstoppable beast of their own by redefining how viscerally exciting and emotionally investing spy flicks can be.

Stream the Mission: Impossible movies on Paramount+.
Buy the Mission: Impossible movies (1-6) on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Buy Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Argo (2012)

During Iran’s hostage crisis in 1979, a CIA agent (played by Ben Affleck) hatches a plan to safely transport six Americans out of Tehran by having them pose as a sci-fi movie production crew.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: Affleck also directed Argo – a pulse-pounding Best Picture Oscar winner inspired by an astonishing true story.

Rent or buy Argo on Amazon.
Buy Argo on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Three Days Of The Condor (1975)

A CIA researcher (Robert Redford) is thrust into the field and left struggling to figure out who to trust when he suddenly finds his colleagues dead.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: Director Sydney Pollack’s Oscar-nominated thriller, Three Day of the Condor – adapted from James Grady’s novel, Six Days of the Condor – is a masterclass in paranoid suspense that served as an inspiration for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, according to Joe and Anthony Russo.

Stream Three Days of the Condor on Pluto TV.
Rent or buy Three Days Of The Condor on Amazon.
Buy Three Days Of The Condor on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Munich (2005)

Five men participate in a covert operation to hunt and kill those responsible for the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: One of the more underrated movies directed by Steven Spielberg, Munich, is one of the more powerful examples of a spy thriller – not just for its fact-based origins and spine-tingling suspense, but its strong moral commentary.

Rent or buy Munich on Amazon.
Buy Munich on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Jason Bourne Movies (2002-2016)

The adventures of an amnesia-stricken American (Academy Award winner Matt Damon) after discovering that he is a government assassin.

Why they are some of the best spy movies: Based on the novel series by Robert Ludlum, the Jason Bourne movies (including The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne, which Damon returned for after Jeremy Renner starred in the spin-off, The Bourne Legacy) are considered a turning point for the spy genre and great action movies for their gritty, immersive realism.

Stream The Bourne Identity on Peacock.
Stream The Bourne Supremacy on Peacock.
Stream The Bourne Ultimatum on Max.
Stream The Bourne Legacy on Peacock.
Rent or buy Jason Bourne on Amazon.
Buy the Jason Bourne movies on Blu-ray on Amazon.

RED (2010)

A former black-ops agent (played by Bruce Willis) puts his old crew back together to help him figure out who is trying to kill him.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: From director Robert Schwentke, RED is a great non-superhero-related comic book movie that imagines what becomes of a spy’s life after they have decided to retire.

Stream RED on Peacock.
Rent or buy RED on Amazon.
Buy RED on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

In Cold War-era Berlin, an MI6 agent (played by Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) is assigned to go undercover and locate a list of double agents.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: Based on the 2012 graphic novel, The Coldest City, Atomic Blonde was considered the female-led answer to the John Wick movies upon release for its breathtaking fight choreography and the fact that it is made by many of the same people, including director David Leitch.

Rent or buy Atomic Blonde on Amazon.
Buy Atomic Blonde on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Conversation (1974)

A surveillance expert (Academy Award winner Gene Hackman) begins to suffer a moral crisis when he discovers signs of a young couple’s impending assassination.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: While the 1975 Best Picture Oscar went to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II, the writer and director could have taken home the top prize for The Conversation – remembered today as one of the best movies of the 1970s for its high-wire suspense and nearly prophetic themes of privacy and paranoia.

Rent or buy The Conversation on Amazon.
Buy The Conversation on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Clear And Present Danger (1994)

The CIA’s newly appointed acting Deputy Director of Intelligence (Harrison Ford) becomes embroiled in a surreptitious war between the U.S. government and a Colombian drug cartel.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: To many fans, Ford is the best actor to play Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and director Phillip Noyce’s adaptation of Clear and Present Danger shows more than enough evidence as to why.

Stream Clear and Present Danger on Max.
Rent or buy Clear and Present Danger on Amazon.
Buy Clear and Present Danger on Blu-ray on Amazon.

North By Northwest (1959)

An average man (Cary Grant, who was an early choice to play James Bond at one point) undergoes a heart-racing journey dodging bullets and even planes when international operatives mistake him for an American spy.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense in all forms, and his Oscar-nominated take on espionage, North by Northwest, is especially unique for – in addition to also being a film noir movie classic – being one of the sole spy films on this list in which the protagonist is not actually secret agent, but, in this case, an advertising agent. 

Rent or buy North By Northwest on Amazon.
Buy North By Northwest on Blu-ray on Amazon.

True Lies (1994)

A secret agent (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) sees his worst fears come true when a misunderstanding causes his work life to boil over into his family life and unintentionally ropes his unsuspecting spouse (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) into the insanity.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: If Schwarzenegger was a Brit, he could have made a pretty good Bond, as he demonstrated in one of the best James Cameron movies, True Lies – a funny, relentless burst of energy from beginning to end.

Stream True Lies on Hulu.
Buy True Lies on Amazon.
Buy True Lies on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)

A swinging secret agent (played by Mike Myers) and his arch enemy, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), both suffer a massive clash with ‘90s culture and with each other after 30 years in cryogenic slumber.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: The spy genre has been parodied numerous times, but director Jay Roach’s Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery – which Myers also wrote – may be the finest example, thanks to refreshingly ridiculous characters and surprisingly quotable jokes that helped it garner a cultural impact nearly as prevalent as the very films it ridicules.

Rent or buy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery on Amazon.
Buy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Spy Kids (2001)

Twelve-year-old Carmen (Alexa Vega) and 8-year-old Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabarra) must rescue their secret agent parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) from a TV personality (Alan Cumming) who has been turning spies into bizarre creatures for his children’s program.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: From a child’s perspective, espionage is all jetpacks, sunglasses, and not an ounce of the harsh reality the job requires, which writer and director Robert Rodriguez took to heart when crafting the first of the Spy Kids movies – a delightfully fun and visually dazzling family-friendly adventure.

Stream Spy Kids on Max.
Rent or buy Spy Kids on Amazon.
Buy Spy Kids on DVD on Amazon.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

A veteran spy (Academy Award winner Gary Oldman) is forced out of retirement to investigate a rogue agent's claim that a mole is hiding in plain sight among them.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: John le Carré’s 1974 novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, was published when Cold War-era paranoia was still highly prevalent, but director Tomas Alfredson's deliciously suspenseful, star-studded adaptation is no less intense in the way it reminds audiences that espionage is nothing like the movies.   

Rent or buy Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Amazon.
Buy Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

A young man (Taron Egerton) is recruited into a secret organization by a veteran (Colin Firth), who is investigating an eccentric, yet shady, tech billionaire (Samuel L. Jackson).

Why it is one of the best spy movies: A film that reflects a child’s imaginative perception of espionage as authentically as Spy Kids, but is certainly not for children’s eyes, is Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ comic book series, Kingsman: The Secret Service – an off-beat, action-packed, and a bit gory instant classic with a mind-blowing ending.

Rent or buy Kingsman: The Secret Service on Amazon.
Buy Kingsman: The Secret Service on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Debonair American secret agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is reluctantly partnered with gruff KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) during the Cold War.

Why it is one of the best spy movies: With sleek gadgetry, hilarious action sequences, and an unbridled sense of elegance, Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of the 1960s series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., is an invigorating re-ignition of the Sean Connery-era with a scenery-chewing performance by Cavill that should be seen as his 007 audition tape.

Rent or buy The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on Amazon.
Buy The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on Blu-ray on Amazon.

What do you think? Are these the kind of espionage flicks you rely on to save your day, or should we have kept our eyes open for more?

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Action, intrigue, and danger are all part of the James Bond franchise, and these are important hallmarks for audiences looking to escape the current realities of the COVID-19 pandemic from the safety of their own home. However, Bond can only do so much, and depending on when you’re reading this listing, you may not have his exploits available for viewing on your favorite streaming platform.

That’s not a problem though, as there’s plenty of movies that have that 007 style, or something extremely close to it, on the streams. So if you’re looking for something to watch in preparation for, or as a rest from all the James Bond action you could ever handle, you’ve come to the right list of titles. Here are 13 assignments you should consider streaming, if you're a fan of the Bond canon of films, but would like a similarly flavored change of pace.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (Hulu/ Prime Video)

What The Movie Is About: Stop us if you’ve heard this one: three nuclear weapons have gone missing, and a band of secret agents need to retrieve those weapons before they’re used to trigger all out chaos. Mission: Impossible – Fallout brings Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the rest of his IMF team back for their sixth adventure in the name of world peace, with quite possibly their biggest mission yet.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: If there was ever a series that made for a perfect American analog for the James Bond series of films, it has to be the Mission: Impossible series. Taking the globe-trotting adventure and charismatic central agent against the world formulas that 007 has been known to use, this franchise spreads the love throughout a team of agents that assist Ethan in his rogue agent tactics. Not to mention, Tom Cruise’s stunt work is impeccable, pushing the action packed envelope further with each outing in the series.

Where To Stream: Mission: Impossible - Fallout is available on both Hulu and Prime Video

The Austin Powers Trilogy (Netflix)

What The Movie Is About: Picture this: what if the world’s greatest secret agent (Mike Myers) volunteered to have himself frozen, in the name of fighting his arch-nemesis, who was also cryogenically preserved for the future? The Austin Powers series starts out with this plot device, as both Austin and Dr. Evil freeze themselves in the ‘60s to do battle once again in the ‘90s. But as the series goes on, time travel, mojo theft, and other hysterical points of conflict come into play to make things all the more exciting.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: As a fan of both the comedies of Peter Sellers and the James Bond series of films, Mike Myers created all three Austin Powers movies as love letters to both. With Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in particular roasting the traditional James Bond tropes to full effect, seeing Myers and director Jay Roach play around with the conventions of a Bond flick is a sharp and entertaining break from the norm.

Where To Stream: All three Austin Powers films are currently available on Netflix.

Inception (Netflix)

What The Movie Is About: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with one of the weirdest, most valuable skills in the world: he can sneak into people’s dreams, and shape them as he sees fit. Usually, he uses these traits to steal information, but when a shadowy party (Ken Watanabe) hires Dom and his team for the job of a lifetime, he just might find the thing he’s been looking for the most: a way home.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: Inception has widely been considered the best prototype for what a Christopher Nolan James Bond movie would feel like in the first place. Even the forthcoming release Tenet has that sort of look and feel, which might strike up the band looking to see Christopher Nolan finally get his chance to direct a new and exciting James Bond adventure. If you like both the far flung adventures of the Roger Moore era, but the hard hitting emotional action of the Daniel Craig run, Inception is the mixture of those two worlds.

Where To Stream: Inception is available on Netflix.

The Thomas Crown Affair (HBOGo)

What The Movie Is About: Obsessed with the thrill of theft, millionaire Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) steals a priceless painting right off the wall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It feels like the perfect crime, until a ruthless insurance investigator (Rene Russo) starts to pick up on his trail. As the two dance around each other’s motives, a romance starts to form; one that could either bring them together or tear them apart.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: First and foremost, former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan happened to make this film around the same time he was wearing 007’s tuxedo for MGM. But instead of just copy/pasting his Bond style charms, Brosnan really gets to play up the witty and sly part of his personality, as opposed to shooting his way through the room. His pairing with Rene Russo makes The Thomas Crown Affair a funny, sexy spin on romance and intrigue. If people are going to prepare for a Michael B. Jordan led remake, this is a good place to start.

Where To Stream: The Thomas Crown Affair is available on HBOGo.

The Fugitive (Hulu)

What The Movie Is About: Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) has been convicted of the murder of his wife (Sela Ward). The strange thing is… he may not have done it. After a freak accident leaves Dr. Kimble a chance to escape, he sets off on investigating the crime he’s supposedly committed. All the while, a determined U.S. Marshall (Tommy Lee Jones) is closing in on his trail, in an effort to apprehend him in the name of the law.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: Some of the best James Bond movies feature 007’s investigative skills, usually on display as he’s unraveling a hideous conspiracy of epic proportions. If you scale down the scope of The Fugitive’s conspiracy, and put a man who’s not used to sleuthing around at the heart of that mystery, you’ve got a story that invokes Bond’s best qualities in an unpredictable setting. Not to mention, this is the opportunity for you to see what a Harrison Ford style Bond adventure would look like.

Where To Stream: The Fugitive is currently available on Hulu.

The Saint (Netflix / Crackle)

What The Movie Is About: A brilliant electrochemist (Elizabeth Shue) has made a gigantic breakthrough in clean energy, leaving a power hungry oil tycoon (Rade Šerbedžija) desperate enough to try and steal the formula for himself. Enter Simon Templar (Val Kilmer), a cunning thief who starts this job as a pure professional, but ends up switching sides when he both falls for his target, and discovers the true nature of his shady employer.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: In a fun sort of coincidence, the James Bond series happened to cast one of its leads thanks to the TV incarnation of The Saint. Much as Roger Moore got to play 007 thanks to the role of Simon Templar, Val Kilmer’s incarnation of the role is a very Bond-esque character. Mix the tortured past and investigative skills of Bond with the disguises of Ethan Hunt, and The Saint makes for another example of a film nailing down the formula Daniel Craig would eventually run with through his tenure.

Where To Stream: The Saint is available on both Netflix and Crackle.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Netflix)

What The Movie Is About: A job gone wrong leads to the near death of one of England’s best secret operatives (Mark Strong). The latest in a pattern of events that suggests a mole is hidden at the top of the clandestine services, it’s up to retired spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to smoke out the parties selling state secrets during the Cold War. Told through a series of flashbacks and present day investigation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is gripping right until the surprising, shocking finale.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, much like James Bond, is a quintessentially British spy story. However, instead of flashy suits, fast cars, and trips to exotic locales, this film based on the novel by John le Carré shows the spy game in a more dour, realistic light. With a cast stacked with talents like Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Toby Jones, among others, this potboiler is a perfect contrast to spy aficionados who want a change of pace from the James Bond movies.

Where To Stream: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is available on Netflix.

The Peacemaker (Netflix)

What The Movie Is About: After a nuclear warhead is detonated in the Russian countryside, the seemingly random event attracts the attention of a nuclear specialist (Nicole Kidman) and a hot shot Army officer (George Clooney). Following their mutual hunch, The Peacemaker sees our leads fighting their way to the truth in city and desert alike, in an effort to prevent another, greater nuclear catastrophe from happening.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: The Peacemaker isn’t as flashy or as grim as some of the other James Bond adjacent films we’ve suggested. However, the geopolitical thriller aspect of director Mimi Leder’s blockbuster definitely helps to scratch the itch Bond fans may have without No Time To Die hitting theaters in the next month. Clooney’s charm and Kidman’s cunning make for a duo that embody the best of Bond, in an adventure that pushes them both to the limit.

Where To Stream: The Peacemaker is available on Netflix.

No Way Out (Tubi / Vudu)

What The Movie Is About: Lt. Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is a Navy officer whose star is on the rise. With the Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman) hot to hire him as one of his most trusted intelligence officers, Farrell’s career couldn’t be in a better position. But a romantic entanglement (Sean Young) leads to dangerous connections between Tom and a scandal so powerful, it could ruin his career.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: A Cold War thriller reminiscent of the politics of the early James Bond films, No Way Out uses a charming protagonist thrown in a plot of international intrigue to thrill potential viewers. As the central plot involving Russian and U.S. forces using operatives for their own means unfolds, Costner’s Lt. Farrell gets to engage in some very Bond-like behavior, while also serving as a grounded dramatic protagonist.

Where To Stream: No Way Out is available on Tubi and Vudu.

Atomic Blonde (FXNow)

What The Movie Is About: MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) finds her in a pretty interesting position in Atomic Blonde. As the Berlin Wall is about to fall, and a secret file lies hidden in the very city on the verge of history, Broughton is going to have to keep her wits about her as she fights to obtain a list of double agents sabotaging Allied operations.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: If you enjoyed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but wanted some more of the fighting that a modern James Bond movie would contain, Atomic Blonde has that particular need covered expertly. Theron’s Lorraine Broughton is basically the female James Bond, right down to her vices, and it’s exciting to see some off-kilter sensibilities thrown into a formula that feels very Bondian.

Where To Stream: Atomic Blonde is now available on FXNow.

Baby Driver (FXNow)

What The Movie Is About: An elite talent behind the wheel, the enigmatic young man known as Baby (Ansel Elgort) is hired only by the heist teams who absolutely need the best wheelman in all of Atlanta. But just when he’s thinking of going straight in the name of love, his old handler (Kevin Spacey) draws him in for another job. And it very well could be his last, if he’s not careful.

Why Fans Of James Bond Would Like It: Baby Driver isn’t about a spy, but rather someone pushed to the brink when they least expect it. That isn’t saying that Ansel Elgort’s Baby isn’t worthy of being spoken of in the same sentence as James Bond, but rather that writer/director Edgar Wright’s story and direction are reminiscent of Bond without giving the protagonist a pedigree in espionage or even military services. Though that more than likely amps up the excitement, as Baby has a set of skills that make him deadly in his own way.

Where To Stream: Baby Driver is currently available on FXNow.

All titles above are subject to change, so be absolutely sure to double check the availability of these films before enjoying them! As usual, this information is for your eyes only, and should you or your friends be caught with this list, the secretary will disavow all knowledge that you're not taking full advantage of Tubi's killer movie library. Good luck, and happy streaming!

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There are a lot of people out there who say that Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and there’s not a lot to use as an argument against that belief. For more than 20 years now, the British actor has brought laughter, pain, joy, and sorrow to the stage, television, and cinema. With performances in every genre from comic-book action films to WWII-era biopics and everything in between, Benedict Cumberbatch has taken audiences on some pretty wild rides. And while we would love to break down Cumberbatch’s best television roles (hello, Sherlock) and runs in the theatre (Frankenstein, anyone?), for now we’ll focus on his best movies. So without wasting any more of anyone’s time, let’s take a look at Benedict Cumberbatch’s 10 best movies.

10. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

When it was revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as a villain in Star Trek Into Darkness, pretty much everyone expected him to be taking on the role of Khan, though it wasn't confirmed. And in the role, Cumberbatch didn’t let us down. The film centers around Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they track down the super soldier Khan following the events of a devastating terrorist attack on Starfleet headquarters. Following a cat and mouse game between Kirk and Khan and a series of revelations, the two square off in one of the most satisfying encounters from the franchise. And a lot of this is thanks to Cumberbatch’s brilliant delivery that makes you both fear and admire the conflicted villain. This one is definitely worth a watch, but I’m sure most of you have already seen it… multiple times.

Stream it here.

9. Black Mass (2015)

Although Benedict Cumberbatch isn’t the first actor you recall when thinking about the 2015 James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) biopic Black Mass, but yeah, he’s all in this movie. Portraying Whitey’s brother William “Billy” Bulger, Cumberbatch gave audiences one of the film’s best performances as he tried to balance his brother’s criminal history and role as an FBI informant with that of his as the Massachusetts Senate President. And while we would have loved to have seen more of Cumberbatch’s performance as Bulger, he is part of several key moments throughout the film. His Boston accent alone should have Cumberbatch up for some awards consideration.

Stream it here.

8. Atonement (2007)

It was hard to avoid Atonement, a film following the lives of young lovers Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) and Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) as they are torn apart by Cecilia’s younger sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan). The lie, which kick-starts the plot of the Academy Award-nominated period piece, comes about after Briony believes she has witnessed Robbie sexually assaulting her 15-year-old cousin, Lola, when in fact it was Paul Marshall (Benedict Cumberbatch) who was committing the act.

From the very first time we meet Paul, we are introduced to a menacing and disgusting member of society’s upper-class who believes that he is above everyone else and is brought to life only in a way that Cumberbatch could pull off. It’s one of those performances where you absolutely detest the character but find yourself not being able to get enough of the actor’s performance.

Stream it here.

7. Starter For 10 (2006)

Before Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy shared the screen in Atonement, the two appeared against one another in the 2006 British indie film Starter For 10. The film features Cumberbatch in smaller role as Patrick Watts, the post-grad captain of a college quiz team who goes back and forth with McAvoy’s character, Brian Jackson, as their team prepares for the University Challenge television quiz show. Cumberbatch isn’t in the film as much as McAvoy or co-stars Alice Eve and Rebecca Hall, but he does give us one of his most pretentious and unintentionally hilarious characters of his career. This was one of Cumberbatch’s first film roles and it showed the world (or at least those who saw the movie when it first came out) what he was capable of achieving on screen.

Stream it here.

6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Before Benedict Cumberbatch showed up in billion-dollar franchises he was still finding smaller roles in a number of different films, and that’s very much the case for his performance in the 2011 spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. When a mission to discover the identity of a Soviet mole in the ranks of MI6 goes horribly wrong, ages George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced out of retirement to uncover the double-agent and stop them in their tracks. With not a lot of trust in those outside his inner-circle, Smiley enlists the help of agent Peter Guillam (Cumberbatch) to help sniff out and expose the person who is feeding information to the Russians. Cumberbatch has a bit of an understated performance throughout the film, and is especially a departure from the over the time and otherworldly characters he would be known to portray a few years later into his career.

Stream it here.

5. Doctor Strange (2016)

By the time Benedict Cumberbatch entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Stephen Strange in the 2016 hit Doctor Strange, the actor had already appeared in multiple major franchises (Star Trek and The Hobbit come to mind), so the accomplished actor was more than prepared for what would become a career-defining role.

This origin film does two things in that it tells the story of how Strange went from a world-renowned surgeon to a multidimensional sorcerer and also further expanded the MCU as the overreaching arc prepared audiences for what was to come later on in the “Infinity Saga.” Cumberbatch had already proven that he was capable of handling the grueling physicality of role as well as the certain level of arrogance that made Doctor Strange such a memorable character. And this might have been the first time audiences were introduced to Doctor Strange, but thankfully, it wasn’t the last.

Stream it here.

4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

We didn’t see Dr. Strange’s true potential until the end of his first film, but by the time Avengers: Infinity War rolled into theaters in April 2018, the character had not only reached his potential, he exceeded it. You could tell that Cumberbatch was fully intertwined with the character in every scene where he is featured in this crossover epic. Whether it be when he’s casting spells protecting the Time Stone from Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his underlings or teaming up with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Cumberbatch is in control the entire time, even when it seems that he’s throwing in the towel and giving Thanos the stone.

We're including an honorable mention to Avengers: Endgame here, as Strange didn't join the film until the big return in the third act. The look on Cumberbatch’s face as he submits the stone to Thanos in Infinity War is only matched by his face at the end of Avengers: Endgame when he confirms to Iron Man exactly what he meant when he said there was only one out of 14,000,605 different futures in which Thanos is defeated. There’s barely a verbal exchange between Strange and Stark, but the looks says it all.

Stream it here.

3. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

12 Years A Slave is one of the most beautiful, riveting, and emotional movies I have seen in the past 10 years, but it’s so taxing, brutal, and harrowing that I will probably never watch again despite how much I loved my first viewing. This is mostly due to the fact that the film is one of the most accurate and horrifying portrayals of slavery in recent years and should probably been seen by everyone, but man, it’s a tough film.

We only see Cumberbatch’s portrayal of plantation owner William Ford for a short time in the 12-year struggle by Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and during that time, we see as tender of a performance as we can see from a slave owner. Compared to what comes later in the form of Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), Ford comes off as a conflicted and complicated man on his time that is capable of seeing the error of his ways. This especially seen in the scene where Ford gifts the classically trained musician a violin. But then again, he does sell Northup to Epps after an incident with an overseer on the plantation.

Stream it here.

2. 1917 (2019)

Benedict Cumberbatch, while only featured in 1917 for less than five minutes of the film’s runtime, is a key component in the conflict driving the narrative of this World War I military epic. Centered around two young British soldiers, Lance Corporal William “Will” Schofield (George MacKay) and Lance Corporal Thomas “Tom” Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) as they try to prevent an ill-fated attack led by Colonel Mackenzie (Cumberbatch) that will result in the deaths of over 1,600 British soldiers, the film is nothing short of a masterpiece in emotional storytelling.

And though we don’t see Cumberbatch’s Mackenzie until the final moments of the film, he is very much a character throughout the movie as the two young soldiers race against time (and German soldiers) as they try to call off the attack before it ends in a massacre. The look on Cumberbatch’s face right before he reluctantly calls off the attack is painted with a mixture of pride and pain, a look only Cumberbatch could pull off in that moment.

Stream it here.

1. The Imitation Game (2014)

Benedict Cumberbatch was mostly featured in supporting roles in the lion’s share of his films going into The Imitation Game, but that would change after the actor gave one of the emotionally gutting performances of 2014 in the biopic about the Cambridge mathematician Alan Turing, who helps crack Nazi codes during World War II and later commits suicide after being thrown in prison for being gay.

Cumberbatch brings a certain level of arrogance and nervousness to the role that to this day remains his most captivating performance. Throughout the film, we see Turing learn to work tirelessly to protect his country from the Nazis only to be chastised, punished, and ridiculed by the country he helped protect years later after he was outed as a homosexual. In those final moments of the film we see how much the pain of a hidden life and tarnished public image weighs on Turing both physically and emotionally.

Stream it here.

Do you agree with our ranking of Benedict Cumberbatch's best movies? Let us know in the comments below.

While some may call the next month on the Netflix calendar March, others will find themselves renaming it "Dustin Hoffman Month." That's not a random joke either, as several of this month's best incoming titles have the famed actor as a star among their diverse and talented casts. But even if you're not a huge Hoffman fan, there's still plenty of excitement headed your way, with these 12 titles coming to the platform in the next month. Let's run down the best and brightest for March 2020!

Goodfellas

With the Martin Scorsese library slowly, but surely, finding its way to Netflix, you just might find a bunch of old favorites available for the picking once again. Perennial streaming favorite Goodfellas is a fine example of that theory in motion, as the 30-year-old gangster history lesson is returning to Netflix yet again.

After last year’s much hyped release of Martin Scorsese’s Netfilx original The Irishman, a lot of fans probably wanted to return to Goodfellas to see if the newer film really was better than this American classic. While we can’t solve that particular query with any evidence or logic on a widely acceptable level, we can totally talk about how Robert DeNiro’s Jimmy was totally trying to kill Lorraine Bracco’s Karen. But you should probably see the film again before taking that particular walk down memory alley.

Hook

If you’re looking for some more ‘90s nostalgia, then Netflix has basically turned into Blockbuster in March. Another title many a kid and adult saw lining the shelves of the old time video stores is a film that’s gotten a bit of a reappraisal as time has wound on: Steven Spielberg’s reinterpretation/sequel to the Peter Pan mythos, Hook.

Theorizing what would happen if Peter Pan were to ever grow up, and if Captain Hook was still salty about their previous battle, Hook sees Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts taking part in a whimsical live-action fairy tale. In addition to the praise this film has gotten from its many childhood fans, who have grown up quite a bit themselves, there are quite a few cameos sprinkled throughout this film that you may have missed. So have fun freeze framing or simply enjoying the magic of Hook.

Hugo

Cinema! A driving passion of Martin Scorsese’s, the man’s career has always been dedicated to preserving and promoting the world of fantastic visions on the movie screen. That moving force is part of what makes Hugo a truly unique film, as in its initial release, Scorsese delivered a 3D masterpiece in an era that saw the once-discarded cinematic device returning.

While you sadly won’t be able to watch Hugo in 3D on Netflix, you will be able to see how this adaptation of Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret was expanded into a heartwarming love letter for the beginnings of the movie industry. Also, for all of you Sex Education fans out there, a young Asa Butterfield was basically put on the map by this film.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

It’s interesting to see Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events coming back to Netflix, what with its own adaptation of the dreadfully funny children’s book series already existing on the platform. Still, there’s always room for Jim Carrey and Neil Patrick Harris’ portrayals of Count Olaf, I suppose.

Taking the first three books of the titular author’s woeful adventure, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events sees the Baudelaire children fighting to stay alive, as their new/insane guardian wants to bump them off to inherit their sizable fortune. With an energy reminiscent of The Addams Family movies of old, it’s hard not to crack a morbidly friendly smile with this one.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Everyone and their mother likes to pour on the nostalgia when it comes to Space Jam, but what if I told you that there was a better live-action Looney Tunes movie out there? Better still, what if it starred Brendan Fraser as one of its human leads? Well, Looney Tunes: Back In Action is that movie, and despite its reputation as a not-so-successful theatrical release, it’s actually a lot of fun.

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a slew of human companions all become part of a slapstick fueled chase that could determine the fate of the world and Warner Bros. itself. Even if you’re a huge fan of that other Looney Tunes movie, you might find yourself won over by this particular picture’s charms.

Outbreak

If you’re one of the people who's actually been taking the time to watch Contagion during the ongoing Coronoavirus crisis, you might be looking for a new cinematic epidemic to enjoy. Should that be the oddly specific case, you’re in luck, as Outbreak will be headed to the Netflix lineup in March.

With a small California town in the grip of a horrific virus, Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Rene Russo race against time to save the day against a new microscopic foe. If you haven’t seen it already, or long for the days when this thriller used to always be on cable, get ready for some underrated ‘90s nostalgia.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

The history of the Resident Evil movies spanned almost two decades, with various results making some films more entertaining than others. If you’re ready for another bold claim, I’m about to drop another one onto the table: Resident Evil: Apocalypse is the best sequel in the entire franchise. I apologize if this seems controversial, but it’s true.

Standing out as the one sequel to blend a unique story centered around Milla Jovovich’s Alice with aspects that were ripped straight from the cutscenes of the classic PlayStation games, this romp through Raccoon City is a lot of damned fun. Plus, if you were wondering why you felt oddly calmed by Jared Harris’ performance in Chernobyl, you may have first seen him at work in Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Space Jam

Alright, I get it, you might still be a bit upset about that scientifically verifiable claim that Looney Tunes: Back In Action is better than Space Jam. It’s okay, everyone has their preference, and you’ll be able to go back to the video tape for play-by-play action with Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes, as that other reality bending adventure will also be available on Netflix in March.

While Space Jam 2 is currently in production to be unleashed upon the world next summer, this classic match-up between MJ and the Monstars is ready for a flashback movie party with you and your friends. Though good luck finding your copy of Jock Jams after this flick puts you in the mood for all things ‘90s.

The Shawshank Redemption

You can never say “The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect movie” one too many times. Unless, of course, you’re prone to standing around repeating that sentence several times in a short conversation. Then yeah, you might be overdoing it. Who could blame you though, as Frank Darabont’s timeless adaptation of a Stephen King novella plays beautifully, no matter when you watch it.

Seeing Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman’s Red make their way through the years in that infamous prison is like a fairy tale for adults. With wicked figures, good friends and hope constantly on the horizon, there’s always a crack of light to be found on even the darkest days. Pair this one with Outbreak, and all you're missing is some nostalgic commercial reels to make it feel like you’re watching the perfect weekend double feature on TV.

Tootsie

We weren't kidding about "Dustin Hoffman Month," as those of you keeping score will notice that a total of four films, including Tootsie, boast a performance from the Academy Award winner himself. (His cameo in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events counts.) What better film to cap off his new Netflix run than the Sydney Pollack classic, which saw Dustin Hoffman getting in touch with his more feminine side.

Playing an actor who can't catch a gig as a man, but somehow comes up roses as a woman, Tootsie is a lighthearted comedy that sees Hoffman's comedic chops at full throttle. It also sees him playing off of an incredible cast that includes Jessica Lange, Charles Durning, Dabney Coleman and even Bill Murray. Who, sadly, only has two movies coming to Netflix in March. Hey folks, any chance we could make April "Bill Murray Month"?

Silver Linings Playbook

Previously, we ranked Silver Linings Playbook as one of the best Jennifer Lawrence movies in her entire career. It's a claim that stands the test of time, as her Academy Award-winning performance alongside fellow superstar Bradley Cooper is an engaging and heartfelt force of nature that needs to be seen to be believed. But even more interesting is the fact that this particular movie is probably director David O. Russell's most accessible film yet.

As Bradley Cooper's lead character Pat navigates some hard times involving a breakdown of both his marriage and his psyche, his path puts him on the same track as Jennifer Lawrence's Tiffany; someone very similar to him in terms of emotional damage. The two become dance partners, and soon enough, they start to move through life together, helping each other out as they can. It's funny, adorable and a movie that Robert DeNiro definitely should have won an Oscar for himself.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Whether you're a fan of James Bond's style of espionage or the more subdued and realistic stories that tell the tales of spies in the field, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a film that needs to be seen by more people. A stylish and atmospheric drama that sets its intrigue during the height of the Cold War, Gary Oldman's George Smiley is brought out of retirement to smoke out a mole and clear his own name in the process.

That might sound like a lot of sexy intrigue, as these sorts of stories have taken on that sort of image in the modern era. Such is not the case with director Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of the famed novel from John le Carre, as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a more world weary affair. Densely plotted and rewarding with each viewing, this mystery is one that grabs you from the very start and never lets go.

And those are all the new and exciting titles coming to Netflix in March 2020 that you'll need in order to pass the time on any given occasion. Though you don't have to stop there, as there's also plenty of new titles from last month's batch of newcomers that'll do the job as well. Keep in mind, all titles are subject to change and availability; so if you think something's gone missing, check out our full rundown of the titles coming in March. Until next time, stream responsibly, and try to keep the Jock Jams turned down to a sensible volume.

This weekend marks the return of Eggsy Unwin, international agent of intrigue, as Kingsman: The Golden Circle aims to please the world with its unique blend of bawdy humor and thrilling action. Naturally, a lot of readers have plans to see Matthew Vaughn's follow-up to Kingsman: The Secret Service, but what about after the movie? All of that spy action might leave you wanting more clandestine operations to watch from the comfort of your own home? Well, Netflix happens to have nine fantastic options of espionage, ranging from flat-out comedies to dead serious pot boilers. Here's our list of spy films that you can check out once you've returned home from the theater.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

It seems like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of those "best movies no one's ever seen." That statement is disappointing on two levels: first, and most importantly, this John Le Carre adaptation is one of the best to come out of the author's canon. The grim nature of Le Carre's spy games, as well as 1970's Europe, really shines through in this film, and in such a way that it benefits the story rather than just set the scene. But the second reason this film demands more eyes is, quite simply, it's an all star cast giving amazing performances, anchored by Gary Oldman's Oscar worthy (but sadly, not winning) performance as George Smiley. Watch this and weep that the future books in the series aren't being developed as sequels.

Johnny English Reborn

Were one to look up a list of franchises that have stealthily survived to the surprise of its audience, Johnny English would be one of those series. Just when you thought there'd never be a sequel, Johnny English Reborn came out of the blue to surprise everyone. The bigger surprise was just how much fun the sequel actually was, with a bigger scope of action and better spy-jinks given to Rowan Atkinson's titular spy in his second outing. The spy action holds up, and the bumbling is in top form, as Johnny English stumbles his way to saving the world again. And before you ask, yes, there's a third film in the works for next year.

The Debt

Back to the world of grounded spy thrillers, The Debt manages to tell a fresh story in the world of espionage, as it side steps the typical formula by following on Israeli Mossad agents during the Cold War era. Though the film does focus on the pursuit of a Nazi agent, showing three spies coming up through the ranks around the same time, on a mission that they may or may not have completed. One of Jessica Chastain's earliest film roles, The Debt also distances itself from typical spy fare by asking complicated moral questions in what could have been a standard Nazi-hunting adventure.

Spy Hard

In that turbulent era between The Naked Gun films and the first Scary Movie, parody films had a bit of a sabbatical. But they didn't go away completely, as the delicious oddity known as Spy Hard not only existed, it managed to land towards the better side of the scale lampoons are measured on. With Leslie Nielsen and Andy Griffith fighting over the security of the world, the only way this film could get funnier/odder is if Weird Al provided the theme song. And sure enough, Al croons the film's opening tune that sends up the James Bond franchise in only the best way.

In Like Flint

If you're an Austin Powers fan through thick and thin, or a hardcore spy film aficionado, you've probably heard of In Like Flint. But for those of you who know this as more of a turn of phrase than an actual film that exists, it's time to correct that notion, as James Coburn's sequel to Our Man Flint is truly something you have to see to believe. While the gender politics are more than a little outdated, Coburn's leading man charm has surely stood the test of time. Keeping that warning in mind, you might just find yourself enjoying In Like Flint, as it's still a short and zippy film to enjoy.

Burn After Reading

Imagine a dark comedy where the subjects of infidelity, Russian spies and physical fitness all converge to shape a tale about an unhinged CIA agent's declining sanity. If you guess that this film was a product of the Coen Brothers, you get a cookie; but if you think Burn After Reading is a reaction piece they've crafted towards for topical political laughs, you'll need to give us back that cookie. It's been almost 10 years since John Malkovich, George Clooney, Francis McDormand and Brad Pitt romped across Washington D.C., all in the name of money and revenge. And yet, if you showed people this movie today, they'd probably tell you it's a sign of the times. Needless to say, this comedy of idiots holds up as one of the screwiest Coen Brothers films to ever exist.

The Imitation Game

The work of the men and women at Bletchley Park during World War II provided a vital component to England's efforts in combating the Nazi scourge. In particular, their decoding of the Enigma cipher was a pretty important portion of that success, which is part of what's covered in The Imitation Game. The film's larger narrative focuses on Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as mathematic genius Alan Turing, and the difficulties he faced both in work, as well as in life. Rather than tell either story as a B-plot, Turing's persecution as a homosexual and work on the Enigma decryption are merged into a cohesive narrative that's as heartbreaking as it is historically relevant.

Cats & Dogs

Even the kids in our audience deserve quality spy games, which is primarily why Cats & Dogs made this list. Though, if you ask us, this is still pretty entertaining for any adults who are asked to sit through action comedy that pits felines against canines in an all-out battle for humanity. But even if the main story doesn't do it for you, there are two performances that'll, at the very least, manage to earn a couple of laughs: Sean Hayes' Mr. Tinkles and Jeff Goldblum's dopey scientist/father figure to the child protagonist of our film.

xXx

How can we leave Vin Diesel's Xander Cage off of this list? xXx is one of those leftovers from the early Aughts that still manages to crack a smile on our faces. Back when extreme sports were still a thing, and Vin Diesel was allergic to sequels, this fast and furious spy film tried to give James Bond a run for his money. To a certain extent, Cage did best Bond, as not only was the famous super spy sacrificed in effigy during the film's opening sequence, but xXx is a better remembered film than Die Another Day, the Bond offering that would be released later that same year. Judge for yourself, as you could be watching this adventure on Netflix right this moment.

Since the announcement this past October, the fact that all 10 seasons of Friends will be coming to Netflix in January has been all over headlines – but the truth is that it’s far from the only big new addition to the digital media site’s huge library. There will also be a number of features that will be heading Netflix’s way next month, and some of them are quite excellent.

The folks at Entertainment Weekly have the full list of January debuts on Netflix, but below and on the next few pages we will single out some of the best titles. Read on!

The French Connection – January 1

When it comes to the crime/thriller genre, William Friedkin’s The French Connection is truly quintessential viewing. A story of New York cops who are pulled into an investigation regarding a shipment of heroin coming in from France, the film has Gene Hackman in one of his most iconic roles, and the movie features what will forever be considered one of the greatest chase scenes in Hollywood history. Even if you’ve seen it before, the film’s arrival to Netflix is excuse enough to catch it again.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – January 1

Those that think that Johnny Depp is a bit of an odd duck but haven’t seen Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas yet have not gotten to experience the incredible level of weird that the star can reach. While it’s perhaps not best recommended to those who demand strict narrative structure in their films, this adaptation of what is arguably Hunter S. Thompson’s greatest work is as bizarre and entertaining as a film can get, and regularly toes the line between hilarious and disturbing.

Election – January 1

Director Alexander Payne has been producing some remarkable work these past few years, with films like The Descendants and Nebraska, but it’s one of his earliest titles that can still be argued as his best film. Election stars Matthew Broderick as a teacher who works to try and derail the high school president campaign of one of his incredibly uptight, aggravating students, played by Reese Witherspoon. As with most Payne movies, there is a terrific mix of tragedy and comedy in the movie, and Witherspoon’s pretty-miss-perfect performance may forever alter how you see her (as it did for me).

Cast Away – January 1

There aren’t many actors in Hollywood who could carry a film that features them being stranded alone on an island for years with nothing but a volleyball to keep them company, but Tom Hanks is certainly one of them – and he does so with aplomb in Robert Zemeckis’ Castaway. The film features what is easily one of the best in Hanks’ career - which is a meaningful thing to say when looking at his personal resume – and ultimately provides deep positive messages about our innate ability to both survive and persevere.

Mean Girls – January 1

On the outside, Mean Girls kind of looks like your typical teen-centric high school drama garbage – and I was certainly guilty of thinking that way about it before its release – but the film really is an honest surprise. Written by Tina Fey, the movie is actually a rather honest portrayal of teenage life, but more importantly is often wicked smart and laugh out loud funny. Surely there are still many overly manly men out there who are wary about sitting down to watch, but those people should see its arrival on Netflix as an opportunity to get over it.

The Quiet Man – January 1

Director John Ford and John Wayne had the chance to work together multiple times over the course of their respective careers, making classic movies like Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but while they are best known for their collaborations in the western genre, it’s their romantic comedy The Quiet Man that will soon be coming to Netflix. Sure, it’s a bit of a different flavor, but it still has two of the most legendary figures in cinema working together, and it comes together how you would expect.

Bruce Almighty – January 1

He’s had his dips and lulls over the years, but Jim Carrey remains a unique performer and one of the funniest in working in modern comedy. And while Bruce Almighty doesn’t quite reach the levels of the star’s best work (The Mask and Dumb and Dumber, etc.) it still ranks as one of his funniest movies. It’s based around a rather simple premise – what if Jim Carrey was given god’s powers? – but it’s executed with a good number of laughs and an interesting message about self-reliance.

Frank – January 8

Frank is an indie musical comedy that stars Michael Fassbender in a performance that requires him to wear a giant paper mache head over his own throughout the entire feature. If you’re on-board with the movie based on that criteria alone, then you are likely going to love this one. It’s a story about a young man (Domhnall Gleeson) who joins a band filled with weirdos and artists, and winds up being sweet and funny in equal measure, while also having something to say about what determines creativity and what gives us inspiration. It’s a wonderful, strange little feature, and one worth catching when it arrives on Netflix.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – January 16

Gary Oldman is certainly one of few actors who completely transforms himself with every new role he takes on, and while it’s always been impressive to see him do it in supporting roles, it’s even more amazing with him as the lead – which is the case with Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It’s important to mention that this adaptation of John le Carré’s spy novel is very methodical and slow-moving, which will turn some off some members of the movie-going populace, but it’s a slow, complicated burn that still manages to be engaging. Plus, Oldman is surrounded in the film by the likes of John Hurt, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, and Ciarán Hinds, and that’s a lineup you can’t miss.

Chef – January 28

Jon Favreau’s 2014 movie Chef isn’t exactly subtle in its analogies, as the movie is clearly a metaphor for how the director wound up getting a bit bullied and pushed around in the world of big blockbuster filmmaking, but that really doesn’t undercut what is a really fun and funny feature. Not only is there a heartwarming father and son story underneath it all, but it will also make your stomach grumble in all the right kind of ways. Seriously, a prerequisite for watching this movie should be having a meal first, as if you don’t you will be absolutely starving by the end.

Movies that make an estimated $80 million worldwide don’t tend to spark much sequel talk. And yet, the acclaimed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy generated such critical heat – primarily around Gary Oldman’s wonderfully subdued performance – that talk of a second effort isn’t completely farfetched. The movie did turn a profit by keeping costs down. Oldman earned an Oscar nod for his turn as British spy Smiley. Another chapter just might be in the works.

During the press day for Les Miserables, producer Eric Fellner – who also helped finance Tinker Tailor -- told Collider that director Tomas Alfredson and his team at Working Title were exploring an adaptation of John le Carre’s novel Smiley’s People as a possible sequel. Le Carre wrote several books with the Tinker Tailor characters, meaning multiple films could be constructed from this universe. But in People, in particular, it once again deals with the talented spy being pulled out of retirement for a case, giving Oldman one more crack at the reserved gentleman.

Fellner goes so far as to say that the picture is “in development,” with Tinker screenwriter Peter Straughan working on a script with Alfredson. As for the original, Fellner says it “did unbelievably well and it didn’t hardly cost anything.” You know that is helping Working Title pull the trigger on a follow up.

I’m not sure I’m gung-ho for Alfredson to adapt another Le Carre book. The dry-as-dust Tinker Tailor proved impenetrable for me, despite the brilliant cast. And while I acknowledge Oldman’s mesmerizing tics in the role, give me the exaggerated sprint of Skyfall any day. Still, those who wanted more of Tinker can rejoice, as those wheels appear to be spinning.

The big show is almost here. On Sunday February 26th, millions of people will gather around, eat some party mix, whip out their ballots, and watch some of the most talented artists in filmmaking get rewarded for their hard work and skill at the Academy Awards. But while we’re not quite there yet, there are some other major awards shows going on. We already had the Golden Globes a few weeks ago, and now we have the results of the British Academy Film Awards, also known as The BAFTAs.

Held today at the Royal Opera House in London and hosted by Stephen Fry, the BAFTAs awarded The Artist with the most gold statues, the film winning in seven of the 12 categories it was nominated in. Another big winner included Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, which took home Outstanding British Film (Gary Oldman, sadly, lost out to Jean Dujardin). Check out the full list of nominees and winners below.

BEST FILM

THE ARTIST Thomas Langmann

THE DESCENDANTS Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

DRIVE Marc Platt, Adam Siegel

THE HELP Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges

SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey

SHAME Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

ATTACK THE BLOCK Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)

BLACK POND Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)

CORIOLANUS Ralph Fiennes (Director)

SUBMARINE Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)

TYRANNOSAUR Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

INCENDIES Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

PINA Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel

POTICHE François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer

A SEPARATION Asghar Farhadi

THE SKIN I LIVE IN Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

DOCUMENTARY

GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Martin Scorsese, Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair

PROJECT NIM James Marsh, Simon Chinn

SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey

ANIMATED FILM

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Steven Spielberg

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS Sarah Smith

RANGO Gore Verbinski

DIRECTOR

THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius

DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn

HUGO Martin Scorsese

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius

BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig

THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh

THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

THE HELP Tate Taylor

THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon

MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

LEADING ACTOR

BRAD PITT Moneyball

GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants

JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist

MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame

LEADING ACTRESS

BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist

MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady

MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn

TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin

VIOLA DAVIS The Help

SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners

JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady

JONAH HILL Moneyball

KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

CAREY MULLIGAN Drive

JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help

JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn

MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids

OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help

ORIGINAL MUSIC

THE ARTIST Ludovic Bource

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

HUGO Howard Shore

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Alberto Iglesias

WAR HORSE John Williams

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE ARTIST Guillaume Schiffman

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Jeff Cronenweth

HUGO Robert Richardson

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Hoyte van Hoytema

WAR HORSE Janusz Kaminski

EDITING

THE ARTIST Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius

DRIVE Mat Newman

HUGO Thelma Schoonmaker

SENNA Gregers Sall, Chris King

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Dino Jonsäter

PRODUCTION DESIGN

THE ARTIST Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan

HUGO Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald

WAR HORSE Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN

THE ARTIST Mark Bridges

HUGO Sandy Powell

JANE EYRE Michael O'Connor

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jill Taylor

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Jacqueline Durran

MAKE UP & HAIR

THE ARTIST Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin, Nick Dudman

HUGO Morag Ross, Jan Archibald

THE IRON LADY Marese Langan, Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jenny Shircore

SOUND

THE ARTIST Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener

HUGO Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley

WAR HORSE Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Joe Letteri, Keith Miller, Wayne Stables, Jamie Beard

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery

HUGO Rob Legato, Ben Grossmann, Joss Williams, Alex Henning

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, Daniel Barrett

WAR HORSE Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

SHORT ANIMATION

ABUELAS Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner

BOBBY YEAH Robert Morgan

A MORNING STROLL Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe

SHORT FILM

CHALK Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini

MWANSA THE GREAT Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet

ONLY SOUND REMAINS Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar

PITCH BLACK HEIST John Maclean, Gerardine O'Flynn

TWO AND TWO Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen

THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

ADAM DEACON

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

CHRIS O’DOWD

EDDIE REDMAYNE

TOM HIDDLESTON

With Gary Oldman’s Oscar nomination for Best Actor, as well as two other nominations under Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’s belt, the film has finally earned a little more well-deserved buzz. Based on the novel by John Le Carré and directed by Tomas Alfredson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is finally making the rounds at some smaller American theaters, but even if it hasn’t come to your area, you will not have too long to wait. The movie is scheduled to hit Blu-Ray, DVD, and On Demand on March 20.

While it's a bit of a shame we won’t be privy to an earlier release, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is likely hoping to be able to splash a couple of Oscar-winner stickers on the box. With such a sick cast to back up the film, it doesn’t really need any wins to seem impressive. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy features Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, David Dencik, Ciarán Hinds, and Benedict Cumberbatch, with a nearly unrecognizable hair-do.

If you're interested in purchasing the film in March, the Blu-Ray will feature the most extensive list of extras, including pocket BLU and BD-Live access. The most extensive features on the Blu-Ray are a set of interviews featuring Oldman, Firth, Hardy, Alfredson, original book writer John Le Carré and screenwriter Peter Straughan. The Blu-Ray will also feature a “First Look” segment about the film, as well as deleted scenes. DVD copies will merely come with all of the interviews, sans the one with Le Carré. You can pre-order the title over at Amazon.

The BAFTA Awards may be the British equivalent of the Oscars, but in their picks of nominees for their annual film awards they tend to have a far more international slant. Though homegrown products like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and My Week With Marilyn racked up impressive numbers of nominations in today's announcements, the pack was led by The Artist, which picked up 12 nods including Best Film. Tinker Tailor was even nominated for both Best Film and Outstanding British Film, but it still couldn't top The Artist, receiving 11 votes instead.

If you wish the Oscars supported more oddball or indie projects, the BAFTA nomination list might be for you. Among the surprises are nods for We Need to Talk About Kevin's Lynne Ramsay and Drive's Nicolas Winding Refn as Best Director, and a pick for Drive's Carey Mulligan as Best Actress as well. In fact, BAFTA seemed to like Drive more than just about any other awards body so far, nominating it for Best Film as well. The rest of that lineup was chock full of more standard Oscar contenders-- The Aritst, The Descendants, The Help and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy join Drive there. And along with Tinker Tailor in Outstanding British FIlm, you can find awards season contenders like My Week With Marilyn and Shame alongside the documentary Senna and We Need To Talk About Kevin.

Below is a list of the top BAFTA Awards nominees; the ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 12, with the show hosted by Stephen Fry.

BEST FILM

THE ARTIST Thomas Langmann

THE DESCENDANTS Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

DRIVE Marc Platt, Adam Siegel

THE HELP Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges

SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey

SHAME Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

ATTACK THE BLOCK Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)

BLACK POND Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)

CORIOLANUS Ralph Fiennes (Director)

SUBMARINE Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)

TYRANNOSAUR Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

INCENDIES Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw

PINA Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel

POTICHE François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer

A SEPARATION Asghar Farhadi

THE SKIN I LIVE IN Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

DOCUMENTARY

GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Martin Scorsese

PROJECT NIM James Marsh, Simon Chinn

SENNA Asif Kapadia

ANIMATED FILM

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Steven Spielberg

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS Sarah Smith

RANGO Gore Verbinski

DIRECTOR

THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius

DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn

HUGO Martin Scorsese

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius

BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig

THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh

THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

THE HELP Tate Taylor

THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon

MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

LEADING ACTOR

BRAD PITT Moneyball

GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants

JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist

MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame

LEADING ACTRESS

BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist

MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady

MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn

TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin

VIOLA DAVIS The Help

SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners

JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady

JONAH HILL Moneyball

KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

CAREY MULLIGAN Drive

JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help

JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn

MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids

OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help

The relationship between an actor and a director is a complicated one. Obviously every actor has their own special skills, preparation methods and approaches to character, but the director is in charge of the whole show – it’s their job to make sure everything comes together both in the story and visually. It’s only natural that this dynamic will cause conflict, but for Gary Oldman the name of the game is trust.

Earlier this week I had the chance to participate in a roundtable interview with Oldman to discuss not only his newest film, Tinker, Tailor, Solider Spy (which comes out today), but also his approach to projects and his work on the upcoming Batman sequel, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Check it out!

Is this prime material for actors, since everything is so subtle and what you're saying oftentimes is in your face?

I just think it's probably good material. If you break a sweat, you're working too hard. This is not only a good script, but it's also supported by the book and the paring down of this piece. Obviously we had to throw a lot of pages out. Tomas [Alfredson] has condensed something into a composition -- four lines and a look, but you feel that you've got the support, the subtext. You bring the book with you every day. It's rare.

What makes it effortless that you don't have to break a sweat?

A script is like your emotional map of the world, and often, with bad writing, you're being asked to make jumps and leaps. Lines don't flow. There's inconsistency in it and you're making it work. You're working very hard to make it work, and when you get something that flows, it's like working on [Arthur] Miller or [David] Mamet. You know that you're supported by it. You're not fighting it. It takes you.

Is there an extra degree of difficulty in a project like this, where so much is about the atmosphere and tension that's being built by the director and in the editing later on? How do you factor that into your performance?

You just trust them. You have to. I mean, there was some work I noticed that he had done from things that had changed slightly from the script to the edit -- what they shuffled around and moved around in the edit. But a great deal of it was in the script and in Tomas [Alfredson]'s head. What I saw on the screen was pretty much how he discussed it and walked you through it. There wasn't hours of footage and all the other stuff in the wings that he shot and then cut. He's very decisive. I'll give you an example. Toward the end of the film, when I'm in that house and we're all zeroing in on the mole, there's that sequence where I take the mint and I listen to them arriving. There is no other footage that he shot, of feet and hands and briefcases and cars pulling up. I said, "Well aren't you going to shoot some other stuff there?" He said, "No. I'm just going to shoot it on you and I'll put the sound FX on there of them arriving." I said, "Yeah, but you'll cutaway to something." He said, "No. I'll play it on you." You're only there the once. This is an indie. This is not a movie that you go away and then you cut it and then you put it together, and then the studio will give you another $20 million, another $10 million to go back and do re-shoots and things. And then you think, "God. I was there. I wish that I had that material." So you have to really trust someone like Tomas, that the atmosphere and all of that will be there.

Is that trust given, or is it earned, would you say?

You spend so much of a career...you have to give it to people. You have to give it, whether they've earned it or not, because that's the nature of the work. And often the same amount of work and commitment goes into making a bad movie. It's just the same people working, the same cameramen and crew. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

What was most intriguing about George Smiley to you when you were considering playing the role? What hooked you?

I knew who the character was. I'm old enough to have seen the series. He's like an owl, George. He's got those big eyes behind those specs. He sees everything and hears everything. It's nice to play a character like that. It's nice to be the smartest man in the room. Often I play characters that think they're smart, but they're not very smart. He's so poker-faced. He's just like a sleeping volcano. He's there, but it's all underneath.

Would you like to play him again if there's another film made?

I think they're seriously now talking about it.

Do you know which novel it would be?

Smiley's People. It would probably be a slight cross pollination of The Honorable Schoolboy, but I think it would be Smiley's People.

Would Tomas direct again?

Yeah, same people, same team. Sadly, Bridget O'Connor won't be with us, but yeah. I kind of miss George. I liked him. He was very good for my blood pressure.

Are there other characters that you've played that you miss and wish you could revisit?

When you go into work in the morning, and you know that you've got a big emotional scene and it could be physical or a fight that you have, or it could just be you, you get to work and think, "I've got to climb that mountain a bit today." You never know if it's going to be there. You're going to call on it and think, "Can I find the range? Can I find the tiers? Can I find what I need to make the scene work?" There are days that it comes easier than others, but what was nice about George is that I knew when I got there that I wouldn't be doing any of that. I would just be sitting in a chair and I would listen. I love playing Drexel, but it was a four-day shoot or whatever. I've played so many of those. I remember doing The Dark Knight and looking at what Heath (Ledger) was doing. It was dazzling. You could tell very early on just how marvelous he was being, and I remember thinking, "Rather you than me." I was quite happy to be playing Jim Gordon. Maybe it's age. Maybe you just start to get a little older.

And you've reprised that role recently. How has it been to go back and do that?

It was lovely. I've been extremely lucky because I was not only in Harry Potter in a role that I reprised, but also Jim Gordon. To get one franchise is lucky. To get two is kind of greedy, isn't it? My fellow actors are like, "And he's in Batman. God, I hate him." I'll tell you what it's like. You don't see family. You're busy. You're on the road and you're doing what you're doing, watching all of those movies, and I'm busy making them. And then at Thanksgiving or Christmas, that's when most people all reconnect, and that's a little what it's like. It's kind of like that. You don't see people for a couple of years, three years, and then you go back on the set and there's Chris [Nolan] and there's Emma [Thomas] and there's Wally Pfister and there's Christian [Bale] and all the gang. Some new faces, but it feels like family, like all of a sudden you're getting back together. Both experiences have been good. If you weren't having a good time, then going back could be hell, I guess.

Does it feel like an ending, doing the last entry of this incarnation of Batman?

For us, I think it's the end. They don't have Potter anymore. So there could be a Batman 4 and 5. It may be Chris overseeing it in a producerial position, but for us and for Chris, I think that's it. It's a great way to go out, though. It's a great story. Epic, epic thing it is.

That's the important thing -- that it's really about the story...

I think Chris strikes me as someone who's too smart and too classy to just make a third for the sake of making it. I don't think that's who he is. I remember way back saying to him, "Is there going to be a third?" He said, 'If I can get the story right. I've got to out-do myself. I've got to do it better than The Dark Knight. I've just got to get it right."

And the bar is raised really high too.

He set the bar very high, so he said, "If I can find a story that interests me, I will do it." I think also that it's genius that he's picked Bane as the villain -- that he didn't go with The Riddler or The Penguin. I think right there is a wise choice.

What mark do you think you left on the character of Jim Gordon?

I have to go back to that Rolling Stone review. Peter Travers said that I'd made virtue look exciting, which you don't get many of. Once in a while, you get one of those. That's all he said, but it was enough. He's like George in that respect. It's moral certainty. George doesn't work... With Smiley, there's no narcissism. It's for queen and country. He's of that old school. Someone like Smiley and Prideaux are peas in the same pod, really. Smiley is just giving him a little tickle when he says, "You knew all of that, but you went. Why did you go?" Jim Prideaux says, "It's called doing one's duty." I think, if there's any remote connection between Smiley and Gordon, it's that. It's nice to come in and be the moral colonel, in a way.

Though summer movie season is in full swing, and it seems like we'll never again see a movie that isn't intended to kick off a franchise, the fall is coming quickly, and with it all those quiet, intellectual movies that are as much a relief as the first sub-60-degree day. One of the most exciting movies on the fall roster, for me at least, is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the adaptation of John le Carre's spy novel that features a murderer's row of British acting talent. Gary Oldman tops the list, and it goes on to include Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ciaran Hinds-- and those are just the names that made the poster.

Oh yes, the poster. The film's one-sheet has premiered at Empire Online, and you can check it out below. The focus is on Oldman's character, an old MI6 spy brought out of retirement to suss out a Russian mole in his organization, but even the series of numbers and letters that make up his image lets you know that there's a whole lot more plot to untangle. Take a look:

See those tiny red digits on Oldman's shoulder? That's the UK release date-- September 16-- hidden in plain sight. The text also includes names of characters and numbers that apparently point to plot clues, though since I'm hoping to know as little as possible going into this, I'm not going to try and decipher them. You can learn more about the film by watching the killer first trailer or just wait patiently until November 11, when it finally sees release in the United States. I have a hunch, though, that it might make the festival rounds before then-- if I run into it at the Toronto Film Festival in September, I'll be both unsurprised and totally delighted.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy gathers most of the best actors in Great Britain together on screen and drops them in what appears to be the coolest possible version of a Cold War era spy movie. The film’s first international trailer has arrived, and it’s everything you could hope it would be.

A remake of the same named 1979 spy thriller, the movie stars Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Mark Strong, and Toby Jones. In this version an espionage veteran named George Smiley is forced out of retirement to hunt down a Soviet agent hidden within MI6.

Watch the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy trailer:

Any time someone says “they’ve killed our man in Istanbul” I’m in. In a week full of some pretty great trailers, this may be the best. Wonder why this trailer looks so good? It’s directed by Tomas Alfredson, who proved he gets gritty, period specific films with Let the Right One In.

Look for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in theaters November 11th of this year.

It was reported in early June that Gary Oldman had signed on to play the lead in an adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, based on the novel by John Le Carré. At the time, Michael Fassbender, Colin Firth and David Thewlis were all in talks to join the project, which will be directed by Let The Right One In's Tomas Alfredson. While only two out of three of those actors made the cut, the film's newest addition is making the film sounds too good to be true.

Variety is reporting that Ralph Fiennes has joined the cast of the spy thriller, and has confirmed that Fassbender and Firth will also be in the fold (though no details have been given about who the three actors will play). In the movie, Oldman will play George Smiley, an aging former intelligence agent brought back in to service when suspicions are raised about a Soviet spy in their midst. The film is set to start production this October in London.

Just from the cast alone this is turning into a must-see movie. Add in the fact that it's based on terrific source material, has a fantastic man at the helm in Alfredson, and has already been successfully adapted with fantastic results back in 1979, what could possibly go wrong to make this film not work?