Best spy thrillers

Agents, double agents and the people watching them. Cold War classics sit next to modern series, with one pick per franchise so no single spy takes over. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.0 or more from at least 300 votes, and new releases wait until their ratings settle. The order follows the Boxlist quality score, and we checked the list by hand to remove obvious misfits.

1
North by Northwest (1959)
Film8.0
Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.
US Tubi TV, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime (rent), Chili (rent)
2
The Lives of Others (2006)
Film8.1
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture.
US Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent)
3
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Film7.4
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences.
US FX, Paramount+, UK Amazon Prime, Disney
4
Goldfinger (1964)
Film7.3
Special agent 007 comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and now he must outwit and outgun the powerful tycoon to...
US Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent), UK Amazon Prime (rent), Chili (rent)
5
The Conversation (1974)
Film7.6
Surveillance expert Harry Caul is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide to tail a young couple.
US Amazon Prime, IMDB TV, UK Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent)
6
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Film7.4
Bourne is brought out of hiding once again by reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar, an upgrade to Project Treadstone...
US AMC, Amazon Prime (rent), UK My5, Amazon Prime (rent)
7
Lioness (2023)
TV8.1
Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, is recruited to join the CIA's Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a...
US Paramount+, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Amazon Prime (buy), iTunes (buy)
8
Casino Royale (2006)
Film7.5
Le Chiffre, a banker to the world's terrorists, is scheduled to participate in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, where he intends to use his...
US MGM+, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime (rent), Chili (rent)
9
Argo (2012)
Film7.3
As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found...
US Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent), UK Amazon Prime, Chili (rent)
10
The Americans (2013)
TV7.9
Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an...
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Channel 4, Disney
11
Bridge of Spies (2015)
Film7.2
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S.
US Paramount+, Amazon Prime (rent), UK Amazon Prime (rent), Google Play (rent)
12
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Film7.5
On a train headed for England a group of travelers is delayed by an avalanche.
US Fandor, HBO, UK Amazon Prime (rent), iTunes (rent)
13
The Night Manager (2016)
TV7.9
Former British soldier Jonathan Pine navigates the shadowy recesses of Whitehall and Washington where an unholy alliance operates between the...
US Amazon Prime, BritBox, UK Amazon Prime, BBC
14
Homeland (2011)
TV7.5
CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable.
US Amazon Prime (buy), Google Play (buy), UK Netflix, Amazon Prime (buy)
15
The 39 Steps (1935)
Film7.4
Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed -- with a knife in her back.
US Amazon Prime, BritBox, UK Amazon Prime, ITV
16
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018)
TV7.7
When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job...
US Amazon Prime, Google Play (buy), UK Amazon Prime, Google Play (buy)
17
Burn Notice (2007)
TV7.5
A formerly blacklisted spy uses his unique skills and training to help people in desperate situations.
US Hulu, IMDB TV, UK Disney, Amazon Prime (buy)
18
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Film7.4
Based on Tom Clancy's bestseller, directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, The Hunt For Red October...
US Kanopy, Paramount+, UK Channel 4, Amazon Prime (rent)
19
Black Doves (2024)
TV7.0
When a spy posing as a politician's wife learns her lover has been murdered, an old assassin friend joins her on a quest for truth, and vengeance.
20
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Film7.3
A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
US Kanopy, Amazon Prime (rent), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (rent)