The Spy movie genre is dominated by James Bond. The franchise’s one liners, action sequences, campy humor, evil villains and their conspiracies to control the world have become almost synonymous with the Spy genre. But James Bond doesn’t quite have a complete monopoly on the spy film genre. Here are 8 Spy Movies from around the world that share some of the iconic motifs of the James Bond franchise to expand the range of your spy film viewing.
8 Great Spy Movies from Around the World
The Lives of Others (Germany)
Actual Spy, Historical
The Lives of Others definitely doesn’t feature your James Bond style spy. Instead of an attractive womanizing action figure, the lead spy in this film is a balding loner that wiretaps a playwright in East Germany to spy on him for the Stasi (East German Secret Police). He’s the villain of this historical drama, and whilst he’s not a popular character like James Bond, there’s a more in-depth examination of his character and the morality of his work. Plus you’ll also get a realistic portrayal of what life in the former GDR looked like.
The Spy Gone North (South Korea)
Actual Spy, In Disguise, Historical, Conspiracy
Like The Lives of Others, The Spy Gone North, is set within a real historical context. In this case, East Germany is switched for North Korea as one South Korean is hired by the government to infiltrate a North Korean nuclear power plant posing as a money-hungry businessman. The focus in this film is on how the spy builds and maintains his disguise is some pretty high pressure situations as well as the political conspiracy behind his mission. So expect to see more diplomacy and tension and less action than your typical Bond film.
The Killer (Hong Kong)
Stylish Action, One Liners, Romance
You can probably remember the great action scenes from your favorite spy movies. Maybe it’s the crane parkour scene from Casino Royale or one of Tom Cruise’s many stunts from the Mission Impossible series. In The Killer the whole film gives 100% – the action scenes, romantic storyline, brotherhood, and style are all pure over-the-top cinematic entertainment. For all of this and more (every explosion is worth two of those in James Bond movies), The Killer is must see.
Mole Agent (Chile)
Documentary, Actual Spy
This Documentary is the wild card on this list as it features no action scenes, no attractive actors, and no suave comedy. Instead the spy in Mole Agent is a pensioner sent undercover into a retirement home to track the treatment of the other retirees. Mole Agent shows that you’re never too old for a new assignment even if you might not be able to pull it off like James Bond could.
The Bloodettes (Cameroon)
Stylish Action, Conspiracy, Evil Villain
Like James Bond movies, The Bloodettes has some stylish action and evil villains with grand conspiracies. But that’s where the similarities end. Firstly, the two agents in this film are women. Secondly, it looks and sounds like a nightclub with neon lighting and a thumping soundtrack. Plus, there’s also vampires. The Bloodettes is one of the most original films I’ve seen from Africa. It’s Cameroon in the future.
Read our full review here.
Castle of Cagliostro (Japan)
Technology, Evil Villain, Villain's Lair
You may be familiar with some of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli animations. But maybe you missed his very first directorial feature, Castle of Cagliostro. Set within an animated whimsical Italy, Castle of Cagliostro follows a thief that stumbles on an evil villain and his castle lair – complete with secret doors and some fantastic machines (a consistent motif in Miyazaki’s work) – to rescue the princess imprisoned there. The villain and his castle are just like Scaramanga’s island hideout in Man with the Golden Gun and breaking into the villain’s castle is just as fun as the breakout.
Ashakara (Togo)
Conspiracy, Evil Villain, Technology
In Ashakara, a French multinational sends a spy to Togo to steal the recipe for a magical cure that has been used for years by a rural medicine doctor. The spy takes a metal case with remote video-calling technology (very futuristic for 1991 when this movie was made) to stay in touch with his ‘evil villain’ boss whilst he treks through the country. The Togolese are no pushovers though as the medicine doctors fight back against the French imperialist intentions and the money-greedy capitalists.
Read our full review here.
Enter the Dragon (Hong Kong)
Stylish Action, Evil Villain, Villain's Lair, One Liners, In Disguise
Enter the Dragon is a perfect gateway to Bruce Lee movies, it has his iconic martial arts moves plus a James Bond-esque plot with a few Blaxploitation themes thrown in. In the film Lee is sent undercover to an island to compete at a martial arts competition hosted by a suspected Hong Kong crime lord. Like James Bond movies, he and the ‘evil villain’ engage in mind games leading up to the film’s climax. The ‘evil villain,’ secret hideout, undercover identity, and stylish action, make this a perfect alternative to the early James Bond movies.
If you think we’ve missed a film from the list, please get in touch on Twitter or by email to share some more spy movies from around the world.
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