Spy movies present a uniquely exciting spectacle, mixing narratives of deceit, infiltration, and voyeurism with immense, often global stakes that place the central heroes in the middle of dangerous situations over and over again. From action-heavy stunners to intricate, slow-burn thrillers, all the greatest spy movies have leaned heavily on the ability of their stars to control the tension and drama at hand.
From the conflicted and suspicious stars of Hitchcockian masterpieces to somber surveillance specialists cast in a moral dilemma, and even to the central figures of some of the modern day’s most engrossing spy capers, these 10 performances represent the very best that spy cinema has seen. Be they enigmatic, exact and expert, or ethically ambiguous, the acting on display in these roles is some of the best the medium has ever seen.
10 Eric Bana as Avner Kaufman
‘Munich’ (2005)
While it may not be regarded among Steven Spielberg‘s most revered movies, Munich still presents an engaging story of complex political dealings that sees the director venture into some dark and confronting areas. Eric Bana stars as Avner Kaufman, an agent of Mossad tasked with heading a small team to assassinate the Palestinian terrorists responsible for killing Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
The assignment takes Avner and his team around the world as they hunt down and kill 11 targets. In an immensely underrated performance, Bana excels at realizing Kaufman’s growing doubts over the morality and purpose of his mission, ones he struggles to articulate to his superiors, who insist he follows his orders. His portrayal of a moral yet coarse man losing touch with his own convictions as he hopes to safeguard his grasp on who he is and what his nation represents is entirely compelling. Spielberg’s even-handed portrayal of both sides of the conflict is equally impressive.
9 Robert Redford as Joe Turner
‘Three Days of the Condor’ (1975)
A paranoid thriller of conspiracy theories, political overhaul, and orchestrated mass murder, Three Days of the Condor is a gripping picture from Sydney Pollack that embodies the 70s’ cinematic suspense as well as the tense skepticism of post-Watergate America. Joe Turner (Robert Redford) is a quiet CIA codebreaker who arrives at his workplace one day to learn all of his co-workers have been murdered. On the run, he must outwit the assassins trailing him as he tries to figure out who ordered the killings.
Redford plays his leading part to perfection, balancing Joe’s frenzied panic and paranoia against a pragmatic consideration of how to progress, portraying feelings of betrayal towards the CIA as well as a logical, standoffish awareness. He thrives at every point of the conspiracy’s unveiling, ensuring Joe Turner remains a sympathetic and relatable lead even as the situation around him escalates significantly.
8 Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan
‘Bridge of Spies’ (2015)
Another great performance from a Spielberg spy story, Tom Hanks embodies an old-timey sense of charm and righteous conviction in the sadly dismissed and wildly underrated Bridge of Spies. The Cold War thriller sees a veteran lawyer operating a private practice, Hanks’ James B. Donovan, tasked with defending captured Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). When an American spy is captured by the Soviet Union, Donovan is given the responsibility of negotiating a prisoner exchange.
Spielberg handles the story with a masterful touch, allowing the characters and actors to take center stage. The decision enables Hanks to chew the scenery as an old-fashioned idealistic hero, one defined by his hopeful humanitarian views and the faith he places in human decency. Rylance, who would win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, is similarly brilliant in his role.
7 Richard Burton as Alec Leamas
‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ (1965)
At a time when the bombastic Bond movies were re-defining spy cinema, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold emphasized that there was still plenty to enjoy about the taut and tense thrillers the genre presents at its most hard-boiled and restrained. An adaptation of John le Carré’s novel, it follows a British secret agent nearing retirement who is given one final assignment in East Germany. When he is arrested and interrogated, he finds he is just a small piece in within a labyrinthine scheme, one he struggles to navigate.
The film coasts on Richard Burton’s Oscar-nominated lead performance as Alec Leamas. Seeing the resigned and tired character discover a sense of urgency, albeit one still firmly grounded in his rueful self-loathing, is the central attraction of the film. His nuanced and complex performance gives the story an engrossing thematic consciousness that is richly complicated without being unruly.
6 Ulrich Mühe as Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler
‘The Lives of Others’ (2006)
Set in East Germany in 1984, The Lives of Others marks one of the best spy movies ever made, international or otherwise. It follows Gerd Wiedler (Ulrich Mühe), a quiet and emotionless Stasi agent tasked with running surveillance on a writer and his lover, an actress, over their perceived anti-Communist views. While the spy starts to grow sympathetic towards the couple, he receives orders to frame the playwright as an enemy of the state.
While there is an inherent suspense in the premise itself, The Lives of Others truly wins viewers over with its nuanced depiction of loyalty, morality, and the mysterious power of human connection. Mühe is particularly exceptional in this regard, letting Wiesler’s icy visage slip only momentarily with softening eyes and brief moments of hesitation. His melancholic yet subtly heroic performance has a knack for staying with viewers long after the film ends, as does the movie’s spectacular ending.
5 Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman
‘Notorious’ (1946)
An appropriately tense spy thriller from the Master of Suspense himself, Notorious thrives as a taut yet ambitious espionage movie that also contains an engaging romantic core to boot. Also making use of an exceptional trio of stars, it follows Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the American daughter of a Nazi spy, as she is recruited by U.S. agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to help him gain intel on a group of Nazis hiding in Brazil. Their blossoming romance grows complicated when Huberman is instructed to seduce one of the operation’s targets, Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains).
All three stars are exceptional, but the film is finely tuned towards Bergman’s magnetic presence. She is the true heroine, an American patriot marred by a disgraced name who uses her grace, her wits, and her beauty to accomplish her mission. As was so often the case with Bergman’s performances, there is a rich and complex humanity lying just beneath her striking appearance that provokes consideration and intrigue. Aside from Casablanca, no film utilized this asset of hers anywhere near as well as Notorious.
4 Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill
‘North by Northwest’ (1959)
From one Hitchcockian hero to another, Cary Grant appeared in four of Alfred Hitchcock’s films with his performance in North by Northwest marking an illustrious high point of his career. He stars as Roger Thornhill, an advertising man who must go on the run when he is mistaken for a government agent and pursued by a ruthless foreign spy. Becoming entwined with a mysterious though alluring woman, Thornhill must use his wits to escape the situation alive.
North by Northwest marks the last of Grant’s collaborations with Hitchcock, but also the one he appears most at home in. While his irrepressible charisma still shines through in the character, he is also able to portray a frenzied, paranoid angst perfected with panicked twitches, pained grimaces, and uneasy smiles. His wrongfully accused character remains as iconic as the legendary action sequences he was caught up in.
3 Jessica Chastain as Maya
‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (2012)
One of the best, biggest, and most detailed and serious spy movies of the 2010s, Zero Dark Thirty follows the monumental operation the U.S. government undertook to locate Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin-Laden. Primarily following CIA intelligence analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain), it depicts every step of the international manhunt from the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks to Seal Team Six’s raid on bin-Laden’s compound in Pakistan.
Its grounded approach allows for far less sensationalism than most spy movies actively indulge in and instead thrusts the onus of the spectacle on the cast. It is a challenge that Chastain relishes, showcasing her versatility and range while delivering a performance of understated and quiet power. While Maya is a one-track mind, Chastain still imbues her with compelling depth and emotional presence while making every moment of her obsession and frustration feel natural.
2 Gary Oldman as George Smiley
‘Tinker Tailor Solider Spy’ (2011)
Created by John le Carré as a counteractive response to the popularity of James Bond, George Smiley has become one of the most iconic and frequently portrayed spies of all time. He has seldom been depicted better than he was in 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The Cold War espionage thriller sees Smiley (Gary Oldman) lured out of retirement to investigate a Soviet mole lurking in MI6.
Despite the star-studded cast and the fast-paced and convoluted story, Oldman thrives as Smiley, occupying the screen with a quiet yet calculating gravitas that does le Carré’s character justice. Oldman is perfectly attuned to the bleak and brutal tone the movie revels in, with his performance, and those of the supporting cast, accomplishing the difficult feat of bringing intrigue and humanity to what is quite a sterile and hard-nosed spy thriller. Oldman received an Oscar nomination for his lead performance.
1 Gene Hackman as Harry Caul
‘The Conversation’ (1974)
Something of a hidden gem amid Francis Ford Coppola’s unbelievable directorial run through the 1970s, The Conversation blends elements of neo-noir and voyeuristic suspense in a tightly contained masterpiece of surveillance and morality. Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) stars as something of a mercenary spy, a reticent surveillance expert whose services are up for hire. He finds himself lost in an ethical conundrum when he begins to suspect the young couple he is observing will be murdered by his client.
Caul is hardly a heroic figure, but his realistic presentation makes his crisis of conscience all the more intriguing. Hackman imbues the part with a poignant tragedy, a lonely vulnerability that genuinely struggles between what is right and what is easy. Presenting paranoia, cowardice, isolation, and depression while still making Caul a resonant and engaging character marks a highlight of Hackman’s illustrious career, and the best performance seen in spy cinema.
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