What comes to mind when you think of spy movies? Probably, suspense, usual run and chase scenes, or people dying right before disclosing the truth. But, today, spy movie filmmakers are exploring many new elements to use in their plots.
A spy movie can be humorous, thrilling, or even erotic. We have a variety of spy stories for you that will be satisfying, no matter what sort you’re looking for.
Netflix is the best platform to watch these Spy movies. However, if you are traveling or residing in a region where these titles are restricted, use a VPN. Netflix content library differs region-wise. We recommend ExpressVPN as the best VPN for streaming.
Listed below are the top spy films on Netflix in UK:
1. The Constant Gardener (2005)
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Writer: Jeffrey Caine
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston , Hubert Kounde
IMDB rating: 2h 9m
Runtime: 7.4/10
With a new position in Kenya, restrained British diplomat Justin Quayle moves there with his pretty young wife, Tessa, a humanitarian campaigner. The facts surrounding Tessa’s death in the forest lead to her friend Dr. Arnold Bluhm.
Though it soon becomes evident that he is not the murderer. In his quest to learn the truth about Tessa’s death, Justin is grieving and enraged and discovers unsettling information in the meantime.
2. Argo (2012)
Director: Ben Affleck
Writer: Chris Terrio
Cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin
IMDB rating: 7.7/10
Runtime: 2h
66 Americans were taken captive after extremists raided the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 1979. Six Americans can flee the pandemonium and seek safety at the Canadian embassy.
The American government asks contractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to evacuate the refugees because they know it is only a matter of time until they are discovered and most likely killed. As part of his strategy, Mendez intends to appear as a Hollywood producer investigating Iranian locales.
3. The Coldest Game (2019)
Director: Lukasz Kosmicki
Writer: Marcel Sawicki
Cast: Bill Pullman, Lotte Verbeek, James Bloor
IMDB rating: 6.2/10
Runtime: 1h 43m
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, President Kennedy was advised that the USSR was probably preparing for war. This was during the height of the Cold War when Soviet forces had been stationed in Cuba following the revolution. The first scene is a game of grand champion chess.
The first player approaches the table, where the second is already seated. The American chess player’s hand is stained with blood, and he appears confused. He is a scruffy middle-aged man. Further, he speaks to a taxi driver who refers to him as the professor and leaves him off at his flat.
4. Body Of Lies (2008)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: David Ignatius
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
IMDB rating: 7/10
Runtime: 2h 8m
In an audacious but risky attempt to apprehend terrorist Al-Saleem, CIA agent Roger Ferris devises a plan. Nevertheless, matters go nasty when he designs a scheme to catch Al-Saleem with the assistance of his employer Hoffman.
Ferris fabricates a terrorist group with the assistance of the master of deception Ed Hoffman in order to draw Al-Saleem out of hiding. Ferris must also keep his scheme a secret from Hani, the chief Jordanian spy, since if Hani learns of it, Ferris will perish.
5. The Spy Next Door (2010)
Director: Brian Levant
Writer: Jonathan Bernstein, James Greer
Cast: Will Shadley, George Lopez, Amber Valletta
IMDB rating: 1h 34m
Run time: 5.4/10
Undercover CIA agent Bob Ho makes the decision to leave his job and wed his girlfriend, Gillian. But first, he needs to do one more task: win the support of Gillian’s kids.
When Gillian has to go away, Bob offers to babysit. However, the plan is derailed when one of the kids discovers a top-secret document by accident. After that, a Russian terrorist begins to target Bob’s potential family.
Spy next door is one of the best spy films on Netflix in UK, don’t miss watching it.
6. The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Director: John McTiernan
Writer: Larry Ferguson
Cast: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn
IMDB rating: 7.6/10
Runtime: 2h 15m
Based on the well-known Tom Clancy book, this thrilling film follows Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he defies instructions and sails towards the American east coast. Ramius’ submarine, “Red October,” has cutting-edge stealth technology that makes it nearly undetectable.
Eventually, CIA agent Jack Ryan sets out to ascertain Ramius’ motivations when an American submarine momentarily discovers the Russians’ presence. He is concerned that he will launch an assault on the United States.
7. 3 Days Of The Condor (1975)
Director: Sydney Pollack
Writer: Lorenzo Semple Jr., David Rayfiel
Cast: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson
IMDB rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 58m
Joe Turner, a polite CIA codebreaker, enters his office on what appears to be a typical day to discover that all his teammates have been slaughtered. Joe, who is horrified, escapes the area and makes an effort to inform his superiors of the catastrophe.
Unfortunately, he quickly discovers that CIA officials carried out the killings. Joe must find a way to survive long enough to discover why his agency wants him dead. He has no one to trust and runs for his life.
8. The Good Shepherd (2006)
Director: Robert De Niro
Writer: Eric Roth
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin
IMDB rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 2h 47m
Edward Wilson believes that serving in the OSS and subsequently as a significant Central Intelligence Agency supporter is the appropriate employment for a man of his abilities. He is discrete, idealistic, and fiercely devoted.
He battles his KGB rivals as his tactics become CIA standard operating procedure. But as the nation descends more into the Cold War, Edward discovers that putting duty ahead of the family has a cost.
9. Spider In The Web (2019)
Director: Eran Riklis
Writer: Emmanuel Naccache, Gidon Maron
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Monica Bellucci, Itay Tiran
IMDB rating: 4.4/10
Runtime: 1h 53m
A novice agent is sent in to monitor an experienced spy whose intentions and behavior have come under suspicion by the agency.
An elderly spy named Adereth attempts to save his life and profession with one more assignment before time runs out. The hunter may turn into the prey in a world of lies. He has to quickly discover the truth as his trust in those around him starts to fade away.
10. Legacy Of Lies (2020)
Director: Adrian Bol
Writer: Adrian Bol
Cast: Scott Adkins, Anna Butkevich, Yuliia Sobol
IMDB rating: 1h 41m
Runtime: 5/10
Agent Martin Baxter left MI6 ten years ago following the terrible murder of his wife during an unsuccessful operation. Martin finds himself in the sights of Russian and British intelligence when journalist Sasha requests assistance investigating an old case.
Martin has barely 24 hours to provide the classified case papers. At the same time, his daughter is being kept hostage by the KGB, putting both Sasha’s and his own life in danger. The movie spent a couple of weeks at number four on the charts. Netflix USA purchased the rights in October 2021, and it is one of the must-watch spy films on Netflix in UK.
11. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
Director: Gideon Raff
Writer: Gideon Raff
Cast: Mbulelo Grootboom, Sizo Mahlangu, Michael Kenneth Williams
IMDB rating: 6.6/10
Runtime: 2h 9m
An Ethiopian Jew named Kebede Bimro, partially based on Ferede Aklum collaborates with Israeli Mossad operative Ari Levinson to transport Jewish refugees from Ethiopia to Israel. Ari understands that having a cover activity that would give him a cause to own a building and cars would increase his capacity to function in Ethiopia.
He suggests a strategy to Israeli intelligence officer Ethan Levin that would enable him to evacuate many more migrants: hire the Red Sea Diving Resort, a deserted hotel on the coast of Sudan, and use it as a front to aid the evacuation of refugees. Ari enlists the assistance of his old Mossad coworkers Rachel Reiter, Jake Wolf, Max Rose, and Sammy Navon.
12. True Memoirs Of An International Assassin (2016)
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Writer: Jeff Morris, Jeff Wadlow
Cast: Kevin James, Zulay Henao, Andy Garcia,
IMDB rating: 1h 38m
Runtime: 5.9/10
Sam Larson is a recluse who wrote the fictional book Memoirs of an International Assassin but is struggling with the closing sentence.
Larson uses what his buddy Amos tells him about an assassin named Ghost after discussing his issue with him and hearing an absurd story about him. The nonfiction novel, True Memoirs of an International Assassin was released online.
Larson, who is currently a best-seller, is abducted and transported to Venezuela. El Toro, a rebel who believes the book to be the truth and assigns Larson to assassinate Miguel Cueto, the president of Venezuela, awakens Larson.
13. A Call To Spy (2019)
Director: Lydia Dean Pilcher
Writer: Sarah Megan Thomas
Cast: Stana Katic, Sarah Megan Thomas, Radhika Apte
IMDB rating: 2h 3m
Runtime: 6.6/10
The movie is based on the actual experiences of three women who served as spies in World War II, and its title is a stylistic allusion to a call to arms. A panicked Winston Churchill instructs his new espionage service to train women for clandestine activities at the start of World War II.
These female operatives work together to bring down the Nazi government in France, leaving a recognizable legacy in their aftermath.
14. Wasp Network (2019)
Director: Olivier Assayas
Writer: Olivier Assayas
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Edgar Ramírez, Gael García Bernal
IMDB rating: 5.9/10
Runtime: 2h 3m
Pilot René González departed from his wife Olga and child Irma in Cuba at the beginning of the 1990s in Havana to begin a new life in the USA. He steals a jet and covertly goes to Miami. González immediately joins Brothers to the Rescue, an organization of exiled Cubans and Castro critics that operates out of Florida.
Then conducts military activities against the Cuban government while simultaneously trying to destroy the country’s tourism sector. To transport fliers, they even fly through Cuban airspace. Gerardo Hernández, also addressed as Manuel Viramontez, is the leader of the “Wasp Network,” or la Red Avispa, a clandestine group in Cuba.
15. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt
IMDB rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 2h 37m
Everyone knows about the terror that Osama bin Laden spread while he was alive. One of the terrifying incidents he caused was the fall of the twin towers.
After that, forces from U.S. presidential administrations were actively engaged in finding him. This is the story that this movie conveys.
He was finally killed in one of his hideouts in Pakistan in 2011. It was made possible due to the help of a committed female operative’s labor in finding bin Laden.
16. Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)
Director: Jay Roach
Writer: Mike Myers
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey
IMDB rating: 6.4/10
Runtime: 1h 38m
Dr. Evil teams up with the enigmatic yet strange Goldmember to rule the world through time travel and kidnaps Nigel Powers, Austin’s adored father and a well-known spy in England.
Austin travels to 1975 and teams up with his former love, Foxxy Cleopatra, a street-smart and fashionable investigator, as he pursues the culprits across time. Austin and Foxxy must work together to figure out how to safeguard Nigel while also putting a halt to Dr. Evil and Goldmember’s nefarious antics.
17. The Debt (2010)
Director: John Madden
Writer: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Peter Straughan
Cast: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Tom Wilkinson
IMDB rating: 6.8/10
Runtime: 1h 53m
Israeli Mossad Kidon group captured Josef Mengele, a Nazi Doctor, in 1964 who performed human experimentation during an extermination camp in Germany.
Upon escaping, he was reported shot in the head and killed while attempting to escape.
18. Madras Cafe (2013)
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Writer: Juhi Chaturvedi, Somnath Dey
Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri
IMDB rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 2h 10m
The story begins in Jaffna, where armed men halt a bus packed with passengers and slaughter them all. The movie then cuts to a man with a beard in Kasauli, who turns out to be Vikram Singh. He learns on television that a suicide bomber has assassinated the president of Sri Lanka.
He walks to a local church and buys a bottle of alcohol. When he remarks that our Prime Minister may have been spared from the conspiracy, the clergyman of that cathedral, who appears to have known him for the previous three years, inquires about his plot. Vikram begins telling the priest his story.
19. Spyder (2017)
Director: A.R. Murugadoss
Writer: A. R. Murugadoss
Cast: Mahesh Babu, Rakul Preet Singh, S.J. Surya
IMDB rating: 6.3/10
Runtime: 2h 35m
An intelligence officer named Shiva creates device software that enables him to locate people who want assistance. When he learns that a serial murderer is on the loose, he sets out to safeguard the citizens of Hyderabad.
Despite being a kind man with the best of intentions, he encounters the adversary due to an unintentional mistake made by his program. The antagonist is vicious, and malicious, and relishes the pain of others.
20. Spy Kids (2001)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writer: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Daryl Christopher Sabara, Antonio Banderas, Alexa Ellesse PenaVega
IMDB rating: 5.6/10
Runtime: 1h 28m
Children Carmen and Juni are shielded from their parents’ lives by Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez, spies who shelter their family from peril. The OSS employs them as office consultants. Still, they are unexpectedly recalled to start field activity to locate lost operatives.
According to Gregorio, Fegan Floop, a children’s television personality, may have abducted them and turned them into his “FoOglies,” characters on his program. Their uncle Felix Gumm is left in charge of the kids.
Conclusion
Today’s culture and movies frequently include spies, whether employed by governments or acting independently to achieve either constructive or dangerous ends. We are sure fans of spy films will undoubtedly begin planning their upcoming movie nights after reading this list of the finest spy films available on UK Netflix.
Remember to use ExpressVPN if these movies are restricted in your country. If you are planning to use a free VPN for Netflix, you can, but we suggest avoiding them as they are slow and unreliable. Don’t worry about judicial matters, as using a VPN is legal.
ExpressVPN works perfectly with Netflix and helps unblock all UK streaming services from anywhere.
Once you watch these Spy films on Netflix in UK and looking for what to watch next, we suggest watching crime movies on Netflix, you’ll be thrilled! If you love adventure, then go for adventurous movies on Netflix. Oh, don’t forget to grab your snacks before you settle for the binge-watch!
Chris Mack
