Spy movies in the 2010s so far are becoming technological wonders that are heavily punctuated by impressive fight scenes and plots that are designed to confuse and entertain all that same time. In many ways they’re expected to be spectacles that draw the audience in and allow them to make their own conclusions before dashing them to pieces and reminding the audience that nothing is as it’s going to seem, ever, and that they’d be best to just sit and watch and then theorize later. Of course people don’t do that, they want to think that they’re smart enough to predict what’s coming next and then sit back with arms raised in a triumphant pose of “I told you so” as they bask in their small victory. When the movie doesn’t go as they predict however it almost seems as though you can hear the writers and director laughing….
Here are some of the best spy movies of the current era.
5. Spectre
The legend of Bond doesn’t plan to disappear any time soon since there’s too much money invested to finally put an end to it. In this installment of the famous super spy he encounters yet another person that knows him quite well and is able to guide the events of his life to final meeting as Bond is pushed once again to the limit as he finds himself attempting to come to grips with what he has to do versus what he feels. One thing about James Bond in this era is that he’s a much colder personality than he’s ever been in his past and not as likely to quip and joke about with the enemy. This version is more brutal than any of the others.
4. Atomic Blonde
There’s always the pesky idea of the List that seems to hold the names and data of every agent available in the field and tends to get passed around by those seeking to make a lot of money for the information. Of course those that try usually wind up dead or on the wrong end of a dispute that involves a lot of people that start sending in top-level operatives that are simply too good at what they do to fail. Lorraine is sent to obtain the list and in the process has to kill a great many people and put herself and others in danger numerous times until she finally obtains the list and heads home to the US.
3. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
There’s a reason why I put this one in this spot instead of the first Kingsman, and it has to do with USA meeting up with the British when it comes to the spy game. Obviously the USA is younger, but in this case they’re the only resource that the Kingsmen have left since their base of operations was destroyed. On that note the two seem pretty even when it comes to the level of technology and skill that they display. However it has to be noted that it took two of the best agents in the Kingsmen to take out one of the best in the Statesmen. If agent Tequila taking out Merlin and Galahad is any indication, the Americans are on par with the Kingsmen.
2. Salt
It’s simply scary to think of double agents or hidden operatives because then it comes down to wondering who you can trust and whether or not your faith in people is sound enough that you can stake your life on it. Evelyn Salt is a KA, a Russian operative that has just been activated and is charged with killing the Russian president to complete her mission. She subsequently deceives and takes out those that have disrupted her life in such a manner even as she remembers that her entire life hinged on her training. Deciding to go against everything that went into making her who she is she turns on her handlers and other KA operatives and eventually escapes from custody to hunt the rest of them down.
1. Mission:Impossible – Fallout
Ethan Hunt has been disavowed, he’s been turned into the enemy, and he’s been hunted down by those beyond and those within the confines of the legal system. He’s one of the toughest spies to ever come along in film and he’s also one of the smartest since he doesn’t rely solely on intelligence but on what his gut tells him is right. Throughout every spy movie there’s a measure of how bad life can really get before the spy up and loses his stuff, but Ethan Hunt has been through so much that you can’t help but think that he’d be justified at times in losing it and really unleashing everything he has on someone. At that point you could only hope he’s aimed at the villain.
Spy movies are continuing to change as the years go by, just as some thought they should.SpectreAtomic Blonde
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