If you love thrilling chases, stunning locales, and espionage, check out our list of the most enjoyable spy films to watch on Netflix. For your eyes only: The 8 best spy movies to stream on Netflix If you love thrilling chases, stunning locales, and espionage, check out our list of the most enjoyable spy films to watch on Netflix. By Kevin Jacobsen and Terry Terrones on December 3, 2025 6:10 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/netflixspymovies0430258398f15495684b09b84bfb3090a2409f.

If you love thrilling chases, stunning locales, and espionage, check out our list of the most enjoyable spy films to watch on Netflix.

For your eyes only: The 8 best spy movies to stream on Netflix

If you love thrilling chases, stunning locales, and espionage, check out our list of the most enjoyable spy films to watch on Netflix.

By Kevin Jacobsen and Terry Terrones

on December 3, 2025 6:10 a.m. ET

Ryan Gosling as Courtland Gentry/Sierra Six in 'The Gray Man'; Colin Firth as Ewen Montagu in 'Operation Mincemeat'; Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain in 'Munich — The Edge of War'. Credit:

Stanislav Honzik/Netflix; Giles Keyte/Courtesy See-Saw Films/Netflix; Frederic Batier/Netflix

When you're in the mood for intrigue, nothing hits the spot quite like a good spy movie. A genre driven by duplicity and deception, the films listed below are full of plots that twist, and missions that seem impossible. With options ranging from dramas, historical fiction, and action, spy movies can do it all — often undercover.

Here are the 8 best spy movies streaming on Netflix.

The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared (2016)

David Wiberg as Benny (right) in 'The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared'. Everett Collection

This sequel to the Oscar-nominated Swedish film *The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared* (2013) finds Allan (Robert Gustafsson) recalling his life as a double agent where he created a drink called "Folksoda." Now 101 years old, he attempts to track down the secret formula, hidden in a cigar box in Berlin, only to discover that a woman who claims Allan stole the formula from her father is hoping to get her own hands on it. Those who appreciated the cheeky comedy of its predecessor will find similar amusement in *The 101-Year-Old Man*'s take on Cold War politics. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared*: Netflix

**Directors: **Felix Herngren and Måns Herngren

**Cast: **Robert Gustafsson, Iwar Wiklander, David Wiberg, Shima Niavarani, Jens Hultén

The Angel (2018)

Marwan Kenzari as Ashraf Marwan in 'The Angel'. Everett Collection

Ashraf Marwan, the son-in-law of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser who operated as a spy for Israel, gets the biopic treatment here in this 2018 spy thriller. The film tracks Marwan as he initially offers suggestions for peaceful solutions to their conflict with Israel, only to be rebuked by the president, eventually leading him to offer his intel to the Israeli government. Marwan Kenzari (*Aladdin*, *Black Adam*) portrays the real-life spy, who some believed to be a double agent. The film earned mostly positive reviews, with praise for its engrossing storytelling and Kenzari's performance. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Angel*: Netflix

**Director: **Ariel Vromen

**Cast: **Marwan Kenzari, Toby Kebbell

The Gray Man (2022)

Ryan Gosling as Courtland Gentry/Sierra Six in 'The Gray Man'. Paul Abell/Netflix

Ken vs. Captain America! While on a mission, CIA agent Six (Ryan Gosling) learns his supervisor Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page) is running unsanctioned assassination operations. When Six refuses to play ball, Carmichael sends smarmy, murderous, child kidnapper Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) to eliminate him, no matter how much collateral damage it causes. While the film wasn't shown much love by critics, the choice to cast two of Hollywood's most beloved leading men opposite each other was a strong one.

According to EW's critic, "Evans, smirking like a catbird, is the movie's main antagonist, and his pairing with Gosling is the pretty-man *Godzilla vs. Kong* most viewers came to see." Evans' snarky banter — ripped straight from the Movie Villain 101 playbook — combined with Gosling's Jason Bourne impression make for a wild ride. —*Terry Terrones*

Where to watch *The Gray Man*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B–

**Directors: **Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

**Cast: **Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Dhanush, Alfre Woodard, Billy Bob Thornton******

Munich — The Edge of War (2022)

Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain (standing) in 'Munich — The Edge of War'. Everett Collection

Two former college friends on opposite sides of the coming Second World War conspire to take down Hitler in this 2022 spy thriller. Based on the historical novel *Munich* by Robert Harris, the film centers on Hugh Legat, a private secretary for British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, and Paul von Hartmann, a translator for the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With Chamberlain hoping to reach a peaceful agreement, Legat conspires with Hartmann to stop the dictator while they still can.

While it's hard to ignore how this story would ultimately end in reality, there is added resonance in viewing a historical account (however fictionalized its players may be) of the people who stuck their necks out to prevent catastrophe. George MacKay (*1917*) and Jannis Niewöhner play the friends/co-conspirators, while Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons portrays Chamberlain, with Sandra Hüller (*Toni Erdmann*) and Jessica Brown Findlay (*Downton Abbey*) filling out the cast. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Munich — The Edge of War*: Netflix

**Director: **Christian Schwochow

**Cast: **George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Jeremy Irons, Sandra Hüller, Liv Lisa Fries, August Diehl, Jessica Brown Findlay******

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Official Secrets (2019)

Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun in 'Official Secrets'.

Nick Wall/IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on real-life events, *Official Secrets* tells the story of Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley), a translator-turned-whistleblower who leaks a top-secret memo exposing an illegal spying operation conducted by American and British intelligence agencies before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Katharine refuses to be silenced by her government as her leak becomes public, leading to much political and personal turmoil as she attempts to stand her ground and do what's right.**** "It's hard not to be moved by the singular passion of a woman who effectively dismantled her own life," writes EW's critic, "not just to salve her conscience but to save, as she saw it, the soul of a nation." *Official Secrets* flew under the radar when it was released in 2019, but it remains one of Knightley's best, most powerful, and most underrated performances. —*T.T.*

Where to watch *Official Secrets*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Gavin Hood

**Cast:** Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, Ralph Fiennes**

Operation Mincemeat (2022)

Colin Firth as Ewen Montagu and Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley in 'Operation Mincemeat'. Giles Keyte/See-Saw Films/Netflix

The plot behind *Operation Mincemeat* might sound implausible if it weren't true. Taking place during World War II, Lt. Cmdr. Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) strategizes with intelligence officer Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) to execute Operation Mincemeat. The plan: In order to trick the Nazis into thinking the Allies will invade from Greece rather than Sicily, they plant misleading papers on a corpse, passing him off as a deceased captain.

Directed by John Madden (*Shakespeare in Love*, *Miss Sloane*), the film provides old-school thrills, with a massive ensemble of beloved British actors. Also of note is a fun inclusion by Johnny Flynn as Ian Fleming, the mastermind behind the James Bond book series. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Operation Mincemeat*: Netflix

**Director: **John Madden

**Cast: **Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn, Jason Isaacs******

Red Notice (2021)

Ryan Reynolds as Nolan Booth, Gal Gadot as Sarah 'the Bishop' Black, and Dwayne Johnson as John Hartley in 'Red Notice'.

Frank Masi/Netflix

Enjoyable spy movies don't always have to take themselves seriously, as *Red Notice*, an action spy comedy, clearly demonstrates. John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is an FBI criminal profiler assigned to assist an Interpol agent in catching international art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds). But when the duo are both outwitted by Booth's rival, the Bishop (Gal Gadot), the film turns into a globe-trotting romp, allowing for a bevy of one-liners at Dwayne Johnson's expense, and plot twists galore.

In an interview with EW, director Rawson Marshall Thurber compares *Red Notice* to "*Fast & Furious 9.5*," and attributes the film's success to Johnson and Reynolds' real-life bromance. "They have incredible chemistry together both on set and off," says Thurber. "When the cameras aren't rolling, they're yukking it up just as much as they are when we put them in front of the camera." Happy to sacrifice plot in favor of over-the-top action, *Red Notice*'s playful nature is enough to justify its two upcoming sequels, with all its stars and the director set to return. —*T.T.*

Where to watch *Red Notice*: Netflix

**Director: **Rawson Marshall Thurber

**Cast: **Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Ritu Arya, Chris Diamantopoulos******

Wasp Network (2020)

Édgar Ramírez as René González (center) in 'Wasp Network'.

*Wasp Network* follows the tangled web of operatives during Fidel Castro's reign of Cuba in the 1990s. Édgar Ramírez plays René González, a pilot who defects from Cuba without telling his family and establishes himself in Miami with a group of anti-Castro exiles who perpetrate terrorist attacks on Cuba. After his wife, Olga (Penélope Cruz), looks for answers, she discovers that René actually infiltrated the group on behalf of Cuban intelligence.

The intricate story is based on true events, with handsome visuals and a standout cast surrounding Ramírez and Cruz, including Gael García Bernal, Ana de Armas, and Wagner Moura. The film was directed by Olivier Assayas, who previously worked with Ramírez on the miniseries *Carlos*. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Wasp Network*: Netflix

**Director: **Olivier Assayas

**Cast: **Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Gael García Bernal, Ana de Armas, Wagner Moura

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movie"

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Source: Movie

Published: December 03, 2025 at 06:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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