5 Most Realistic Spy Movies Of All Time

It's not difficult to understand why there are so many movies and TV shows about spies; the very profession is fascinating. Throughout human history, spies have operated right under our noses and passed vital information to interested parties, whether they're working for a government facility or even working as sort of freelance agents. Hercules Mulligan, Mata Hari, and Sir Francis Washington are just a few real-life spies who gained notoriety for their work across the world, but what about in pop culture?

We all love James Bond movies or "Mission: Impossible" or the Jason Bourne movies but we have a larger question to answer here: which spy movies are the most true to life when it comes to the actual job? First off, the immediate answer is "none of the ones we just listed," because as fun as those franchises are, they've got little to no basis in reality. (This also goes for parodies of the genre, like Paul Feig's masterful "Spy" or the eminently silly Austin Powers movies.) Finding a realistic spy movie is a little tough, because it's easy to imagine that not every single second of an actual spy's life is some sort of high-octane thrill ride; in fact, one can safely assume that even spies endure some boredom at work. (A job's a job, after all.)

With that in mind, we've compiled the five most realistic spy movies around — many of which have roots in real history to boot. From a late-career Steven Spielberg masterpiece to an unexpected Oscar winner to an acclaimed literary adaptation, here are the five most most true-to-life spy movies you can watch if you want your intrigue with a dose of reality.

Ben Affleck steps behind the camera as a director with some regularity at this point in his career, but there's no question that his 2012 spy drama "Argo," based on one of the most daring missions in the entire history of the CIA, is a major highlight. With a screenplay by Chris Terrio adapted from both Tony Mendez's 1999 book "The Master of Disguise" and an article that ran in Wired in 2007 titled "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" by Joshua Bearman, "Argo" tells the story of the so-called "Canadian Caper."

"Argo" also casts Affleck himself as Mendez, a technical operations officer for the CIA who personally orchestrated the Canadian Caper ... though he did have plenty of help, as the film accurately depicts. So what were the specifics of the Canadian Caper? In November of 1979, as "Argo" shows us, Iranian extremists storm the American embassy in Tehran and hold well over 60 staff members hostage; six escape and are able to seek shelter at the home of Ken Taylor (Victor Garber), the Canadian ambassador). At first, Mendez can't figure out how to pull out those six people, but after watching 1973's "Battle for the Planet of the Apes," he decides that he, his fellow operatives, and the trapped Americans themselves will pose as Canadian film scouts looking for a location for a science fiction movie, enabling them to leave safely.

The ending of "Argo" is absolutely thrilling, and all things considered, it's not a huge surprise that this film won best picture at the 2013 Academy Awards. Thanks to its commitment to Mendez's story, "Argo" isn't just a phenomenal spy movie, but an accurate one ... save for a few things that downplay the Canadian efforts.

Loosely adapted from Robert Baer's memoir "See No Evil," which hit shelves in 2003, "Syriana" isn't just the movie that earned George Clooney his first-ever acting Oscar; it's also a riveting spy drama with a basis in real historical fact. (Hilariously, Clooney won his second Academy Award in 2013 as a producer ... for "Argo.") In "Syriana," which was written and directed by Stephen Gagnan, there are multiple crossing storylines, all of which do center on oiI fields in the Persian Gulf that draw the interest of American company Connex Oil. After drilling rights in that area are given to China, Connex Oil strikes up a deal with Killen, which has drilling rights in Kazahkstan ... but because Connex and Killen are both such enormous conglomerates, this merger immediately raises questions with the Department of Justice. 

While some of "Syriana" is distinctly not related to espionage — namely, the corporate merger stuff — the best spy action in the film comes courtesy of Clooney's character Bob Barnes, a CIA officer on assignment in Tehran who's attempting to cull illegal arms trafficking in the region. Working as a spy, Barnes ends up dealing with Hezbollah, all while being asked to assassinate Prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig), the foreign minister of the Emirates, whom the CIA believes is funding the very arms sales Barnes is trying to stop. We don't want to spoil all of the delightful twists and turns of "Syriana" here, but this is a definite career high for Clooney, an astounding spy film, and a darkly accurate portrayal of what it's like for American operatives to try and survive in the divided region of the Middle East.

Because John le Carré worked in British intelligence agencies — both the security agency MI5 and the intelligence service MI6 — before he turned to writing, his spy novels are regarded as exceptionally accurate while remaining engaging, fun, and compulsively readable. Thankfully, the 2011 adaptation of his beloved classic "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" sticks closely to the source material. Directed by Tomas Alfredson with a screenplay from Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" casts Gary Oldman as le Carré's stalwart intelligence officer George Smiley, who works with the fictional British intelligence agency called the Circus. In this story, which takes place in 1970s London, Smiley ends up helping find a Soviet spy in the ranks of the Circus, but the story starts off with a literal bang when the leader of the Circus, simply referred to as "Control," sends agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) in to investigate the situation, only for Prideaux to be shot during the mission. (In the back, no less!)

As Control's deputy, Smiley is a major figure on the mission dubbed "Operation Witchcraft," which, again, is trying to sniff out a Soviet spy. After Control dies in the wake of Prideaux's death, Smiley assembles a team that includes Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a special inspector named Mendel (Roger Lloyd-Pack) to help him, as he gets information from a field agent in hiding named Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy). 

With a star-studded cast that includes everyone from John Hurt to Ciarán Hinds to to Colin Firth to Toby Jones to le Carré himself as an unnamed party guest, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" — which refers to the group that helps Smiley solve the mystery — is exceptional. It's also pretty freakin' accurate.

An espionage thriller that's an absolute must-watch, "Bridge of Spies" — directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Matt Charman and Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring America's dad Tom Hanks — centers its attention on a figure who may not be a household name, but was a vitally important person during the Cold War. That person in question is James B. Donovan, a lawyer played by Hanks who undertook the difficult task of leading negotiations during the geopolitical conflict between the United States and the USSR to trade two hostages: American fighter pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell in the film), who's in a Soviet prison after his plane was shot down over the region. Despite previously defending Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) against criminal charges, Hanks' Donovan is given yet another challenge: trade Abel and relinquish America's criminal charges against him in exchange for Powers.

The exchange itself takes place at the bridge that inspires the movie's title — Glienicke Bridge in Germany — and another American prisoner named Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers) held in Germany is added to the deal in the process at Donovan's urging. In doing so, Donovan allows Abel to reunite with his family in the USSR and both Pryor and Powers are finally freed from their own captivities, making Donovan into a national hero when all is said and done. Obviously, Hanks and Rylance are incredible as two ostensible enemies — Rylance, in particular, won his first Academy Award for best supporting actor thanks to his layered turn as Rudolf Abel — and "Bridge of Spies" does an incredible job telling a story that, frankly, too few people had heard before.

The second John le Carré adaptation on this list really drives the point home that this esteemed author knew a thing or two about crafting accurate, compulsively consumable spy dramas ... though this one does not feature his stalwart character George Smiley. Adapted from le Carré's 2008 novel of the same name by screenwriter Andrew Bovell and director Anton Corbijn, "A Most Wanted Man," which came out in 2014 stars the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman as Günther Bachmann, a German intelligence officer who leads an anti-terrorism unit alongside his close associate Irna Frey (Nina Hoss). Under Bachmann's nose, a political refugee hailing from Chechnya named Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) sneaks into Germany, but when Bachmann learns about this, he starts to suspect that Karpov might be involved in terrorist activity.

To track Karpov down in Germany, Bachmann links up with immigration lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) and banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe), both of whom have long-held connections to Karpov that could help Bachmann truly investigate whether or not the man is guilty or innocent. As Bachmann, Richter, and Brue try to discover the fullest truth about Karpov, this cat-and-mouse movie remains eminently gripping, especially thanks to the central performances from Hoffman, Hoss, Dobrygin, McAdams, and Dafoe and supporting turns from talents like Robin Wright, Daniel Brühl, and Vicky Krieps (years before Krieps stunned audiences across the world in films like "Phantom Thread" and "Old"). Again, if you see le Carré's name attached to a spy movie, you can safely assume it has a solid basis in reality ... and if you want to watch the adaptation of one of his most underrated novels, you won't want to miss "A Most Wanted Man."