The 21 Best Spy Movies on Netflix (And a Few TV Shows as Well), Ranked

• Who's in It: Daryl Sabara, Alexa PenaVega, Antonio Benderas, Carla Gugino
• Rating: 93% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 28m

Frankly, if you have anything bad to say about Spy Kids, I don't want to hear it. But sure, you're entitled to your own opinion of course, even it its wrong. That said, even I will admit that the series has...um...not quite progressed in terms of quality as it's gone on. So, to put Spy Kids 4 among the best spy movies might be a stretch, but since its the only one in the OG franchise on Netflix (there have been even more recent ones too, but with a new production team), I am using my free press card to include it anyway. Sue me!

• Who's in It: Kevin James, Andy Garcia, Zulay Henao
• Rating: 0% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 38m

Technically, yes, this is a spy movie. But Kevin James stars in it, so you know that the action film will have plenty of tasteful laugh out loud moments, too. True Memoirs of an International Assassin follows the misadventures of an author who finds himself mistaken for a skilled assassin after his fictional novel about a deadly operative is mistaken for a true story -- yep, sounds like the perfect role for Mr. James. Is it the best movie you'll ever see? No. But it's still well worth your time (we think).

• Who's in It: Tabu, Ali Fazal
• Rating: 59% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 37m

Khufiya is an Indian spy thriller that dives into an extensive web of secrets inside Indian intelligence agencies. In the midst of political tensions and national security choas, the movie is a thrilling film full of complex missions, and plenty of twists. Khufiya will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

• Who's in It: N/A
• Rating: N/A
• Runtime: 1h per episode

Nisman: The Prosecutor, The President, And The Spy is the only documentary series that we included on this list. The show, which only lasted one season, investigated the mysterious death of Argentine prosecutor, Alberto Nisman. To understand potential reasons for his demise, the series explored his high-profile investigation into the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which implicated top government officials. Through interviews, available footage, and insight from professionals, the series delves into the web of espionage and corruption that surrounded Nisman's life and work.

• Who's in It: Adam Bakri, Waleed Zuaiter, Leem Lubany
• Rating: 90% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 38m

Omar is set in the occupied West Bank, and follows the story of a a young Palestinian baker turned freedom fighter, named Omar. The movie is a commentary on the harsh realities of life under occupation, with some heavy themes that are not always present in typical espionage films. Plus, if you ever start Googling a movie, and the first search suggestion that comes up is "so and so, explained", you know you're in for a good one.

• Who's in It: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Frederic Forrest
• Rating: 97% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 53m

The Conversation is a psychological thriller that follows Harry Caul, whose journey begins with a mundane job -- he's hired to record a seemingly innocent conversation -- but turns into a full on obsession with deciphering its true meaning. Is it paranoia? Is he on to something? The movie has viewers on the edge of their seats trying to figure out what on earth is going on.

• Who's in It: Luis Tosar, Alexandra Masangkay, Georgina Amoros
• Rating: 60% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 46m

Code Name: Emperor is basically one long ethical dilemma that will have you questioning who you can trust. Basically, it has everything a good spy movie needs: a little bit of deceit and questionable motives.

• Who's in It: Chris Evans, Michael K. Williams, Haley Bennett, Michiel Huisman, Alessandro Nivola, Greg Kinnear
• Rating: 29% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 9m

Another spy film that is loosely based on actual events, The Red Sea Diving Resort stars Chris Evans as an Israeli Mossad agent named Ari Levinson who works with Kabede Bimro (Michael K. Williams), an Ethiopian Jew, to evacuate Jewish refugees from persecution.

• Who's in It: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Film
• Rating: 84% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 8m

Based on the true story of Operation Mincemeat back in 1943, the eponymous film recreates the events, which was a British mission designed to trick Nazi forces into thinking they were going to attack Greece when in reality, the Allied forces were headed for Sicily. With its outstanding cast and true story, Operation Mincemeat is definitely one of the best spy movies on Netflix.

• Who's in It: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan
• Rating: 30% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h, 2m

If you've been wondering about where the future of spy movies is going, this 2023 film has the answer for you. Artificial intelligence. Heart of Stone asks the question we all want to know the answer to: How can we ever protect data and sensitive information in this age of AI and Big Data? As if spy movies weren't already full of enough deceit and secrets, imagine how complex the espionage film world gets when accessible and universal AI is the topic.

• Who's in It: Dylan O'Brien, Michael Keaton, Shiva Negar
• Rating: 34%
• Runtime: 1h, 51m

American Assassin follows a young man named Mitch Rapp, who is seeking revenge after his fiancée is killed in a terrorist attack. After being recruited by the CIA, Rapp undergoes intense training under veteran operative Stan Hurley to become a skilled assassin. O'Brien and Keaton make an unlikely but perfect duo in this thriller.

• Who's in It: Jeremy Irons, Alex Jennings, George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Sandra Hüller, Liv Lisa Fries
• Rating: 86% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 3m

Based on an international bestselling novel, Munich: The Edge of War follows two diplomats, one British and one German, as they attempt to unravel a conspiracy that will unravel and spill over into World War II.

• Who's in It: Marwan Kenzari, Toby Kebbell, Sasson Gabai, Waleed Zuaiter
• Rating: 69% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 30m

The Angel, distributed by Netflix in 2018, tells the story of Ashraf Marwan (Marwan Kenzari), an Egyptian diplomat who was married to Egyptian President Nasser’s daughter and ended up working as a secret agent for the Israeli Mossad.

Based on Israeli professor Url Bar-Joseph’s book The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel, The Angel, explores Marwan’s time working as a spy for Israel and the emotional struggles he went through in an effort to maintain peace between the two countries.

Set in the aftermath of the Six-Day War between the two countries in 1967, the film is full of double-crossings and loose ends that make it clear just how logistically and morally complicated being a spy can be.

• Who's in It: Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Ana de Armas, Gael Garcia Bernal
• Rating: 40% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 3m

I'm pretty sure Penelope Cruz and Ana de Armas were put on this world to play spies in complex spy movies. A quick rundown of this movie is that it involves Cuban spies in the 1990s who are on. a mission to stop anti-Casytro terrorists. Basically, just reading about the plot of this movie is enough to stress you out, so of course it's a great thriller.

• Who's in It: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Chris Diamantopoulos
• Rating: 36% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 57m

One of Netflix's biggest and most expensive productions ever (I mean, look at this cast!) Red Notice is an action-packed thrill ride, in which an FBI profiler (Dwayne Johnson) must work together with an art thief (Ryan Reynolds) to track down another criminal (Gal Gadot).

• Who's in It: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas
• Rating: 45% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 9m

• Who's in It: Sacha Baron Cohen, Hadar Ratzon-Rotem, Yael Eitan, Noah Emmerich
• Rating: 86% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h (per episode)

Sacha Baron Cohen is best known for outrageous comedic roles like Borat and Bruno, but in The Spy, a miniseries co-produced by Netflix, Cohen’s dramatic abilities are on full display.

In The Spy, Cohen plays Eli Cohen (no relation), a Mossad agent tasked with carrying out important tasks for the Israeli government during the Six-Day War between Israel and Syria in 1967.

Based on real-life events, the crux of the story follows Cohen as he disguises himself as a man named Kamel Amin Thaabet and integrates himself into Syrian society, eventually gaining the title of Deputy Defense Minister in the hopes that the knowledge he gains and actions he takes will all benefit Israel in the long run. 

• Who's in It: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kiera Knightley, Matthew Goode
• Rating: 90% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 53m

The Imitation Game is based on the truly remarkable true story of mathematician Alan Turing. He leads a team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War II, tasked with deciphering the German Enigma code. Sounds easy enough, right?

• Who's in It: Keith Melton, Dylan Berry, Robert Bigman, Hamet Yousef, Robert Wallace
• Rating: 52% (Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score)
• Runtime: 30m

Based on the book Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda, Spycraft is a Netflix original docu-series that takes viewers through different key components of espionage and how they have evolved over the years. Released in late January 2021 to limited fanfare (potentially because the powers at be don’t want individuals to know the truth about American spycraft), the eight-episode series has entries on everything from the power of “sexpionage” to how agencies go about recruiting individuals to become spies.  

• Who's in It: Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Robert DeNiro, Alec Baldwin
• Rating: 56% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 2h 48m

The Good Shepherd follows Edward Wilson, a highly disciplined and very secretive CIA officer who is a spy during a particular scary time to be in the espionage business: the Cold War era. As he makes his way up through the ranks, Wilson grapples with moral dilemmas, personal sacrifices, and plenty of betrayals. At the same time, he's also worried about protecting his country's interests and maintaining his own integrity -- you know how it is.

• Who's in It: Lotte Verbeek, Bill Pullman, James Bloor, Robert Więckiewicz, Aleksey Serebryakov
• Rating: 0% (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Runtime: 1h 43m

As mentioned in the intro, The Cold War is when the world of espionage and secret agents first entered the mainstream imagination. The 2019 film The Coldest Game follows Joshua Mansky (Bill Pullman), an American mathematician who is forced to become a spy for the government during one of the Cold War's most dangerous eras.

Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the movie follows the alcoholic Mansky as he prepares and competes in a chess tournament in Warsaw while simultaneously trying to discreetly take in as much information about the Soviets as possible.