Tension is the name of the game in the espionage subgenre. The threat of discovery is ever-present, the possibility of capture, interrogation, torture or worse is a constant. Trust is a rare commodity – whether our protagonist is a hyper-competent globe-trotting secret agent with a license to kill or an everyday person caught up in international intrigue.
The spy movie is a perennial genre fave for a reason – suspense is built in at the foundational level. And TV series get more time for the twists and turns. So, if you’re in the mood for a little covert action, brush up on your tradecraft, count your passports, and memorise these top secret files from SBS’s agents in the field. And do pay attention, 007…
Homeland
Adapted from the Israeli series Prisoners of War, Homeland sees Claire Danes’ seasoned but unstable counter-terrorism agent suspect that something is rotten when Damien Lewis’ marine sniper is rescued after eight years as a captive of Al Qaeda. Has he been turned? That could be a real problem, considering his political ambitions could put him next to the President. What starts off as a riff on The Manchurian Candidate becomes a twisty labyrinth of dirty politics and even dirtier intelligence operations over the course of eight enthralling seasons.
Homeland is streaming at SBS On Demand.
One from the other side of the Iron Curtain, this ‘70s-set new Romanian series sees Alec Secareanu as Victor Godeanu, Romanian spymaster, close confidante of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, and secretly an agent of the KGB. About to be rumbled by Romanian counterintelligence, he resolves to defect to the West, but getting his daughter out as well may prove impossible, especially as Ceaușescu’s assassins are closing in. Viewing the 20th century’s classic clandestine conflict, the Cold War, from an unusual vantage point, this is an unmissable offering for thriller fans.
Spy/Master is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Haywire
Always one to enjoy playing around in different genres, director Steven Soderbergh tackles the action thriller here, setting Gia Carano’s black ops agent on the run, with a sinister conspiracy aiming to put her in the ground. But the plot doesn’t matter here – it’s just an excuse for a series of incredible action sequences, with former MMA champion Carano putting the hurt on an impressive list of co-stars, including Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas.
Haywire is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Spy Game
While Brad Pitt’s CIA assassin faces execution after being captured by the Chinese in this 2001 film, Robert Redford’s seasoned veteran – who happens to be Pitt’s mentor – brings all his skill to the task of getting him released. In flashback, we see how the two have worked together since the ‘70s, bouncing from Berlin to Beirut to Vietnam, and dirty job after dirty job. The late action maestro Tony Scott (Top Gun) brings all his technical brio to bear on this brisk thriller that spans 30 years of clandestine warfare.
Spy Game is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Icons Unearthed: James Bond
We could hardly have a spy collection without mentioning the most famous spy in fiction. This six-part documentary series traces the evolution of James Bond, from his literary origins as the creation of author and wartime secret agent Ian Fleming, to his lasting fame as an icon of the silver screen, beginning with Sean Connery in 1962’s Dr No. Encompassing the character’s real world inspirations, his repeated reinvention to keep pace with changing social mores and tastes, and his massive cultural impact, this is a must for 007 fans.
Icons Unearthed: James Bond is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Icons Unearthed: James Bond
The Spy
This Norwegian production brings us the tall but true tale of Sonja Wigert ( Ingrid Bolso Berdal) Scandinavian movie star turned spy, who acted as a double agent for Swedish wartime intelligence following the Nazi invasion of Norway and her own father’s arrest by the SS. Sex becomes a weapon as she seduces a high ranking Nazi officer in order to prise military secrets from him, but the actions of a German mole threaten to blow her cover. Somewhat reminiscent of Paul Verhoeven’s Black Bookthis is an at times unbearably tense WWII thriller.
The Spy is streaming at SBS On Demand.
A Call to Spy
Another World War II film based on actual events, A Call to Spy sees a desperate Winston Churchill authorise the nascent Special Operations Executive to begin recruiting female agents to undermine the Nazi campaign of conquest. Two such agents are one-legged American Virginia Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas, who also write the script) and Indian pacifist Noor Inayat Khan (Radhika Apte), who soon find themselves behind enemy lines in occupied France with orders to build a resistance network. A fascinating look at a little-seen side of the conflict.
A Call to Spy is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Find more intrigue in the films, series and documentaries in SBS On Demand’s .
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