Compelling spy smovies

Actors: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow

In Sydney Pollack's critically acclaimed suspense-thriller, Robert Redford (SPY GAME) stars as CIA Agent Joe Turner. Code name: Condor. When his entire office is massacred, Turner goes on the run from his enemies…and his so-called allies. After reporting the murders to his superiors, the organization wants to bring Condor in – but somebody is trying to take him out. In his frantic hunt for answers, and in a desperate run for his life, Turner abducts photographer Kathy Hale) Faye Dunaway, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR), eventually seducing her into helping him. Every twist leads Condor to the end of his nerves…and will take you to the edge of your seat. With nowhere to turn and no one to trust, Turner realizes his most dangerous enemy may be closer than he ever feared. And as he zeroes in on the truth, he discovers there are some secrets people would kill to keep.

Actors: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau

Selected as one of the top 50 American films of all time by the prestigious American Film Institute, and considered by many critics to be Hitchcock's greatest film, this fast-paced thriller stars Oscar-winner Cary Grant ("Notorious," "The Philadelphia Story") as a Madison Avenue advertising exec who is mistaken for someone else and kidnapped by a group of international spies, headed by James Mason ("A Star Is Born," "Lolita"). After a hair-raising escape, he is framed for a murder he didn't commit and goes on the run with the lovely Eva Marie Saint ("Superman Returns," "On the Waterfront"). Famous for a wild plane attack and a harrowing chase across the faces of Mount Rushmore, this is quintessential Hitchcock ("Psycho," "The Birds"). With Academy Award-winner Martin Landau ("Ed Wood," "The Majestic") as Mason's evil henchman, this film is the rare combination of action, suspense and humor.

Actors: Gene Hackman, Kevin Costner, Sean Young

In a fit of rage, Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman) murders his mistress. To keep a lid on the scandal, Brice's loyal aide (Will Patton) creates the perfect cover-up: he "invents" a more enticing killer - a Russian spy - and enlists naval commander Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) to find him. But as a chilling twist of fate would have it, Farrell also has a strong connection to the victim, and now all of the clues he's been hired to uncover are leading straight to him! In a desperate race against time, Farrell's search for the killer is not only a matter of national security, but also a matter of saving his own life.

Actors: Brad Pitt, Robert Redford

Superstar Brad Pitt teams with Academy Award-winner Robert Redford in this pulse-pounding action thrill ride. When a top-secret, unauthorized mission goes bad, CIA agent Tom Bishop (Pitt) is captured - and sentenced to die. With just 24 hours to get him out alive, Bishop's boss Nathan Muir (Redford) must battle enemies abroad and the system inside the CIA to save his friend. Now, the clock is ticking and the race is on... as the deadliest game of all explodes into the spectacular, adrenaline-fueled thriller that ABC Radio says "Sizzles with suspense!"

Actors: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard

From the director of Forrest Gump and Cast Away comes the year’s most seductive thriller. When Intelligence Officer Max Vatan (Academy Award® nominee Brad Pitt) learns his wife (Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard) may be conspiring with the enemy, he has only 72 hours to prove her innocence and save his family before he must do the unthinkable.

Actors: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds

Tobin Frost (Oscar® winner Denzel Washington), one of the CIA’s brilliant officers turned dangerous traitor, stuns the intelligence community when he resurfaces in South Africa. While being interrogated in a safe house, brutal mercenaries attack, forcing rookie Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) to take the infamous Frost on the run. As the masterful manipulator toys with his reluctant protégé, shaking the young operative’s morality and idealism, the two unlikely allies must fight together to uncover who wants them both dead. Packed with intense action and thrilling suspense, Safe House takes you on a deadly ride through a covert world where no one and no place is ever safe.

Actors: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan

A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, Bridge of Spies tells the story of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on a near impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. High stakes and suspense power a story inspired by true events that capture the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.

Actors: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, John Hurt

Gary Oldman leads a stunning all-star cast in this masterful adaptation of John le Carré’s bestselling novel that redefined the spy thriller. At the height of the Cold War, a precarious operation goes deadly wrong, and the head of British Intelligence wonders if a double agent is leaking vital secrets. Brought out of retirement to expose the potential mole, master spy George Smiley (Oldman) is the only one who can be trusted to expose one of their own.Or can he? As the emotional and physical tolls mount on the high-ranking suspects, Smiley will be forced into the ultimate international spy game where everyone’s motives are in question. Filled with stunning performances by Academy Award® winner Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ciarán Hinds, it’s the powerful and deeply resonant spy tale that Ebert Presents at the Movies hails as “hands down the best new thriller this year.”

Actors: Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch

This critically-acclaimed, Oscar®-winning film (Best Foreign Language Film, 2006) is the erotic, emotionally-charged experience Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly) calls "a nail-biter of a thriller!" Before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's population was closely monitored by the State Secret Police (Stasi). Only a few citizens above suspicion, like renowned pro-Socialist playwright Georg Dreyman, were permitted to lead private lives. But when a corrupt government official falls for Georg's stunning actress-girlfriend, Christa, an ambitious Stasi policeman is ordered to bug the writer's apartment to gain incriminating evidence against the rival. Now, what the officer discovers is about to dramatically change their lives - as well as his - in this seductive political thriller Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) proclaims is "the best kind of movie: one you can't get out of your head."

Actors: Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Olivia Williams

An action-packed suspense-thriller starring Academy Award® nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones), Hanna is “an exuberant chase thriller that pulses with energy!” (Justin Chang, Variety). Raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna’s upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence, in a movie critics are calling “exhilarating, audacious and boldly original!” (Karen Durbin, Elle)

Actors: Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Richard Jenkins

A timely espionage thriller which stars River Phoenix as a seemingly average teenager, except in one respect--his real name is Nikita. River Phoenix has been living a dangerous lie and Sidney Poitier is the secret agent who forces him to face the hard truth about his parents' true identity in this riveting spy thriller.

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Angelina Jolie stars in Salt, a contemporary action thriller from Columbia Pictures. As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who Is Salt?"

Actors: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry

Academy Award-nominee John Travolta ("A Civil Action", "Primary Colors") stars in this action thriller as a charismatic and dangerous CIA operative disillusioned with American bureaucracy, who coerces computer hacker Hugh Jackman ("X-Men", "Someone Like You"), just released from prison, to steal $9 billion from a DEA slush fund. Also starring Emmy Award-winner Halle Berry ("X-Men", "Executive Decision"), Don Cheadle ("Traffic", "Fail Safe") and Sam Shepard ("The Pledge", "The Pelican Brief").

Actors: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Sam Shepard

From the director of The Bourne Identity comes this riveting thriller inspired by the experiences of real-life CIA officer Valerie Plame (Academy Award® nominee** Naomi Watts). When Plame's retired ambassador husband Joe Wilson (Academy Award® winner** Sean Penn) writes a newspaper article challenging the basis for the U.S. war on Iraq, the White House leaks Plame's undercover status—leaving her international contacts vulnerable, her career in shambles and her life in danger. Crackling with sharp dialogue, gripping intrigue and heart-pounding suspense, Fair Game is the adventure that's so unbelievable, it can only be real.

Actors: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering myriad and reprehensible illegal activities, Salinger and Whitman follow the money from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as their targets will stop at nothing - even murder - to continue financing terror and war.

Actors: Malin Akerman, John Cusack

Emerson (John Cusack), a black ops agent with the CIA, is assigned to a remote broadcast station with orders to protect the station and the code operator, Katherine (Malin Akerman). When the station comes under attack, the pair have to work together to defend the station, save themselves and stop their attackers from sending out a deadly code that could change the world as we know it.

Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Stanley Tucci

Triggering our age of high-stakes secrecy, explosive news leaks and the trafficking of classified information, WikiLeaks forever changed the game. Now, in a dramatic thriller based on real events, “The Fifth Estate” reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century’s most fiercely debated organization. The story begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) team up to become underground watchdogs of the privileged and powerful. On a shoestring, they create a platform that allows whistleblowers to anonymously leak covert data, shining a light on the dark recesses of government secrets and corporate crimes. Soon, they are breaking more hard news than the world’s most legendary media organizations combined. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history, they battle each other and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society—and what are the costs of exposing them?

Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Daniel Brühl

In his final starring performance, Philip Seymour Hoffman is unforgettable in this action-thriller from spymaster John Le Carré (TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY). When a mysterious immigrant arrives in Hamburg's Islamic community looking to recover his deceased father's ill-gotten fortune, he attracts the attention of U.S. and German intelligence, kicking off a race to uncover the truth.

Actors: Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Peter Stormare, John Carroll Lynch

Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis), a renegade FBI agent, combats ruthless federal agents to protect Simon, a nine-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new "unbreakable" code. He can read Mercury, the advanced encryption code, as easily as other kids read English. This skill renders the new billion-dollar secret code vulnerable, especially if enemies of the United States should learn of Simon's abilities and capture him. Program chief Nick Kudrow (Alec Baldwin) orders the "security threat" eliminated, but Kudrow hasn't counted on Jeffries getting involved. As they are trailed by deadly assassins, Jeffries quickly realizes that no one can be trusted. Now time is running out, and he discovers his only hope of survival is using Simon's special ability to bring their adversaries to justice.