Spy Movies

I loved The Debt. 

The Debt (2010) is about three retired spies and a fatal secret from their past resurfacing. The cinematography: excellent. The plot: engaging. The acting: top notch.

Helen Mirren executed her lead role flawlessly and convincingly.

But rather than review this movie. I'd like to talk about spy movies. I love spy movies. As a kid, my brother and I watched every James Bond movie and even classics like Where Eagles Dare.

I'm not exactly sure why, but I can feel a distinct style developing for recent espionage movies. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Debt, The Bourne Trilogy (Quadrilogy now?), Taken, The Good Shepard, and The American are all movies that come to mind when thinking about the recent trend of slow-to-start, cold, gritty and beautifully shot spy movies.

All of these blockbuster spy movies rely heavily on star appeal. Stars like Colin Firth, Helen Mirren, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and George Clooney are all cast in hopes of Academy Nominations.

The lead spies are usually rogue intellectual types, with either a moral or selfless mission. Spies are never meant to be self serving. If they were, the film would simply be labeled as a gangster or crime movie.

This recent trend I'm referring to runs counter to the old kind of spy movie which placed an emphasis on the luxury, the gadgets, and traditional war movie. In the past, James Bond was watched by people envious of his lifestyle. Now, spies are more often depicted as living on the run or with some kind of deep internal conflict. It's less about good v. bad, and more about internal struggles.