A series ofJames Bondfilmsovertook the 1980s, but there are a few other on-screen spies with equally thrilling stories.Spy films have presented various exciting stories over the years, dealing with corruption, high-stakes missions, and political conflict. Often, spy films present a clear hero and villain, making it easy for audiences to become invested. Additionally, this distinction allows for the leading actors to stand out and give a lauded dramatic performance, such as Kevin Costner and Donald Sutherland.
Considering the decade in which these films were released, a few of them deal with components of the Cold War, while others take a different approach to the genre by implementing themes of relatable family dynamics and romance. Some of thesefilmsare up there with thebest spy movies of all time, such asNo Way Out, while others areunderrated entries in the genre, worthy of some recognition, includingThe Amateur. With as many spy films as there were being released around the decade, it was easy for great films to slip through the cracks.
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
Cast
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is an action-comedy film directed by Guy Hamilton. It stars Fred Ward as a former New York City cop who is recruited into a secret government organization and trained by a Korean martial arts master (Joel Grey). The film follows his journey as he adopts the new identity of Remo Williams to combat high-level corruption.
Differing from other spy thrillers listed,Remo Williams: The Adventure Beginsdoesn’t have the highest levels of praise from critics. The film stars Fred Ward as the titular secret agent for the United States organization CURE. Remo trains with a martial arts master and sets out on his mission to investigate a sketchy program within the U.S. Army.
Throughout the movie, the mix of martial arts and espionage is sure to entertain, while the various locations of action scenes, like the Statue of Liberty, are sure to impress.
The goal withRemo Williamswas to begin a new action-adventure franchise, with the film’s distributor, Orion Pictures, drawing similarities between Remo and James Bond (viaLos Angeles Times). However, a negative critical response and a failing performance at the box office put an end toRemo Williams' future as a franchise. Still, there’s plenty of fun to be had with the film.
The thrill ofRemo Williamsdoesn’t necessarily come from its narrative, but its action and merging of genres instead. Throughout the movie,the mix of martial arts and espionage is sure to entertain, while the various locations of action scenes, like the Statue of Liberty, are sure to impress.
The Amateur
The Amateur follows a CIA researcher who persuades his superiors to send him to the Eastern Bloc to avenge his wife’s murder by enemy agents, only to unravel a complex web of deception surrounding her death.
The Amateurfollows Charles Heller (John Savage),a cryptographer for the CIA, as he makes his way into Czechoslovakia to confront those responsible for killing his fiancée. The film is based on Robert Littell’s novel of the same name. Littell specializes in the spy genre, writing stories that typically involve the CIA and the Soviet Union. ThoughThe Amateurisn’t as action-packed as other spy films tend to be, it’s still a thrilling watch.
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A great amount of suspense builds throughout the film asCharles, with little training, is left to fend for himself in an unknown area. Savage might not be as charismatic or exciting as other on-screen action stars, but he delivers a compelling performance that helps keep audiences invested in his character’s story. Savage is also supported by a range of actors, including John Marley, Nicholas Campbell, and Christopher Plummer.
Firefox
Firefox is a 1982 action thriller directed by Clint Eastwood, featuring Eastwood as Mitchell Gant, a former Vietnam War pilot. Tasked with a covert mission, Gant must infiltrate the Soviet Union and steal a highly advanced jet fighter, Firefox, rumored to be undetectable by radar.
Among allthe films Clint Eastwood has directedand starred in,Firefoxremains mostly one of a kind.Eastwood produced, directed, and led the techno-thrilleras Major Mitchell Gant, a Vietnam veteran assigned to retrieve a Soviet fighter jet.Firefoxhas a slow start that sees Mitchell carrying out a typical mission seen many times throughout the genre.
However,Firefoxthen becomes an all-out action film,filled with the intense sequences and confrontationsassociated with Eastwood’s work. ThoughFirefoxdoesn’t quite reach the heights ofEastwood’s other non-Western action films, it still entertains.
The special effects are respectable, and the plot, while simple, is easy to follow and have fun with. Still, Eastwood’s star power andFirefox’s box office numbers weren’t enough to reach higher levels of success.Firefoxearned mostly negative reviews from critics, which put an end to any potential sequels.
The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves is a World War II espionage film where English intelligence enlists elderly veterans to execute a covert mission against a German spy in Goa, India. This operation leverages their age for disguise, as traditional military tactics are impossible in the neutral Portuguese territory.
Based on James Leasor’s book,Boarding Party,The Sea Wolvesworks as both a war and spy film. Both the film and book tell the story of Operation Creek, a covert military operation that took place during World War II.The Sea Wolvesstars Gregory Peck, David Niven, and James Bond actor Roger Moore, among a few other well-known American and British actors.
The Sea Wolvesdoes take its time to get to its action scenes, and though that may turn some audiences away, patient viewers will be rewarded with an entertaining spy film that highlights the best of the genre.
There are a few inevitable creative differences between what happened in real life and what’s seen on screen, butThe Sea Wolvesstill uses its historical inspiration to its advantage. There is a gradual tension built throughoutThe Sea Wolves,and the filming location in Goa, India, makes for some stunning visuals.
Target
During a trip to Paris, American Donna Lloyd is kidnapped. Meanwhile, her college son Chris and her husband Walter are worried to death in Dallas when they notice she has been missing for two days. So the pair decide to start looking for her, risking whatever it takes.
Targetbegins as a family drama with a dissimilar father-and-son duo who struggle to see eye to eye. However, the film quickly turns into a thrilling spy mystery when Chris' (Matt Dillon) mother goes missing and the past of his father (Gene Hackman), a former CIA agent, comes to light.Targetis full of the standard action expected of a spy film, including car chases, as Chris and his father, Walter, are racing against the clock to reunite with their family member.
Accompanying the film’s spy themes is a neat story about a reluctant father and son forced to work together for the sake of their family. Dillon, who’d worked on a handful of films before, includingMy BodyguardandThe Outsiders, holds his own acting opposite Hackman. Already seen as an acclaimed actor in films likeBonnie & ClydeandThe French Connection, Hackman continues to showcase his prowess in dramatic roles and is a captivating presence inTarget.
The Fourth Protocol
The Fourth Protocol (1987) is a suspenseful espionage thriller centered around an elite British intelligence agent who uncovers a Soviet plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in the United Kingdom. As he races against time to thwart the plan, the film delves into themes of political intrigue and Cold War tensions, offering a gripping narrative and strong performances that capture the era’s pervasive sense of danger and uncertainty.
One of the many films adapted from the work of novelist Frederick Forsyth,The Fourth Protocolfollowsa demoted British spy, John Preston (Michael Caine), who works to prevent a nuclear bomb set to go off on British soil. James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan acts as the KGB agent behind the hazardous plan. As seen in numerous otherfilm adaptations of books, there are a few differences between Forsyth’s story andThe Fourth Protocolfilm.
The biggest difference is the large portion of political content left out of the film. Still,The Fourth Protocolisfilled with suspense the whole way through. Caine delivers a strong performance, reminiscent of his work inThe Whistle Blowerthe year before. However, it is Brosnan who steals the show. As the relentless assassin, Brosnan has a chilling presence within the film that rarely lets up.
The Falcon and the Snowman
The Falcon and the Snowman recounts the true story of a disenchanted military contractor employee and his drug-dealing childhood friend who become spies for the Soviet Union. Released in 1985, the film explores their descent into espionage during the Cold War era.
Robert Lindsey’s award-winning book,The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship and Espionage, acts as the inspiration forThe Falcon and the Snowman’s story. The film follows young American men, Christopher Boyce (Timothy Hutton) and Daulton Lee (Sean Penn).
The former gets a job with the CIA and teams up with his friend Daulton to sell information to the Soviet Unionafter discovering a troublesome truth about the American government.The Falcon and the Snowmanis tense the whole way through and has just the right amount of ingredients for a gripping thriller.
However,The Falcon and the Snowmanalso manages to work as a dramatic character study, as Christopher and Daulton’s tendency to rush into things quickly becomes a problem.The Falcon and the Snowmanwasn’t a great success at the box office, but that didn’t stop critical acclaim from rolling in. Both Hutton and Penn received praise from critics, who felt the actors grounded the film with their realistic portrayals of the naive and impetuous young men.
Eye of the Needle
Eye of the Needle is a 1981 espionage thriller directed by Richard Marquand, starring Donald Sutherland as a German spy known as “The Needle.” Set during World War II, the film follows his mission to uncover the Allied invasion plans and his unexpected encounter with a lonely woman on a remote Scottish island, which complicates his objectives. The film is based on Ken Follett’s bestselling novel.
Spy films, especially when produced in rapid succession, can get formulaic. Therefore, it’s always refreshing when a spy film takes a differing approach to the genre, just asEye of the Needledid. The film is based on Ken Follett’s thriller novel of the same name and follows an unsympathetic German spy, Henry Faber (Donald Sutherland), on a mission in England.
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Whilst heading towards Scotland, a dangerous storm leaves him stranded on an island. Audiences are sure toappreciate Sutherland’s performance inEye of the Needle, as it’s one of the actor’s best.Sutherland effortlessly captures Henry Faber’s uncompromising nature, but is also able to portray a vulnerable side to the spywhen a forbidden love begins to take shape between Henry and a woman on the island (Kate Nelligan).
The love story between Nelligan and Sutherland’s characters is captivating, but never takes away fromEye of the Needle’s dark espionage themes. Rather, the film’s love story introduces more stakes that build into a tense third act.
The Whistle Blower
The Whistle Blower is a Cold War-era thriller released in 1986, featuring a war veteran’s investigation into his son’s murder. The son worked as a Russian translator for British intelligence, leading the father into a complex web of deception and paranoia during a tense political climate.
Based on John Hale’s 1984 novel,The Whistle Blowerhas a fascinating and gripping narrative that combines espionage tropes with themes of class division.The Whistle Bloweris led by Michael Caine, who plays Frank Jones — a retired British naval officer and the father of an employee at a British intelligence and security organization.
There are enough action scenes to satisfy fans of the genre, but the real thrill of the film comes from Frank’s emotional journey.
When Frank’s son is found dead, he takes matters into his own hands and uncovers a shocking truth about the government. There are enough action scenes to satisfy fans of the genre, but the real thrill of the film comes from Frank’s emotional journey.The Whistle Bloweris up there withCaine’s best filmsbecause while every performance in the spy thriller adds to the effectiveness of the film, it is Caine who’s a true standout.
As Frank dives further into his investigation, uncovering more truths, the mix of anger and heartbreak felt by the character is powerfully captured in Caine’s performance. Audiences root for Frank’s success as he remains determined to see his mission through in the name of his son.
No Way Out
No Way Out is a suspenseful political thriller directed by Roger Donaldson. Released in 1987, it stars Kevin Costner as Lt. Commander Tom Farrell, who becomes embroiled in a high-stakes Pentagon cover-up following a murder. Gene Hackman and Sean Young co-star in this intricate tale of deception, intrigue, and betrayal within the corridors of power.
As the third film to adapt Kenneth Fearing’s 1946 novel,The Big Clock,No Way Outstill feels fresh, with all of its thrills and narrative mysteries.No Way Outfollows Kevin Costner’s Tom Farrell, a Navy officer caught up in a romantic relationship with his superior’s lover.
When the woman is found dead, Farrell is tasked with leading the investigation, only to slowly become a suspect himself.No Way Outis complex, but easy to engage with and is full of exciting action and cleverly-written twists.
No Way Outhas a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Costner’s role inNo Way Outis one of his best, with the film being a part of a series of ’80s releases that cemented his status as an A-list movie star — starting withThe Untouchablesand ending withField of Dreams. Costner excels in both the tense action scenes and the quieter moments that showcase the emotional weight the case has on his character.
