10 High-Octane Spy Movies That Can Compete With James Bond

Skip the Hallmark Channel this season with this hit list...

10
The Bourne Identity (2002)
The James Bond Franchise's American Twin

9 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
A Timeless Film With Quieter Thrills

8 

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Everything That's Great About James Bond Cranked Up To 11

7 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Ethan Hunt Is A Great James Bond Rival

6 

Atomic Blonde (2017)
A Unique Spy Movie That Stands On Its Own Against Hits Like James Bond

5 

Sicario (2015)
Trades The Glamor Of James Bond For A Grim Spy Story

4 

Tenet (2020)
Bond For Physics Enthusiasts

3 

Argo (2012)

2 

Bridge of Spies (2015)

1 

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Then,  for stress relief...

Top Secret! (1984)

Runaway 'Spy Whale' Fled Russian Military Training

The mystery as to why a beluga whale appeared off the coast of Norway wearing a harness may finally have been solved.

The tame white whale, which locals named Hvaldimir, made headlines five years ago amidst widespread speculation that it was a Russian spy.

Now an expert in the species says she believes the whale did indeed belong to the military and escaped from a naval base in the Arctic Circle.

But Dr Olga Shpak does not believe it was a spy. She believes the beluga was being trained to guard the base and fled because it was a "hooligan". more

How a Cold War Spy Test Boosts Fitness and Sharpness

A novel training approach could help older adults stay mentally sharp and physically fit even when fatigued, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Extremadura in Spain investigated the effects of Brain Endurance Training (BET) on cognitive and physical performance in sedentary older women. The research, led by Jesús Díaz-García and colleagues, compared BET to standard exercise training and a control group over an 8-week period.

One example of BET is the Stroop task, a cognitive test where participants must name the color of a word, while the word itself spells out a different color (e.g., the word "red" printed in blue ink)...

During the Cold War, U.S, intelligence agencies used the Stroop task to identify potential Russian spies by presenting them with a color-word test in Russian, where a native Russian speaker would slow down when encountering incongruent color-word combinations, revealing their ability to read Russian and potentially their true identity as a spy; whereas a non-Russian speaker would not experience the same delay because the words would be meaningless to them. more

The Fake Spy Who Dazzled D.C.

Gaurav Srivastava dreamed of being a player in the murky world of clandestine operations.

His goal was to build a private military and intelligence operation, funded by natural resources, he told business partners. It would be akin to the notorious Wagner Group, only with the blessing of the U.S. instead of Russia. Leaving associates with the impression he had high-level contacts in the intelligence community, he said he wanted to do business in difficult places and muscle bad guys out of strategic markets... In reality, Srivastava wanted to use some of the money to pay for a villa in swanky Pacific Palisades... more

Russian Spy Parents Reveal Identity to Their Children

How would you react if you found out your parents were foreign spies from a country where you couldn’t even speak the language? 

The prisoner exchange that secured the freedom of journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, as well former Marine Paul Whelan and more than a dozen others from Russian captivity also generated one mind-boggling anecdote seemingly straight out of a Soviet-era spy novel.

Among those swapped were Anna Dultseva and Artyom Dultsev, Russian spies who had been posing as an Argentinian couple in Slovenia. Not even their school-age children, who spoke Spanish with their parents, knew their true origins — until the parents revealed their identities after their release on the plane to Russia. more

How to Boost an Auction - Mention the Word Spy

The holder of Jeffrey Epstein's "little black book" believes it could hold the answer to suspicions that the late sex offender was a foreign spy. 

Eager for the cryptic scribbles and numbers to be investigated, the anonymous owner is putting the book up for online public auction on Aug. 16, with the goal of selling it to somebody capable of tracking down those named in it. more

30 Spy Movies That Will Make You Want to Be a Secret Agent

Indeed, there are near-endless lists of spy films, but if you’re looking for the top choices, the ones that will captivate your senses, that aren’t just background noise, check out... more

Can You Name the Movie

1. A suave, smooth-talking secret agent and a a bullion dealer.
2. An elegant American interpreter living in Paris, outfitted in Givenchy.
3. In Prague, Czech Republic, a group of IMF agents.
4. A CIA intelligence analyst tracking the location of Osama bin Laden.
5. Extraterrestrials live on Earth, often wearing human shells blend into society.
6. An unnamed man is pulled out of an Italian fishing boat.
7. Joins forces with Russian agent Anya Amasova.
8. Russian operative claims that a mole named Salt plans on killing...
9. Running through the jungles of Uganda, assigned to spy on a terrorist cell.
10. During the fall of the Berlin Wall, sent to Germany to recover microfilm.
11. At the start, the villain escapes in a rocket and cryogenically freezes himself.
12. Captured by the evil TV host Fegan Floop.
13. A hard drive containing details of undercover agents was stolen.
14. Galahad, is in search of a new agent.
15. A girl living in a remote Finnish forest who is raised to be a lethal assassin.
16. They have no recollection of what their superiors said happened in Korea.
17. On vacation in London. Sees a bomb explode outside Buckingham Palace.
18. An advertising executive that is mistaken for government agent.
19. An ordinary man, at a music hall where shots are suddenly fired.
20. A mission to stop a terrorist group called the Apostles.
21. A New York lawyer enlisted by the CIA to defend a Russian spy.
22. He’s brought back to uncover a mole at the British Secret Service.
23. He is investigating the kidnapping of scientists who reappear brainwashed.
24. CIA codebreaker finds his colleagues murdered in the New York office.
25. A surveillance expert who is employed track a young couple.
26. A spy living a double life tracks nuclear rockets from jihadist Salim Abu Aziz.
27. CIA agent posing as an aid worker. Goal: enforce U.S. policies on Vietnam.
28. American daughter of a Nazi, enlisted to spy on escaped war criminals.
29. A World War II veteran charged with a superhuman serum.
30. Connects deaths to a new drug, Dypraxa. Uncovers British Intelligence.

Wiretap Published: A spy from Kosovo calls BIA official. They make plans...

The wiretapping is published: The spy from Kosovo calls the BIA official, they make plans to ignite tensions in the North.

An audio recording is published in which Srdjan Rosic and Bedri Shabani are heard speaking, the latter arrested in Kosovo as a collaborator of the Serbian secret services.

Although the audio is censored in places, it is clear that Bedri Shabani, who is suspected of collaborating with Serbian intelligence, asks the BIA to help him and his men do a job. more & audio of the wiretap

------

In Other Spy Wiretap News...
Recently, an intelligence service in Russia intercepted a Webex call involving four high-ranking officers from the Air Force. The audio was made public, revealing discussions on potential deployment scenarios for the Taurus missile in Ukraine if it were to be transferred there. This incident sparked discussions in Germany and beyond back in March. It was also revealed that a Bundeswehr general committed a blunder in Singapore...

The Inspector General of the Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz, will face a disciplinary action over a recorded conversation about the Taurus missile with Russia. The General Lieutenant will have to pay a fine as a consequence, wrapping up the issue, confirms the German Press Agency. more

Secret ‘James Bond’ Tunnels May Become a Tourist Attraction

A subterranean space once used by British spies has been sold to fund manager Angus Murray, who has grand ambitions for it.

A warren of tunnels beneath central London, once used by the spies who inspired the creation of James Bond, has been bought by a fund manager with a £220 million ($269 million) plan to turn them into a tourist attraction “as iconic as the London Eye.” more

14 Hilarious Moments from Spy Spoofs and Comedies

There are few film genres as reliable in modern times as spy films, shows and even video games. 

James Bond led the way to Remington Steele to Ethan Hunt to Solid Snake to Austin Powers. But the somber seriousness of the espionage game makes it a prime target for comedians and comedy writers to mine some humor out of all the profession’s sternness, violence and ludicrous clandestine nature.

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to enjoy these funniest moments from or about the spy genre in pop culture. more

Notable US Spies Fast Facts

Timeline Summaries* of Spies Who Failed

Aldrich Ames
1962 - Aldrich Ames, son of a CIA analyst, joins the agency as a low-level documents analyst. 

David Boone
1970-1991 - David Boone serves in the US Army as a signals intelligence analyst. During the late 1980s, he is assigned to the National Security Agency as a senior cryptologic traffic analyst. 

Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins
1996 - Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins makes visits to Russia to meet with their intelligence agents. He is given a code name and signs a settlement “attesting that he wanted to serve” them.

Noshir Gowadia
1968-1986 - Noshir Gowadia is employed by Northrop Grumman where he works on technology relating to the B-2 Spirit Bomber, aka the “Stealth” bomber.

Robert Hanssen
January 12, 1976 - Robert Hanssen joins the FBI.

Ana Montes
1984 - Ana Montes is recruited to spy for Cuba. She is never paid for her spying.

Walter Kendall Myers
1977 - Walter Kendall Myers begins working for the US State Department on contract, as an instructor.

Harold James Nicholson
1980 - Harold Nicholson joins the CIA after serving in the United States Army.

Ronald Pelton
1965-1979 - Ronald Pelton works for the National Security Agency, with top-level security clearance.

Earl Pitts
1983-1996 - Earl Edwin Pitts works at the FBI.

Jonathan Pollard
1979 - Pollard is hired to work at the Navy Field Operational Intelligence Office. He had been rejected previously from employment at the CIA due to drug use. His specialty is North America and the Caribbean.

George Trofimoff
1969-1994 - George Trofimoff, a naturalized American citizen of Russian parentage, works as a civilian for the US Army at the Joint Interrogation Center in Nuremberg, Germany. He also attains the rank of colonel in the Army reserve.     *Complete timelines for each spy.

---

And, one successful spy hero...

VA - The local FBI agent who cracked the notorious Walker spy ring in the 1980s has died. Robert "Bob" Hunter was the lead investigator in the 1985 arrest of master spy John Walker, who led what U.S. officials called the most damaging espionage case in American history. The Walker spy ring operated for nearly two decades, spanning five presidencies, stealing top-secret information from the Navy and selling it to the Soviet Union. In 1999, Hunter wrote a book about his experiences: "Spy Hunter: Inside the FBI Investigation of the Walker Espionage Case." more

America’s ‘Most Damaging’ Soviet Spy Dies in Prison

America’s “most damaging spy”, who spied for Russia over more than two decades during and after the Cold War, has been found dead in prison. Robert Hanssen, 79, was found unresponsive at a maximum-security facility in Florence, Colorado, where he was serving a life sentence. more

Alleged Russian 'Spy' Whale Spotted in Sweden

An alleged former Russian spy whale has been spotted off the coast of Sweden... 

Having spent years travelling slowly southwards from Norway's far north, the whale has sped up his movements out of Norwegian waters in recent months. 

OneWhale said the reason behind his sudden hastiness was unclear... 

He was discovered wearing a harness fitted with a GoPro camera mount and clips bearing the inscription "Equipment of St Petersburg". more

Kim Jong Un Says North Korea’s 1st Spy Satellite is Ready for Launch

Many experts question whether Pyongyang has cameras sophisticated enough to use for spying from a satellite because only low-resolution images were released after past launches.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has built its first-ever military spy satellite and that he planned to launch it on an undisclosed date, state media reported Wednesday.

Previous missile and rocket tests have demonstrated that North Korea can send satellites into space, but many experts question whether it has cameras sophisticated enough to use for spying from a satellite because only low-resolution images were released after past launches. more

Spies That Don't Come in From the Cold

China Rivals US Foothold In Antarctica, Builds Base With Potential To Eavesdrop On Neighbors

China is looking to expand its presence in Antarctica by resuming construction on the country’s fifth station in the region.

“While the station can provide tracking and communications for China’s growing array of scientific polar observation satellites, its equipment can concurrently be used for intercepting other nations’ satellite communications,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a new report. more

Quiz - Would You Make a Good Spy?

Test yourself for fun. Learn what makes a good spy. (Before you hire any TSCM inspection / counterespionage consultant make sure they know what makes a good spy, too.)

This quiz was originally published in, A Handbook for Spies, 1980, Wolfgang Lotz (a real spy), Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, NY and is available at amazon.com.

The following questionnaire has been designed to determine the degree of your suitability as a prospective secret agent. The results of this test will also indicate what type of spy or agent you are likely to become – for example, an informer, a “stinker”, a double agent, a resident, master spy, a spymaster.

These terms will be explained later. For the present you should approach the test with an open mind. You will not have to show your answers to anyone, and therefore you can afford to be absolutely honest in your replies.

There are three to five possible answers to each question. Mark the one that is closest to the truth, and after you have answered all ten questions, award yourself the number of points indicated in the key that follows the questionnaire. An evaluation of your point total and an analysis of each of the questions follows. You may study it at your leisure only after completing the test. (If you want an honest and comprehensive appraisal, don’t look ahead now.) THE SPY QUIZ

Former U.S. Analyst Convicted of Spying for Cuba Released From Prison

Ana Montes, a former U.S. defense intelligence analyst who was convicted of spying for Cuba, has been released from federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.

Montes, 65, was released on Friday after serving a majority of her 25-year sentence, according to a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, adding that her early release was based on good behavior.

Montes was an analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency for 16 years, starting in 1985. During her career, she was highly regarded for her expertise about Cuba. But under the radar, Montes used coded messages and water-soluble paper to disclose classified information. Among the secrets she gave to the Cuban government were the identities of four U.S. spies in Cuba. more

New Spy Show Is An Experimental TV First

The Russo brothers have developed an international spy show called Citadel, and the series is expected to be a first-of-its-kind, world-building endeavor. 

Backed by Amazon Studios, the seven-episode saga features Priyanka Chopra Jonas and former Game of Thrones star Richard Madden alongside veteran actor Stanley Tucci. 

Citadel has been in the works for several years, but the series' release date has yet to be announced... The plot is also being kept under close guard. more

Former Twitter Employee Convicted as Saudi Spy, or @jailbird

What does it cost to sell out and hand over the private information of the critics for a despotic regime? 

Apparently $300,000 and a nice watch. 

A former Twitter employee was convicted on six of his original 11 counts of operating as an agent for Saudi Arabia. The verdict came down late Tuesday, and all that’s left is sentencing, which could be up to 20 years in federal prison.

Federal prosecutors said that former Twitter employee Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. resident born in Egypt who held dual U.S.-Lebanese citizenship, worked as a media partnership manager, helping promote the company while working with journalists and celebrities in the Middle East and north Africa. Feds further claimed that while in that job he had been working as a spy on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government from late 2014 to March 2015.

FBI Trolls Russian Embassy with Geotargeted Ads for Disgruntled Spies

The FBI’s latest counterintelligence operation against Russia is hardly secretive—you just have to be standing in the right place.

In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the FBI stepped up its recruiting efforts in the US, hoping to attract Russians who are dissatisfied or disillusioned with the war. People standing in close proximity to the Russian embassy in Washington, DC, can see the ads, which appear in Russian, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

One ad appeared in a Washington Post reporter’s Facebook feed when he was standing on the sidewalk next to the embassy’s walls on Wisconsin Avenue NW, but none appeared in his feed when he crossed the street.

“It’s a brilliant recruiting strategy because I think there’s probably a lot of folks within the Russian government that are incredibly dissatisfied with Putin’s war, and therefore it’s a great opportunity to see if any of those dissatisfied people could help us understand Putin’s intentions better,” Peter Lapp, a former FBI counterintelligence agent, told the Post. more