The Mission: Impossible franchise, starring Tom Cruise as super spy Ethan Hunt, has set the standard for action blockbusters in recent years. Known for huge set pieces, wild stunts, and Cruise’s undeniable star power, the Mission: Impossible movies deliver a perfect blend of meticulously constructed action and compelling characters.
While few franchises can match Mission: Impossible‘s consistency and pure adrenaline-fueled thrills, there are still plenty of excellent spy action films that provide similar excitement. Whether it’s intense fight scenes, daring stunts, labyrinthine plots, or charismatic lead performances, the best movies like Mission: Impossible offer something for every fan of the genre.
Here are the 20 best action spy movies like Mission: Impossible to add to your watchlist:
1. The Bourne Identity (2002)
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper
Director: Doug Liman
The Bourne Identity kicked off the Jason Bourne franchise and proved to be strong competition for Mission: Impossible in the early 2000s. Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin suffering from amnesia who must uncover the secrets of his past.
With its gritty action, international locations, and a compelling mystery at its center, The Bourne Identity set a new standard for modern spy thrillers. The fight scenes are brutal and realistic, the chase sequences are intense, and Damon’s vulnerable yet deadly performance made Bourne a worthy rival to Ethan Hunt.
If you enjoy the Mission: Impossible movies but are looking for something a bit more grounded and cerebral, The Bourne Identity is a must-watch. It spawned several successful sequels, but the original remains one of the best spy movies of the 21st century.
2. Casino Royale (2006)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen
Director: Martin Campbell
While the James Bond franchise was long seen as a bit campy and over-the-top, Casino Royale rebooted the series with a harder edge and more serious tone. With Daniel Craig making his debut as 007, this movie re-established Bond as a relevant action hero for a new generation.
Casino Royale has all the globe-trotting adventure and spectacular action you expect from a Bond movie, but it’s balanced by strong character development, emotional stakes, and a stripped-down visual style. From the parkour-infused opening chase to the high stakes poker game at the center of the plot, Casino Royale rarely lets up.
Craig’s intense, physical performance redefined Bond for the modern era, making him more of a rebellious outsider than the suave playboy of the past. For Mission: Impossible fans, Casino Royale offers a similar mix of exotic locales, political intrigue, and memorable action set pieces. It’s a spy movie classic that helped revitalize one of the genre’s most iconic franchises.
3. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen
Director: Paul Greengrass
The second entry in the Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Supremacy picks up where The Bourne Identity left off and raises the stakes with even more intense action and a deeper dive into the conspiracy surrounding Jason Bourne.
Director Paul Greengrass puts his distinctive stamp on the franchise with his kinetic, documentary-like filmmaking style. The action scenes, especially the climactic car chase through Moscow, are visceral and heart-pounding. Damon continues to impress as the conflicted assassin trying to reclaim his humanity.
The Bourne Supremacy proves that sequels can surpass the original when in the right hands. By expanding the scope of the story and introducing new characters, it avoids simply retreading old ground. For fans of Mission: Impossible‘s continuity and world-building, the Bourne sequels do an excellent job of rewarding investment in the overarching narrative.
4. Mission: Impossible (1996)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart
Director: Brian De Palma
The film that started it all. While the later Mission: Impossible sequels are better known for their action and spectacle, the first entry in the series is more of a slow-burn spy thriller in the vein of paranoid 1970s classics like Three Days of the Condor.
Tom Cruise made his debut as Ethan Hunt and immediately established himself as a bona fide action star. The plot, involving a mole within the IMF and a potential traitor in Hunt’s own team, keeps you guessing until the end. The now-iconic CIA vault heist sequence is a masterclass in tension and remains one of the most memorable scenes in the franchise.
Directed by Brian De Palma, Mission: Impossible has a more stylized visual approach than the later films, with Dutch angles, split diopter shots, and dramatic lighting. It may not have the sheer scope of the sequels, but it’s a tightly-crafted, suspenseful spy movie that laid the groundwork for one of the most successful action franchises in Hollywood history.
5. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn
Director: Paul Greengrass
The conclusion to the original Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum is a relentless thriller that barely gives the audience a moment to breathe. Picking up where The Bourne Supremacy left off, this installment has Bourne closing in on the people responsible for his condition as he uncovers the truth about his past.
Once again directed by Paul Greengrass, The Bourne Ultimatum features some of the most hard-hitting action sequences of the series, including a chase through Tangier and a cat-and-mouse pursuit in a London train station. Damon’s weathered, weary performance shows the toll that Bourne’s journey has taken on him.
Like the best Mission: Impossible sequels, The Bourne Ultimatum works as both a satisfying continuation of the story and a self-contained adventure. The movie delivers a sense of closure while still leaving the door open for Bourne’s return. It’s a smart, propulsive action film that rivals the best of the genre.
6. GoldenEye (1995)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco
Director: Martin Campbell
After a six year hiatus following the end of the Timothy Dalton era, the James Bond franchise came roaring back with GoldenEye. Pierce Brosnan made his debut as 007 and instantly proved to be a worthy successor to Sean Connery and Roger Moore, bringing a mix of charm, physicality, and intensity to the role.
GoldenEye updated Bond for the 1990s without losing the series’ core elements. All the familiar ingredients are there – the exotic locales, the larger-than-life villain, the cool gadgets, the over-the-top action sequences. But there’s an added edge to the proceedings, with more complex character dynamics and a plot that reflects the geopolitical upheaval of the post-Cold War era.
The movie’s opening bungee jump off a massive dam set a new standard for Bond stuntwork and signaled that the series could go toe-to-toe with any modern action franchise. For Mission: Impossible fans looking for a bit of old-school spy movie fun, GoldenEye is hard to beat.
7. The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
Director: Tony Gilroy
The Bourne Legacy was a risky attempt to continue the Bourne franchise without Matt Damon’s title character. While not as successful as the original trilogy, it’s still a solid spy thriller that expands the series’ mythology in some interesting ways.
Jeremy Renner stars as Aaron Cross, another agent in the same program that created Jason Bourne. When the government tries to eliminate all traces of the program, Cross goes on the run with a scientist played by Rachel Weisz. The globetrotting plot takes them from Alaska to Manila as they try to stay one step ahead of a ruthless CIA fixer played by Edward Norton.
Renner makes for a compelling lead, even if he doesn’t quite have Damon’s wounded soulfulness. The action scenes are tense and visceral, with a standout motorcycle chase through the streets of Manila. The Bourne Legacy may not reach the heights of the earlier films, but it’s an entertaining spy movie that does justice to the Bourne brand.
8. Jack Reacher (2012)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Jack Reacher marked the first collaboration between Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, who would go on to direct Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Based on the popular series of novels by Lee Child, the movie has Cruise’s ex-military investigator looking into a deadly sniper attack.
While the plot is a bit thin, Jack Reacher makes up for it with strong performances and some of the most brutal, bone-crunching fight scenes in recent memory. Cruise fully commits to the title role, bringing a coiled intensity and blunt physicality that’s very different from his work as Ethan Hunt.
The supporting cast is also excellent, with Rosamund Pike as Reacher’s reluctant ally and Werner Herzog making a memorable villain. Jack Reacher showed that Cruise and McQuarrie had a strong working relationship right out of the gate, setting the stage for their later Mission: Impossible triumphs.
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Matthew Vaughn
On the surface, Kingsman: The Secret Service looks like a cheeky James Bond spoof, with its impeccably dressed British spies and over-the-top gadgets. But this gleefully violent action comedy has more on its mind than mere parody.
Colin Firth stars as a veteran agent in the Kingsman, a covert organization that recruits a street kid played by Taron Egerton and trains him to be a super spy. When a billionaire megalomaniac (a delightfully unhinged Samuel L. Jackson) hatches a plan to cull the global population, the Kingsmen leap into action.
Kingsman is a bit more tongue-in-cheek than the Mission: Impossible films, but it offers a similar mix of spectacular action, charismatic performances, and globe-spanning adventure. It’s a reminder that spy movies can still surprise us, even as they indulge in familiar genre pleasures.
10. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Thandiwe Newton, Dougray Scott
Director: John Woo
The first Mission: Impossible sequel, Mission: Impossible 2 (or M:I-2) brought Hong Kong action master John Woo on board for a very different take on the series. While the movie received mixed reviews upon release, it’s still an entertaining slice of early 2000s action excess.
The plot, involving the theft of a deadly virus, is mostly an excuse for Woo to stage his signature slow-motion shootouts and doves-flying-everywhere set pieces. Thandiwe Newton makes for a strong femme fatale, while Dougray Scott chews the scenery as a rogue IMF agent turned terrorist.
Cruise fully embraces the heightened nature of Woo’s action scenes, whether he’s leaping off a cliff or engaging in an elaborate martial arts battle. The movie’s over-the-top style can be grating at times, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the sheer audacity of it all.
11. The Bourne Identity (1988)
Starring: Richard Chamberlain, Jaclyn Smith
Director: Roger Young
Before Matt Damon’s Bourne movies, there was this 1988 TV movie adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s novel. While it may not have the big budget spectacle of the later films, The Bourne Identity still holds up as a solid spy thriller in its own right.
Richard Chamberlain stars as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac who washes up on the French coast and must uncover the secrets of his past. With the help of a economist played by Jaclyn Smith, Bourne embarks on a dangerous journey across Europe, pursued by assassins at every turn.
The movie has a more deliberate pace than the Damon films, but it still delivers some tense action scenes and a compelling central mystery. Chamberlain’s performance is more understated than Damon’s, but he brings a convincing sense of confusion and desperation to the role.
12. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan
Director: J.J. Abrams
The third entry in the Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible III (or M:I-3) brought a new director on board in J.J. Abrams, who was fresh off the success of his TV series Alias and Lost. Abrams brought a more character-driven approach to the franchise, delving deeper into Ethan Hunt’s personal life.
The movie opens with a flash-forward to Hunt being tortured by a ruthless arms dealer played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. From there, it flashes back to show how Hunt retired from active duty to settle down with his fiancée (Michelle Monaghan), only to be pulled back in for one last mission.
Hoffman makes for a truly menacing villain, and his scenes with Cruise crackle with intensity. The action sequences are among the series’ best, with a thrilling bridge attack and a tense Vatican City infiltration. But the movie’s real strength is in its exploration of Hunt’s vulnerability and his struggle to balance his personal life with his dangerous career.
13. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Sean Connery, Scott Glenn
Director: John McTiernan
Based on the bestselling novel by Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October is a taut, intelligent thriller set in the world of submarine warfare. While it may not have the outrageous stunts of the Mission: Impossible movies, it delivers a different kind of tension – the claustrophobic suspense of men in a metal tube, hundreds of feet underwater.
Alec Baldwin stars as Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who becomes convinced that a Soviet submarine commander (Sean Connery) is trying to defect to the United States. As the U.S. and Soviet navies play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Ryan races against time to prevent the outbreak of World War III.
While The Hunt for Red October is a very different kind of movie than Mission: Impossible, it scratches a similar itch for high-stakes espionage and geopolitical brinkmanship. It’s a thinking person’s thriller that still delivers plenty of excitement.
14. True Lies (1994)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold
Director: James Cameron
True Lies is a rare example of a spy movie that’s also a domestic comedy. Directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie follows a secret agent whose wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) discovers his double life and gets caught up in his latest mission.
Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as a suave superspy who’s also a bit of a meathead, while Curtis brings surprising depth to what could have been a thankless role. The interplay between the two leads is the heart of the movie, as they navigate the challenges of marriage and international intrigue.
True Lies is a bit lighter in tone than the Mission: Impossible films, but it offers a similar mix of high-tech gadgetry, death-defying stunts, and globe-trotting adventure. It’s a reminder that spy movies can be fun and funny without sacrificing thrills.
15. The Fugitive (1993)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward
Director: Andrew Davis
While not strictly a spy movie, The Fugitive has enough government conspiracies, undercover investigations, and pulse-pounding action scenes to earn a spot on this list. Based on the classic TV series, the movie stars Harrison Ford as a doctor wrongly accused of murdering his wife who goes on the run to clear his name.
Ford’s performance as the desperate, determined Dr. Richard Kimble is one of his best, and he’s well-matched by Tommy Lee Jones as the relentless U.S. Marshal on his trail. The two men engage in a tense game of cat-and-mouse across Chicago, with Kimble always just one step ahead of the law.
For Mission: Impossible fans, The Fugitive offers a similar blend of propulsive action, twisty plotting, and charismatic lead performances. It’s a classic thriller that holds up just as well today as it did in 1993.
16. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury
Director: John Frankenheimer
A classic of Cold War paranoia, The Manchurian Candidate follows a Korean War veteran (Laurence Harvey) who’s been brainwashed by Communist agents to become a sleeper assassin. When his fellow soldier (Frank Sinatra) starts to suspect the truth, he races to uncover the conspiracy before it’s too late.
Directed by John Frankenheimer with a stark, noir-influenced visual style, The Manchurian Candidate is a masterclass in slow-burn suspense. The brainwashing scenes are chilling in their matter-of-fact brutality, and the final act is a nail-biter as the various plot threads come together. Sinatra gives one of his best dramatic performances as a man fighting against a vast, unseen enemy, while Angela Lansbury is unforgettable as a ruthless mother with a hidden agenda.
While The Manchurian Candidate is a very different kind of movie than Mission: Impossible, it’s essential viewing for anyone interested in the history of the spy genre. Its themes of government manipulation and the blurred lines between hero and villain still resonate today.
17. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Starring: Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner
Director: Martin Ritt
Based on the novel by John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a bleak, unglamorous portrait of Cold War espionage. Richard Burton stars as Alec Leamas, a British agent sent on one last mission into East Germany before his retirement.
As Leamas plays a dangerous game of double-cross and deception, he finds himself questioning his own loyalties and the morality of his work. The movie strips away the glitz and gadgetry of the James Bond films in favor of a gritty, realistic depiction of spycraft as a soul-crushing, often futile endeavor.
Burton’s world-weary performance is a masterpiece of understated intensity, and he’s supported by an excellent cast that includes Claire Bloom as a naive Communist and Oskar Werner as a suspicious East German officer. Director Martin Ritt creates an atmosphere of pervasive dread and uncertainty, where no one can be trusted and nothing is as it seems.
For Mission: Impossible fans looking for a more grounded, cerebral take on the spy genre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a must-see.
18. The Ipcress File (1965)
Starring: Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Guy Doleman
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Another classic of 1960s British spy cinema, The Ipcress File stars Michael Caine as Harry Palmer, a working-class intelligence agent tasked with investigating the disappearance of several scientists. As Palmer delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a sinister brainwashing plot with far-reaching implications.
Caine’s portrayal of Palmer as a sarcastic, irreverent anti-hero was a deliberate contrast to the suave sophistication of James Bond. Palmer is a man who’s good at his job but doesn’t particularly enjoy it, and his cynical wit is a defense mechanism against the moral compromises of his work.
Director Sidney J. Furie employs a jazzy, off-kilter visual style that reflects Palmer’s own quirky personality. The movie’s most memorable sequence is a hallucinatory brainwashing scene that uses disorienting camera angles and editing to convey Palmer’s fractured state of mind.
The Ipcress File may not have the scale or spectacle of the Mission: Impossible films, but it’s a stylish, smartly written thriller that subverts spy movie conventions in interesting ways.
19. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Starring: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson
Director: Sydney Pollack
A tense, paranoid thriller in the vein of The Parallax View and All the President’s Men, Three Days of the Condor stars Robert Redford as a CIA researcher who returns from lunch to find all his colleagues murdered. Realizing he’s been targeted for elimination, he goes on the run and tries to uncover the truth behind the killings.
As Redford’s character navigates a labyrinth of government conspiracies and shadowy agendas, he’s forced to question everything he thought he knew about his work and his country. The movie taps into the post-Watergate disillusionment of the 1970s, painting a picture of a national security state run amok.
While Three Days of the Condor is a slower burn than the Mission: Impossible movies, it shares their fascination with the dark underbelly of the intelligence world. It’s a smart, sophisticated thriller that still packs a punch more than four decades later.
20. The Parallax View (1974)
Starring: Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, William Daniels
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Another classic of 1970s paranoia, The Parallax View follows a journalist (Warren Beatty) who investigates a series of mysterious deaths connected to a shadowy corporation. As he delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a vast conspiracy involving political assassinations and mind control.
Like Three Days of the Condor, The Parallax View taps into the era’s deep distrust of government institutions and corporate power. The movie presents a bleak, unsettling vision of America as a nation controlled by sinister forces, where even the most noble ideals can be twisted to serve nefarious ends.
Beatty’s performance as the dogged, increasingly paranoid journalist is one of his best, and he’s well-matched by a supporting cast that includes Paula Prentiss as a sympathetic ex-girlfriend and William Daniels as a coolly menacing assassin. Director Alan J. Pakula, who would go on to make All the President’s Men and Klute, creates an atmosphere of pervasive dread and unease.
Conclusion
The Mission: Impossible films are the gold standard for modern spy movie action, but there are plenty of other great espionage thrillers out there for fans to discover. From the gritty realism of the Bourne movies to the stylish cool of the James Bond franchise, from the paranoid conspiracies of 1970s cinema to the Cold War intrigue of John le Carré adaptations, the spy genre offers a wealth of riches for those willing to explore.
Whether you’re in the mood for pulse-pounding set pieces, complex geopolitical plots, or morally ambiguous antiheroes, there’s a spy movie out there for you. So if you’ve exhausted the Mission: Impossible series and are looking for your next espionage fix, give one of these 20 films a try. You might just find a new favorite.
