Image via Sony Pictures
Published May 29, 2026, 9:41 PM EDT
Luc Haasbroek is a writer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. He has been writing professionally about pop culture for eight years. Luc's areas of interest are broad: he's just as passionate about psychology and history as he is about movies and TV. He's especially drawn to the places where these topics overlap.
Luc is also an avid producer of video essays and looks forward to expanding his writing career. When not writing, he can be found hiking, playing Dungeons & Dragons, hanging out with his cats, and doing deep dives on whatever topic happens to have captured his interest that week.
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Spy movies thrive on tension and information, conspiracies and secret identities. Yet they also need to deliver on the action front to truly reel the audience in. The fights and chases have to be genuinely tense, giving us the feeling that the protagonists are in real danger.
With that in mind, this list looks at some of the spy thrillers with the very best action sequences. Some embrace realism and brutal hand-to-hand combat, while others lean into stylish spectacle and elaborate stunt work. All are fantastic.
10 'La Femme Nikita' (1990)
Image via Gaumont"Never make the mistake of thinking you're the only monster around." Back in 1990, this Luc Besson banger helped redefine what stylish action-oriented espionage cinema could look like. In La Femme Nikita, the title character (Anne Parillaud) is a violent and unstable young criminal sentenced to life imprisonment after murdering a police officer during a robbery gone wrong. Instead of prison, however, she is secretly recruited by a covert government organization and transformed into a highly trained assassin.
The action scenes are relatively sparse compared to modern action movies, but that restraint is exactly what gives them weight. Every burst of violence feels like it could tip everything into catastrophe. There's a real emotional cost to the killing. Plus, refreshingly, the action emerges naturally from character psychology rather than feeling like a set piece for its own sake.
9 'The Ipcress File' (1965)
Image via Film Rank Distributors"You don't know how to be frightened. That's your trouble." Released during the height of James Bond mania, The Ipcress File deliberately moved in the opposite direction. It gives us an unglamorous protagonist in Harry Palmer (Michael Caine), a disillusioned British intelligence agent investigating the mysterious disappearance and brainwashing of several scientists. He wears thick glasses, complains about bureaucracy, and operates within a world defined by exhaustion and paranoia rather than fantasy wish fulfillment.
The action sequences are fittingly grounded and human. Fights are messy and awkward, and they're genuinely tense because Palmer seems so vulnerable. He gets tired, makes mistakes, and often seems irritated. The movie understands that suspense often comes from uncertainty and observation rather than nonstop movement or elaborate fight choreography. A tailing sequence through rainy London streets can feel more gripping than a modern blockbuster chase because the film builds paranoia so carefully.
8 'Body of Lies' (2008)
Image via Warner Bros."This war is not going to be won by special forces. This war is going to be won by intelligence." Body of Lies is a flawed but somewhat underrated espionage thriller from Ridley Scott, with megawatt stars at the helm. Leonardo DiCaprio plays CIA operative Roger Ferris, who attempts to track a dangerous terrorist leader (Alon Abutbul) across the Middle East while navigating increasingly complicated alliances with Jordanian intelligence and his manipulative superiors back in Washington, including his Machiavellian boss Hoffman (Russel Crowe).
The action here is relatively realistic, and grounded in well-researched, believable geopolitics. Ferris gets injured, chased, betrayed, and cornered repeatedly, and politics often limits his ability to respond. Car bombings, raids, interrogations, and shootouts arrive suddenly and violently. Sure, some subplots are a little contrived, but, overall Body of Lies is an entertaining riff on 2000s spycraft.
7 'Ronin' (1998)
Image via MGM"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt." This neo-noir thriller from John Frankenheimer is technically precise and effortlessly cool. It's about a group of mercenaries and former intelligence operatives hired to steal a mysterious briefcase in post-Cold War Europe. As alliances fracture and betrayals pile up, the mission gradually descends into paranoia, double-crosses, and escalating violence. At the eye of the storm is undercover CIA agent Sam (Robert De Niro).
The movie takes an old-school approach to its action. Ronin relies on real stunt work, careful geography, and mounting tension rather than CGI spectacle. The car chases are the crown jewel. Even decades later, they remain astonishing because they feel genuinely dangerous. Frankenheimer shoots them with clarity and restraint, allowing viewers to understand where the cars are, how fast they're moving, and what the drivers are trying to accomplish. Vehicles slam through tight European streets, weave into oncoming traffic, and narrowly avoid disaster.
6 'Atomic Blonde' (2017)
Image via Focus Features"I chose this life. And someday, it'll get me killed. But not today." Set during the final days of the Cold War, Atomic Blonde combines espionage paranoia with some of the most ferocious action choreography of the 2010s. Charlize Theron has top billing as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, sent into Berlin to recover a stolen list containing the identities of undercover operatives. There, she finds herself trapped in a web of deception involving multiple intelligence agencies.
The fight sequences here emphasize improvisation and brutality over flashy martial arts antics. Lorraine is scrappy, using whatever is at hand to survive these confrontations. The most striking of these scenes is the famous extended fight in the stairwell and apartment. It unfolds in what appears to be a near-continuous take. We see punches land, bodies crash into walls, and momentum shift in real time.
5 'Sicario' (2015)
Image via Lionsgate"You should move to a small town where the rule of law still exists." Working off a solid Taylor Sheridan screenplay, Denis Villeneuve crafted Sicario into one of the sharpest action-thrillers of the last two decades, with an immersive atmosphere and a political edge. In it, FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited into a shadowy government task force targeting Mexican drug cartels. But as the operation escalates, Kate gradually realizes that the people around her are operating according to rules far darker than she imagined.
The action in Sicario works because of Villeneuve's mastery of suspense. He understands that anticipation is often more powerful than the violence itself. The famous border-crossing sequence, in particular, is a masterclass in tension-building. It's technically just a convoy driving through traffic, yet it feels almost unbearable. When the violence finally erupts, it's sudden, fast, and horrifying.
4 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2014)
Image via 20th Century Fox"Manners maketh man." One of the most purely entertaining spy movies in a dog's age, Kingsman follows working-class teenager Eggsy (Taron Egerton) after he is recruited into a secret British spy organization. Under the guidance of veteran agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth), Eggsy trains to become part of an elite intelligence service while uncovering a global conspiracy involving a billionaire tech mogul (Samuel L. Jackson). Along the way, the flick simultaneously celebrates and parodies the genre's core traditions.
It charms us with stylish gadgets and tailored-suit coolness, while also winking at the audience and exaggerating everything to near-cartoonish extremes. At the same time, while highly stylized, the action is genuinely hard-hitting. A case in point is the iconic church massacre. The sequence combines brutal violence with outrageous energy, a surreal collision of horror and exhilaration.
3 'Mission: Impossible – Fallout' (2018)
Image via Paramount Pictures"I won't let you down." Most franchises get tired and repetitive by the sixth installment, but Mission: Impossible - Fallout only ups the ante. It sees Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) taking on his toughest challenge yet, attempting to recover stolen plutonium while preventing a catastrophic nuclear attack. While the plot is solid, it's really the action set pieces that are the main attraction, including all-timers like the HALO jump, Paris motorcycle chase, bathroom fight (one of the series' most brutal moments), and helicopter pursuit.
Cruise performs many of these stunts himself, adding to the authenticity. The helicopter climax is perhaps the clearest demonstration of the film’s practical-action philosophy. The aerial chase was largely filmed with real helicopters in real environments. You can feel the difference in the immersion. It's tactile and palpable, noticeably different from the usual CGI weightlessness.
2 'Casino Royale' (2006)
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing"That last hand... nearly killed me." After years of increasingly cartoonish excess, Casino Royale revivified the James Bond franchise by getting more raw and real. Daniel Craig provides some much-needed grit and edge as the protagonist, undertaking a mission to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) during a high-stakes poker game. In contrast to the invincible super-spy of some of the earlier movies, this Bond is vulnerable. His fights are often bruising and ugly, and he even occasionally loses them.
Indeed, in Casino Royale, bodies slam into walls, characters struggle for leverage, and every hit seems painful. What's also a nice change of pace is the calmer, clearer way director Martin Campbell shoots them. In the wake of The Bourne Identity, most 2000s action movies embraced a chaotic visual style with frenetic editing, but Casino Royale goes for something a little more classic.
1 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007)
Image via Universal Pictures"Look at us. Look at what they make you give." The Bourne movies were the most important evolution for action filmmaking in the early 21st century. While the plot is not especially groundbreaking, seeing Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) continue to search for the truth about the programs that turned him into a lethal operative, the execution is remarkably energetic and muscular, with a propulsive tempo that never lets up.
Visually, director Paul Greengrass gives everything a documentary-like intensity. The handheld camerawork, rapid pacing, and chaotic environments significantly add to the realism. At the same time, the fights and chases themselves are ambitious and elaborate. The famous Waterloo station sequence, for instance, transforms a crowded train station into a battlefield of surveillance and counter-surveillance. Then there are the iconic rooftop pursuits, the car chases, the brutal apartment fight with Desh (Joey Ansah). All in all, it's a high point for spy-movie action.
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Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz
Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner?
Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
🔧John McClane
🎭Ethan Hunt
FIND YOUR PARTNER →
01
You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had.
ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been.
REVEAL MY PARTNER →
Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
Rambo
Your partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know.
James Bond
Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
The Bourne Ultimatum
Release Date August 3, 2007
Runtime 115 minutes
Director Paul Greengrass
Writers Tony Gilroy, George Nolfi, Scott Z. Burns, Robert Ludlum
English (US) ·