Image via Netflix
Published Mar 25, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT
In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.
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Returning for its third season last month, The Night Agent has cemented its place as one of Netflix's best action thrillers with yet another batch of unmissable episodes. The Gabriel Basso spy series first made a splash on the streamer in 2023 and quickly became a favorite of millions. Accumulating over 812 million hours viewed in its first few months, there was no denying the show's franchise potential.
Season 2 also proved popular, and, although the most recent third installment faced a 39.6% drop in viewership, it is still taking its rightful place among the upper echelons of the streaming charts. "With The Night Agent Season 3, Ryan and his creative team deliver a thriller that feels both entertaining and purposeful," wrote Jen Vestuto in her review for Collider. "By tightening its storytelling, deepening its characters, and delivering deliberate, hard-hitting action sequences, The Night Agent has officially delivered its strongest season yet," she added.
If you've finished your binge of Season 3 and are looking for what to watch next, here's a handy guide to seven spy movies that are better than The Night Agent.
7 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2014)
Image via 20th Century StudiosIts subsequent prequel and sequel might not prove as successful, but the first installment in the Kingsman franchise perfectly captures an exciting era for spy stories. By using slow-motion action sequences and iconic rock songs — before this became a frustratingly overused trope — Kingsman brought the spy genre into the modern day after some in the audience had become tired.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on the comic he devised with artist Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, the movie follows Harry Hart (Colin Firth) who must help fashion stubborn new recruit Eggsy (Taron Egerton) into an agent to help take down the world-threatening eco-terrorist Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). Fast-paced, vibrant, and a winner of two Empire Awards, Kingsman is a perfect follow-up to The Night Agent.
6 'Black Bag' (2025)
Image via Focus FeaturesThe most recent entry on this list is one of the most underrated movies of 2025. In fact, Black Bag might well be the best sleeper hit from a mixed crop of modern-day spy movies. The film stars the brilliant duo of Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as intelligence officers George Woodhouse and Kathryn St. Jean, whose relationship is put to the test when one is convinced the other is a traitor.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp, this slick, compact spy thriller trims the fat of a potentially bloated narrative and delivers a lean, 94-minute gem. Gripping from start to finish and boasting a wicked sense of humor, Black Bag wouldn't be the same without its expertly assembled cast, which includes the aforementioned Blanchett and Fassbender alongside Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan.
5 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (2011)
Image via Focus FeaturesAs fans of the Apple TV series Slow Horses will confirm, a spy story led by Gary Oldman is sure to be a hit. In 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based on John le Carré's 1974 novel, Oldman plays George Smiley, an agent of the British Intelligence Agency a.k.a The Circus. After his boss, Control (Sir John Hurt), is ousted from his position and eventually dies, Smiley is left with the task of returning from forced retirement to solve the mystery around his death.
A slow-burner that is as intelligent as it is gripping, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy features a bevy of famous British faces, from Oldman and Hurt to Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth, all working in talented tandem thanks to a smart Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan script. The movie earned a trio of Academy Award nominations, including a nod for Oldman in Best Actor, although it sadly missed out in all three categories.
4 'The Bourne Identity' (2002)
Image via Universal StudiosThis spy story changed the game. The first entry in the Bourne series stars Matt Damon as the now-iconic Jason Bourne, a man salvaged from near-death who, despite suffering from amnesia, is extraordinarily talented in the skillset of a spy. Desperate to learn of his past, Bourne sets out on a deadly mission, chased by malevolent assassins.
During a stale period for the genre, The Bourne Identity arrived and sacrificed CGI-heavy, unbelievable action with gritty, hand-to-hand combat, accentuated by the use of so-called "shaky-cam" to illustrate authenticity. True, this itself quickly became the tired norm for spy movies, but it's impossible not to recognize The Bourne Identity's innovation.
3 'Mission: Impossible – Fallout' (2018)
Image via Paramount PicturesLast year, in his Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt rode off into the sunset, happy that every Impossible Mission had been made possible. But of these missions, which was his best? That would be Mission: Impossible - Fallout, the sixth installment in the franchise, which saw Hunt and his team face an unknown evil and a terrorist-for-hire group known as Apostles.
Packed with some of the most breathless, exhilarating action set pieces in recent memory, Fallout is by quite some distance the most innovative and stunt-heavy entry into the franchise. Focusing on practical effects and capturing Cruise at the peak of his "I do all my own stunts" powers, Fallout delivers a cinematic spectacle difficult to replicate.
2 'Casino Royale' (2006)
Image via Sony Pictures ReleasingA list of great spy movies would be incomplete without the most famous of all: James Bond. For my money, the best of Bond has happened in this century, courtesy of the suave Daniel Craig, and there is no better option from his impressive catalog than the very first, Casino Royale.
As we edge closer to the final act of Casino Royale, Bond comes face to face with poker player and private banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in a game of Texas Hold 'em, with the climactic hand on the final night of the game simply some of the best spy cinema in modern movies. Add to that a cast stacked with talent and a fresh-faced Craig breathing new life into the role, and a recipe for success is born.
1 'North by Northwest' (1959)
Image via MGMIn the hands of the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock, the spy genre is able to blossom into its full potential. This is best on display in North by Northwest, the 1959 tale of New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) as he is mistaken for a government agent by spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) and ruthlessly pursued.
From its first to its last moments, North by Northwest is a thrilling masterclass in creating tension, as a late-era Hitchcock utilized all his extensive knowledge of cinema to create. Not only is the movie a perfect example of spy storytelling, but it's also visually iconic, with cinematographer Robert Burks at the peak of his powers. Truly, there is nothing else quite like North by Northwest, and it is the most obvious choice for films that are better than The Night Agent.
Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?
Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite
🌀Everything Everywhere
☢️Oppenheimer
🐦Birdman
🪙No Country for Old Men
FIND YOUR FILM →
01
What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don't just entertain — they leave something behind.
ASomething that pulls the rug out — that makes me think I'm watching one kind of film and then reveals I'm watching another entirely. BSomething overwhelming — funny, sad, absurd, and genuinely moving, all at once. CSomething grand and weighty — a film that makes me feel the full scale of what I'm watching. DSomething formally daring — a film that pushes what cinema can even do. ESomething lean and relentless — pure tension with no wasted frame.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What's yours?
AClass, inequality, and what people are willing to do when desperation meets opportunity. BIdentity, family, and the chaos of trying to hold your life together when everything is falling apart. CGenius, moral responsibility, and the catastrophic weight of a decision you can never take back. DEgo, legacy, and the terror of becoming irrelevant while you're still alive to watch it happen. EEvil, chance, and whether moral order actually exists or if we just tell ourselves it does.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
AGenre-twisting — I want it to start in one lane and migrate into something completely different. BMaximalist and genre-blending — comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, all in one ride. CEpic and non-linear — cutting between timelines, building a mosaic of cause and consequence. DA single unbroken flow — I want to feel like I'm living it in real time, no cuts to safety. ESpare and precise — every scene doing exactly what it needs to do and nothing more.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
AA system — invisible, structural, and almost impossible to fight because it has no single face. BThe self — the ways we sabotage, abandon, and fail the people we love most. CHistory — the unstoppable momentum of events that no single person can stop or redirect. DThe industry — the machinery of culture that chews up talent and spits out irrelevance. EPure, implacable evil — a force so certain of itself it becomes almost philosophical.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What do you want from a film's ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
AShock and inevitability — a conclusion that recontextualises everything that came before it. BEarned emotion — I want to cry, laugh, and feel genuinely hopeful, even if the world is a mess. CDevastation and grandeur — an ending that makes me sit in silence for a few minutes after. DAmbiguity — something that leaves enough open that I'm still thinking about it days later. EBleakness — an honest refusal to pretend the world is tidier than it actually is.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what's even possible.
AA gleaming modern city with a hidden underside — beauty masking rot, wealth masking desperation. BA collapsing suburban life that opens onto something infinite — the multiverse of a single ordinary person. CThe corridors of power and science at a world-historical turning point — where decisions echo for decades. DThe grimy, alive chaos of New York and Hollywood — fame as both destination and trap. EVast, indifferent landscape — desert and highway where violence arrives without warning or reason.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
AProduction design and mise-en-scène — every frame composed to carry meaning beneath the surface. BEditing and tonal control — the ability to move between registers without losing the audience. CScore and sound design — music that becomes inseparable from the dread and awe of what you're watching. DCinematography as performance — the camera not recording events but participating in them. ESilence and restraint — what's left unsaid and unshown doing more work than any dialogue could.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.
ASomeone smart and resourceful who makes increasingly dangerous decisions under pressure. BSomeone overwhelmed and ordinary who turns out to be capable of something extraordinary. CA brilliant, tortured figure whose gifts and flaws are inseparable from each other. DA self-destructive artist whose ego is both their superpower and their undoing. EA quiet, principled person trying to make sense of a world that has stopped making sense.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.
AI love a slow build when I know the payoff is going to be seismic — patience for a devastating reveal. BGive me relentless momentum — I want to feel breathless and emotionally spent by the end. CEpic runtime doesn't scare me — if the material demands three hours, give me three hours. DI want it to feel propulsive even when nothing is technically happening — restless energy throughout. EDeliberate and unhurried — I want dread to accumulate in the spaces between the action.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?
AUnsettled — like I've just seen something I can't fully explain but can't stop thinking about. BMoved and energised — like the film reminded me what actually matters and gave me something to hold onto. CHumbled — like I've been in the presence of something genuinely important and overwhelming. DExhilarated — like I've just seen cinema doing something it's never quite done before. EHaunted — like a cold, quiet dread that stays with me for days.
REVEAL MY FILM →
The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…
Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.
Parasite
You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it's ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn't want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it's about.
Oppenheimer
You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
Birdman
You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it's about. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor's ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn't be possible. Michael Keaton's performance and Emmanuel Lubezki's restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.
No Country for Old Men
You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.
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Release Date September 8, 1959
Runtime 136 minutes
Writers Ernest Lehman
English (US) ·