As much as we love 007’s espionage skills, there are other modern spy stories that are equally exciting and keep you on the edge of your seat. Netflix’s latest offering, The Gray Man is one of the newbies to go on that list. The spy action-thriller is billed to be the “most expensive film ever made by Netflix” and we can clearly see why. For starters, the spy thriller comes from Joe and Anthony Russo (aka the Russo Brothers), the director duo of the Captain America sequels and the Avengers sequels. So, you can expect an equally thrilling experience as you got from the MCU movies. Secondly, and this is perhaps the biggest selling point of the movie, The Gray Man stars Ryan Gosling and MCU alum Chris Evans as the leading men, topped with a generous dose of Ana de Armas in the most badass role we have ever seen her play. There’s also Billy Bob Thornton in a major role. And last, but not least, the plot of the movie is also quite gripping.
The story follows Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six (Gosling), a CIA agent. Sierra learns about some dangerous secrets that the agency is trying to cover up and becomes a threat to the very people who recruited him. So, now declared rogue, Sierra goes on the run, with a ruthless assassin, Llyod Hansen (Evans), putting a target on his head. A globe-trotting action adventure with rogue spies, corrupt agents, and deadly firepower, we believe that The Gray Man has all the right elements to join the league of the best modern spy thrillers we have seen. So, if you already watched The Gray Man, then you’ll also love these. And if you haven’t, then how about a spy marathon? Trust us, once you start, you can’t stop.
Salt (2010)
Considered to be one of Angelina Jolie’s best action movies, this spy thriller follows the titular protagonist, Evelyn Salt. Salt is a CIA agent who gets roped into a conspiracy and is accused of being a double agent for Russian intelligence. Following an attempted assassination of the Russian president, Salt finds herself on the run to clear her name.
From corrupt fellow agents to becoming a target and chasing truth and survival across the globe, you will definitely find a lot of resemblances between Salt and The Gray Man. Salt is directed by Phillip Noyce, and besides Jolie, it also stars Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Andre Braugher in major roles.
Ava (2020)
Another femme fatale story, this movie stars Jessica Chastain as the leading protagonist, Ava, a black ops agent who specializes in high-profile assassinations. When one of her assignments goes wrong, she becomes a target of her agency and is forced to fight for her survival, all on her own, quite like Sierra Six.
Ava boasts an ensemble cast with John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, Colin Farrell, Ioan Gruffudd, and Joan Chen, in various roles. The action-thriller is directed by Tate Taylor, who’s known for previously directing The Girl on the Train.
Red (2010)
It’s not only active secret agents who are deadly but retired agents are also equally dangerous and quite wild, like Red’s Frank Moses (Bruce Willis). Moses is a former CIA agent who’s spending a peaceful, retired life until he is attacked in his own home. Sensing that this is a part of a bigger conspiracy, Moses reassembles his old band of former agents and sets out to get the assassin who’s put a hit on his head. Though a team of elite operatives, this veteran bunch is very cutthroat and hilarious at the same time. The popularity of the first movie led to a sequel, Red 2 in 2013.
If Sierra Six was a couple of decades older (with dad jokes and a twisted sense of humor), then he would be exactly like Frank Moses. Based on a limited comic book series of the same name, Red boasts an ensemble cast with Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and Mary-Louise Parker, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss, among others.
Jack Reacher (2012)
Starring Tom Cruise in the titular role, Jack Reacher comes from Academy Award-winning director Christopher McQuarrie and is based on the eponymous protagonist of Lee Child’s novel series. The story follows Reacher, a former military officer who is summoned by his former colleague, James Barr, who’s accused of killing a bunch of people. When Reacher starts to investigate, he discovers that there’s more to the case than what he signed up for, reaching all the way to the higher echelons of the government and military.
Jack Reacher also stars Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, Jai Courtney, Werner Herzog, and Robert Duvall, among others. Cruise reprised his role in the movie’s sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, released in 2016.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Unlike most spies or field agents, Jack Ryan is but a simple analyst at the CIA. The titular character is based on the main protagonist of Tom Clancy’s thriller novel series. The plot follows Ryan on an assignment to track a Russian businessman named Cherevin and audit his finance trail when he narrowly escapes an attempt on his life. What seemed like a simple mission turns out deadly when Ryan discovers there’s a terrorist attack plan in motion.
Although there’s nothing common between the plots of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and The Gray Man, the suspense, the political intrigue, and conspiracies share commonalities between the two stories. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the movie stars Chris Pine as Jack Ryan, along with Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, and Keira Knightley among others.
The November Man (2014)
Years after James Bond, Pierce Brosnan is once again seen as a spy in this CIA thriller. Based on the 1987 political thriller novel There Are No Spies by Bill Granger, The November Man follows a former CIA operative who is brought back to the field on a personal mission. His task is to safeguard a valuable witness who has information about a Russian presidential candidate. But Devereaux soon finds himself pitted against his former colleague and mentee in a lethal game of kill-or-be-killed.
With two high-level CIA agents, international assassins, and a deep political conspiracy, that threatens national security; The November Man has the promise of a similar experience to The Gray Man. The movie also stars Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, and Eliza Taylor in major roles and was directed by Roger Donaldson.
The 355 (2022)
Another Jessica Chastain thriller, The 355 features five badass agents and one common mission. It follows CIA agent, Mason Brown who learns about a global organization that’s trying to acquire an extremely lethal weapon that can destroy global data and intelligence in a click. After being turned down by her superiors, Brown takes it up on herself, finds the best agents around the world, and sets out on a mission to retrieve the weapon.
With its badass all-female team, The 355 might not be much like The Gray Man, but being one of the top spy action thrillers released in 2022, it deserves a mention. Directed by Simon Kinberg, the spy film features an ensemble cast with Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Fan Bingbing, Penélope Cruz, Sebastian Stan, Edgar Ramirez, and others.