Movies about spies, MI6 and secret government stuff

eviltimeban

Just wondering if anyone could recommend a good TV boxset or movies along these lines? I'm looking for something that would involve MI6, set in London, secret government stuff, sort of like the Mycroft parts of Sherlock or the underground bunker MI6 parts of Skyfall.

I've heard Spooks is a good show for that kind of thing, any other recommendations?

K.Flyer

The T.V. series of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Alec Guinness is one I would recommend, its old school and very watchable.

eviltimeban

Thanks. Is the Gary Oldman movie any good?

K.Flyer

eviltimeban wrote: »

Thanks. Is the Gary Oldman movie any good?

I really enjoyed it, personally I reckon its Gary Oldman's best performance.

tricky D

The Fourth Protocol - a 1987 British Cold War spy film featuring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan, based on the novel The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth.

The Worricker Trilogy - Page Eight, Turks and Caicos, Salt the Battlefield - David Hare’s Emmy-winning spy thriller trilogy from the BBC with Bill Nighy. More style over substance imho,with nice jazz musical theme, but I liked them a lot.

Smiley's People with Alec Guinness is part of the Karla trilogy by John le Carré which also has Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. TV series from the 70s and a bit of a slow mover imo, but I loved the ending where....

Also check out the Harry Palmer films from the 60s/70s based on Len Deighton's novels - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Palmer

Cleanskin 2012 with Sean Bean and Charlotte Rampling slipped under the radar. Good but not great, worth a watch.

eviltimeban

Thanks, are there any more modern recommendations as well?

Agent Coulson

Spooks sure is great for that kind of thing

A great series. 10 seasons

Also soon to be a movie

I cannot recommend Callan enough, it's a dark, gritty crime show about an e spy who is brought back into the fold to complete jobs. Starring Edward Woodward it's the very antithesis of what Bond was doing at the time. Many of the episodes have been lost but you can get two DVD sets, the monochrome years and the colour years .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QfOO_686ys

mike65

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) Dir Martin Ritt with Richard Burton from John Le Carre novel

The Quiller Memorandum (1966) Dir Michael Anderson, another of the sixties "Anti-Bond" spy films worth seeing

The Mackintosh Man (1973) Dir John Huston, convoluted drama set in England, Ireland and Malta, there is a cracking car chase between the dry stone walls of Connemara.

On a different level as its a human drama which happens to be about a spy - An Englishman Abroad (1983) - Dir John Schlesinger with Alan Bates and Coral Browne