My favorite spy movie is Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as James Bond.
The movie originally came out in 1962 and was directed by Terence Young. It is the first film in the main James Bond series. The plot concerns a plot by Dr. No and SPECTRE to sabotage American missiles. The movie is set mostly in Jamaica. It opens with an MI6 operative getting killed by some of Dr. No's henchmen, which leads MI6 to send James Bond to investigate.
Bond eventually tracks the murder to Dr. No and goes to Dr. No's island (Crab Key) to see if he can find out what exactly Dr. No's plan is. Dr. No is a half-Chinese former gangster who now belongs to SPECTRE, a terrorist organization dedicated to trying to take over the world. Bond foils the plot, but not before his assistant is killed by some of Dr. No's goons.
This is the first Bond movie, which means that the gadgets are minimal to non-existent. Bond's boss issues him a Walther PPK in place of Bond's favored Baretta in an early scene, but there is no Q in Dr. No, only a character called the armourer who gives Bond the PPK.
The elements that have become familiar in all subsequent Bond movies are already present. There is a grotesque and ingenious villain threatening the peace of the world; casual sex and even more casual sadism abounds; there are the wisecracks, exotic locations, and that familiar theme music.
However, "Dr No" is a more down-to-earth affair than subsequent entries. The modest budget enforces a low-key, almost realistic tone. Bond is forced to rely on his wits to get the job done, rather then pulling out the gimmicks and gadgetry of later films. That is a main reason why I enjoy the film so much.
My favorite spy movie is unequivocally the Bond movie, From Russia With Love.
Sean Connery, in my opinion at least, defined Bond and no one else can ever compare to him in that sense. Many people find it hard to pick just one favorite Bond movie, but my favorite is From Russia with Love because it has more plot twists than Lord of the Rings but still manages to reel you in and hold onto your attention.
While I think that Terence Young does a better job directing Dr. No than From Russia With Love, it is still quite well-written and directed, and is a fantastic adaptation of Ian Flemming's original novel. And, of course, no Bond movie would be proper with a romance, and Tatiana Romanova does a brilliant job of capturing the Bond girl spirit.
My favorite spy movie is The Saint starring Val Kilmer. In The Saint, Val Kilmer plays a spy who is assigned to go after a formula a young girl is working on for cold fusion. In the process, he ends up falling in love with her.
Kilmer wears so many cool disguises and is a master of deception. This, more than any special gadget, is what I really love about the movie. It makes me think that I could become a good enough actor and get good enough with makeup and other things to go around and become whoever I want!
I also love it because of the added love story element. So many spy movies are lacking this, which is a deterrent to many women.
While I love spy movies in general, they would be even more attractive if they all had a true love story element like The Saint. I also love that though Kilmer's character is morally ambiguous in the beginning, by the end of the movie you see where his heart truly lies.
