I could, like many others probably would say, say some 007 movie. However, if I really think about it, my favorite spy movie would have to be “The Hunt for Red October”. I am a younger, it is true. I saw this movie just a few years ago, and I was born a long time after the Cold War. You would think a movie about a Soviet Union submarine would not particularly interest me.
However it has so many great actors in it, like Sam Neill, Alec Baldwin, and James Earl Jones. Oh yes, I did forget one other name – Sean Connery! It may seem ridiculous that Connery, a heavy-accented Scottish man, played a Russian Captain but that doesn’t matter.
It was amazing acting and a great plot. I don’t want to give too much away, but a Soviet Captain is in charge of a new tactical submarine, the Red October. Soon he finds himself running from both the Soviets and the Americans. You’ll have to watch the movie to see how it all ends up. Needless to say it is a very thrilling movie.
I also liked the overall art that was behind the movie. It was genius when they started the movie having the actors on the Soviet side actually speaking Russian. You may think they will keep it up the whole movie, but it does not last long. The director used a great tactic to smoothly transition the Soviet actors into speaking English. By the end, you forget that the different actors would be speaking different languages until the two sides are united and the language barrier goes back up.
There are not really any spy gadgets unless you count a giant submarine, but I’m not sure I’d want that if I could get it – they terrify me.
As for why I loved the movie, does it need to be said? Two words: Sean Connery.
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.
Bond goes to Istanbul to rendezvous with a Russian agent who thinks she is feeding false information to the British by giving them a coding machine called Lektor. In fact they are both pawns of the organization SPECTRE who is using them to extract the machine from the Russian embassy.
My favorite spy movie is and always will be Goldfinger.
I was about 14 years of age when the movie came out. While I was returning from swimming practice several friends (who were older) convinced me to go see Goldfinger. I was in awe as the opening credits rolled. I went to the Hershey Theater in Hershey PA and can still see the movie in my mind as I sat in the seat wide eyed. As a 14 year old male this movie was engrossing and sexy.
The movie starred Sean Connery as James Bond and Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore. The two were dynamite together. The director was Guy Hamilton.
The plot was as follows: Investigating a gold magnate's gold smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve. I loved the revolving license plate which was used after Bond started getting too many tickets! That would be something to have today as I drive on Interstate 95.
I love Goldfinger because it brings back my youth when there was an innocence to life. The movie was full of energy and Bond was so suave. Pussy Galore was every young boy's dream girl for sure. I could imagine myself in her arms and being James Bond escaping from all the snares and trials that were placed upon him.
Little did my father know that when he asked me if I would be interested in watching this James Bond film known as Goldfinger, that he had launched me into permanent fandon for the spy genre. Since I was fourteen, I have been a massive fan of all things spy related, from the Saint to the Bourne series.
When I look back on everything, though, I have to say that Goldfinger still is dear to my heart. Sean Connery was and still is James Bond and every man wants to be James Bond.
