While male-centric action films such as the James Bond franchise dominate the espionage genre, some of the best spy films ever created include female spies. Unfortunately, while being just as action-packed and stressful as any Bond film, female-centered spy films are frequently forgotten.
Fortunately for movie aficionados interested in viewing fantastic films about female spies, the Ranker community came together to vote on the top options. These films will fulfill anyone’s need for action and espionage while while putting women in the spotlight.
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Atomic Blonde is a sleek all-out action thriller based on the graphic novel The Coldest City. It’s probably the closest thing to a female analogue of the John Wick series out there. Because Atomic Blonde director David Leitch was engaged in the latter action series, this parallel is appropriate.
It’s no wonder, then, that the film features fast-paced action sequences that would please any action movie fan. Lorraine Broughton, an elite MI6 agent serving near the end of the Cold War, seems to delight Charlize Theron, which makes her portrayal all the more unforgettable.
Hanna (2011)
Hanna is not a film that follows the rules, with a soundtrack composed by EDM combo The Chemical Brothers and an opening set in rural Finland. Saoirse Ronan plays the title role, a young girl who has been trained as an assassin by her father, a former CIA employee, since she was a child.
Hanna is charged with bringing down the CIA officials who want to kill her father, and she takes advantage of her youth to ensure that, despite her amazing combat talents, she is constantly underestimated. The film was recently adapted into an Amazon Prime series of the same name, which allowed Hanna’s intellectual main characters to evolve.
Haywire (2011)
Haywire is a brilliantly-executed spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, who has a track record for intriguing action pictures like the Oceans franchise as well as great female-led dramas like the biopic Erin Brockovich. Mallory Kane is the major character, an American black ops operative who is betrayed by her employers.
Haywire is a star-studded cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. However, in this suspenseful and polished thriller, critics praised the directing and choreography the most.
Nikita (1990)
Nikita, also known as La Femme Nikita, is a film that did such a good job of updating the spy action-thriller formula that it spawned a Hollywood remake and, more recently, one of the best TV shows about spies in recent years in a show with the same name on the CW. Anne Parillaud plays a teen who is compelled to become a government assassin in order to avoid a life behind bars in the film.
What follows is a slick and sophisticated affair that is perfectly suited to the lead character’s complex relationship with her brutal employers and her personal life. Nikita is still the best film about a female spy thirty years after its release because of its amazing and engaging action.
Point Of No Return (1993)
Bridget Fonda plays Maggie Hayward, a heroin addict convicted guilty of the murder of a police officer and sentenced to death in this remake of the 1990 action thriller Nikita. She is told that in exchange for being allowed to live, she must become a government assassin.
In comparison to the original, Point of No Return ramps up the explosive violence, while Bridget Fonda makes for a fantastic action hero. While Hollywood remakes of foreign films sometimes produce mixed outcomes, Point of No Return is by far the most watchable.
Red Joan (2019)
Spy movies are nearly always over-the-top thrillers with a focus on high-octane action, so Red Joan is ideal for anyone searching for something a little different. Red Joan is a British spy drama set during the Cold War, based on a novel of the same name that is based on true events.
Joan is played by Judi Dench and Sophie Cookson, who is best known for her role as Roxy in the Kingsman series. She is stuck between allegiances as Britain pursues its nuclear program in the aftermath of World War 2. The safe and risk-averse approach of Red Joan earned some criticism, but the film’s interesting tale and intentional performances carry it.
Red Sparrow (2018)
Red Sparrow stars Jennifer Lawrence as a ballerina turned “Sparrow,” an euphemism for Soviet spies who were often entrusted with wooing their targets, and is based on a novel of the same name. Lawrence’s character, Dominika, is dispatched to gain the trust of a CIA agent played by Joel Edgerton after excelling in the harsh conditions of the Sparrow training camp.
Red Sparrow is violent and unsettling at moments, but it makes superb use of the acting talent of its actors, particularly Jennifer Lawrence, who excels as Russia’s most deadly Sparrow. Red Sparrow is a must-see for aficionados of dark, gruesome thrillers, despite its varied reviews.
Salt (2010)
Salt, according to IMDB, is one of Angelina Jolie‘s best films. It stars the Oscar winner as Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who is forced to flee after being accused of being a Russian sleeper operator. Salt provides the ideal backdrop for Jolie to demonstrate her abilities as an action-movie leading lady, with a plot full of twists and exhilarating action.
The film itself is a solid spy thriller that, despite some criticism for its convoluted and improbable plot, is one of the better films of the decade. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays the counterintelligence agent desperate to apprehend the fugitive Salt personally, is also worth watching out for.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
The Long Kiss Goodnight, with an all-star ensemble that includes Samuel L. Jackson and Academy Award winner Geena Davis in the lead role, is undoubtedly a neglected 90s action film that deserved a sequel. The film follows an amnesiac schoolteacher whose quest to reclaim her identity brings her into the heart of a sinister plot.
Samantha Caine, the main character, quickly turns into a captivating protagonist as her quest takes her into the heart of a world of twisted espionage, realizing that she possesses combat skills and reflexes much beyond what any regular schoolteacher should be capable of. The Long Kiss Goodnight is an entertaining thriller.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Zero Dark Thirty is a gritty, realistic political thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow, one of the best action directors available. It is based on the real-life hunt for Osama bin Laden. Jessica Chastain plays Maya, a CIA intelligence analyst who feels eerily real, rather than a hyper-fictionalized espionage figure.
Maya is in the center of the hunt for bin Laden’s location, dealing with the complicated, hazardous world of modern espionage, including her own organization’s unscrupulous practices. Zero Dark Thirty gained universal acclaim for its harsh portrayal of a real-life intelligence operation, which included one of the most violent torture scenes in film history.
