If you’re looking for spy movies similar to body of lies and James Bond, look no further. These movies will submerge you in a world of intrigue where anything is possible. Many of them also have a main character who has it all; the charisma, Intelligence, and resourcefulness to survive under any circumstances, and of course there’s always room for the writers to come up with all kinds of tools and gadgets to aid these characters on their missions.
Body of Lies is a spy movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, set in the Middle East about terrorism. It depicts how everything we see around us is not how it seems, and how there are tons of lies created around us. If you are a fan of movies similar to Body of Lies, consider watching any of the movies on this list and enjoy their thrilling plots.
The Debt – 2010
A spy movie and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies, directed by John Madden, and starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, and Jessica Chastain. The movie is set in 1997 about Rachel Singer and Stephan Gold, the retired Mossad agents, who accomplished with their colleague David Peretz an important mission in 1965 and chased a Nazi criminal called Dieter Vogel in east Berlin. They put themselves at a great risk to finish their mission, and become so famous in the spy world, but after thirty years the Nazi guy came back to hunt them.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 53 minutes.
Movie Type: Drama and Thriller.
Live by Night – 2016
A movie created, directed, and starring Ben Affleck. The movie is set in 1926 in Boston, where liquor flows underground in a huge network of distilleries, from the point of view of a man called Joe Coughlin who is the youngest son of a good cop. He forgot everything about the way he was raised and enjoys a thrilling and profitable life of crime. However, that kind of life has a price he had to pay one day, and after all that he did he cannot trust anyone, even his own family. Everyone here needs to find their way to survive and has to fend for themselves alone.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 9 minutes.
Movie Type: Drama, Action and Crime.
Spooks: The Greater Good – 2015
A thriller, and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies, directed by Bharat Nalluri, and starring Kit Harington and Peter Firth. The movie is about an MI5 squad that caught the most wanted terrorist in London, and they are trying to hand him over to CIA agents, but before they can finish their mission they get attacked by motorbike riders who rescued the terrorist. MI5 knows that the one responsible for the terrorist’s escaping is one of their own, a man called Harry Pearce who disappeared after the incident. This triggers a frantic search for him and everyone treats him like a traitor.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 44 minutes.
Movie Type: Drama, Action and Thriller.
All the Old Knives – 2022
Another one of the spy movies similar to Body of Lies, directed by Janus Metz, and starring Goksin Erdemli, Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton. It is about Henry Pelham the CIA agent who is tasked with an old hijacking case. He investigates it and learns that there is a suspect who may have given important information to the perpetrators to help them complete their mission. This suspect is Celia, his former colleague and also his crush. Celia is now married and retired, and she agrees to meet him for dinner to discuss with him all his suspicions. They met each other later many times, and every time they both tried to reveal what was really happening in this case.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 41 minutes.
Movie Type: Mystery and Thriller.
J. Edgar – 2011
A movie directed by Clint Eastwood and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, and Naomi Watts. The movie is about the life of J. Edgar Hoover the head of the F.B.I. and how he chased the Communists and anarchists at the beginning of his career, built his reputation until he became the most powerful man in the agency, and played the key role in the most important cases during his years of working in the F.B.I.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Movie Type: Biography, Drama and Romance.
Our Kind of Traitor – 2016
Another spy movie and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies, directed by Susanna White, and starring Carlos Acosta, Radivoje Bukvic, and Stellan Skarsgård. The movie is about Dima the Russian guy who met Perry and his wife Gail in Morocco during the holidays. Dima is also involved with the Russian Mafia, and he antagonizes them, so their boss wants him dead. Dima has only one chance to escape from this destiny, by making Perry broker him with British intelligence, and in return he will expose some serious corruption in London. Could he manage to escape with his life, or will he succumb to his fate at the hands of the Russian Mafia?
Movie Time: 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Movie Type: Action, Drama and Crime.
The Courier – 2020
A movie directed by Dominic Cooke and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze. The movie is set during the Cold War, about an MI6 squad that received a message from Oleg Penkovsky from the Soviet Union. The message expresses concern about the possibility of a nuclear war. The information was sent to Emily Donovan the CIA agent at first, so she contacted Dickie Franks the MI6 agent, who hired Greville Wynne the salesman to spy for them.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 52 minutes.
Movie Type: History, Drama and Mystery.
12 Strong – 2018
Another spy movie directed by Nicolai Fuglsig and starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon, and it is one of the movies similar to Body of Lies. The movie is set during the attack of September 11, 2001, from the point of view of Mitch Nelson, the US Army Captain who volunteers to lead the Green Berets Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595, in the Afghanistan war. He fought against the Taliban movement with the Northern Alliance, in horrible circumstances and against all odds.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Movie Type: History, Drama and Action.
Legacy of Lies – 2020
A spy movie created by Adrian Bol, and starring Scott Adkins and Anna Butkevich. The movie is about agent Martin Baxter who quit his job in MI6 after he lost his wife in a failed operation, but he got involved in the world of intelligence agencies again when the KGB captured his daughter to push him to bring a top-secret file to them. This makes him risk everything to protect his daughter from them and bring her back home.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 41 minutes.
Movie Type: Thriller and Action.
Bridge of Spies – 2015
A Steven Spielberg spy movie and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. The movie is set in 1957, about lawyer James B. Donovan who was hired to defend Rudolf Abel the Soviet spy. This makes him a target for anti-communist groups because most of them believe that Abel must be executed but Donovan thinks they can use him in the future and swap him with an American spy, so it is better to keep him in prison for this purpose. Soon enough, Francis Gary Powers, a U-2 spy pilot crashes over Soviet territory, and Donovan negotiates with the Soviets about the swapping process.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Movie Type: History, Drama and Action.
Righteous Kill – 2008
A thriller movie directed by Jon Avent and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. It is about Rooster and Turk, the old detectives working together for the New York Police Department. They are chasing a serial killer that only hunts sociopathic criminals. They both have a bad time in their personal lives, and they have to cooperate with a younger team in their case, resulting in a lot of conflicts due to the large age gap and the methods used. Could they accomplish their mission and find their target?
Movie Time: 1 hour and 41 minutes.
Movie Type: Crime, Mystery and Thriller.
Unlocked – 2017
An action movie directed by Michael Apted, and starring Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, and Toni Collette. The movie is about a Paris attack and the terrorist groups behind it, from the point of view of Alice Racine the CIA agent who lives in London and works as a caseworker, until the CIA calls her back into action after they get intel about an upcoming attack. She uncovers a lot of secrets about the terrorist but she learns that someone leaks them, and threatens her life by exposing her cover as a spy.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 38 minutes.
Movie Type: Action and Thriller.
Jason Bourne – 2016
A famous spy movie franchise and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies created by Paul Greengrass, and starring Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, and Vincent Cassel. The plot is about the CIA agent Jason Bourne who failed in one mission and sunk into the sea, forgetting everything about himself, but day by day his memories come back to him, while the CIA agents chase him and want to kill him due to his failure. Bourne met a whistleblower and with him, he tried to hack the CIA’s black operations including the Treadstone operation which Bourne was involved in. This makes Heather Lee, the CIA agent inform her director Dewey about the problem and makes Bourne most wanted.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 3 minutes.
Movie Type: Action and Thriller.
All the Money in the World – 2017
A Ridley Scott movie starring Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, and Mark Wahlberg. The movie is set in 1973 Rome about Jean Paul Getty, the richest man in the world. When his grandson John Paul Getty III gets kidnapped, he prefers his money over anything else even his favorite grandson. On the other side, there is Gail, Paul’s mother who will do anything for her children. She tried everything to get her son back until Getty accepted to hire Fletcher Chase the security guy to bring him back.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Movie Type: History, Drama and Crime.
State of Play – 2009
A mystery movie and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies, directed by Kevin Macdonald, and starring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams and Ben Affleck. The movie is about the journalist Cal McAffrey who is investigating the murder of one of the prominent U.S. Representatives; Stephen Collins’s aides. The journalist works with his colleague Della Frye, and each one of them has their ways of doing things; McAffrey uses the old methods in his job and getting the information from the cops and whistle-blowers, while Frye gets her information from the public and using blogs to distribute it quickly. They both find a lot of secrets behind the murder and learn about the role of the private security companies behind it.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 7 minutes.
Movie Type: Mystery, Drama and Crime.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi – 2016
A history movie directed by Michael Bay, and starring John Krasinski and Pablo Schreiber. The movie is set in 2012 about the war in Libya, after the downfall of Al- Gaddafi. It is from the point of view of an ex-military contractors group working in Benghazi, with the CIA. Their mission is to protect Chris Stevens, the US Ambassador, but the base gets attacked by a group of armed people from the locals on the night of 11 September 2012. The only hope for Chris Stevens to stay alive is the CIA contractors who did their best to save him.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Movie Type: History, Drama and Action.
Survivor – 2015
A great addition to our list of movies similar to Body of Lies, directed by James McTeigue, and starring Milla Jovovich, Pierce Brosnan and Dylan McDermott. The movie is about Kate Abbott, the security officer who works at the U.S. embassy in London, with a determined mission of spotting any potential terrorist attack. Kate senses that there is something wrong with a Romanian doctor called Emil Balan, and soon she traces a thread to the terrorists, but everything turns upside down and she finds herself on the other side of the law. She needs to clear her name and clean her reputation.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Movie Type: Thriller, Crime and Action.
Without Remorse – 2021
A war movie directed by Stefano Sollima and starring Michael B. Jordan and Jodie Turner-Smith. It is about John Kelly the elite Navy SEAL solider, who seeks justice for his pregnant wife’s murder by a group of Russian soldiers, due to his role in a top-secret operation against them. Kelly chases them with his colleague Karen Greer from Navy SEALS. However, while they were investigating the Russian group, they revealed a lot of secrets about a big conspiracy that may ignite a war between Russia and the U.S.A.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 49 minutes.
Movie Type: Thriller, War and Action.
Safe House – 2012
A spy movie directed by Daniel Espinosa and one of the movies similar to Body of Lies, starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. It is about the rookie CIA agent Matt Weaton who was sent to Cape Town, South Africa, to manage a safe house. It was a boring job until they captured Tobin Frost the most wanted agent for the CIA, but during the interrogation, a group of armed mercenaries attacked the safe house to get Frost. Before they can reach him, he escaped with Weaton, but still, they need to survive and stay away from the gunmen seeking them.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Movie Type: Thriller and Action.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – 2014
An excellent addition to the movies similar to Body of Lies List directed by Kenneth Branagh, Chris Pine, Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley. The movie is about the U.S. marine soldier Jack Ryan, who got injured due to a plane crash in Afghanistan. He went back home to get treatment and rehabilitation. At this time he got attracted to Dr. Cathy Muller and asks her to marry him, and she accepts. At the same time, a CIA leader called Thomas Harper found Ryan a suitable person for a special mission; which was tracking billions of dollars controlled by a Russian organization, led by Viktor Cheverin. Viktor knows about his mission and seeks revenge on him and his fiancée.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Movie Type: Thriller, Drama and Action.
The Post – 2017
A Steven Spielberg movie starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, is about Daniel Ellsberg the military analyst who has doubts about the futility of the Vietnam War, and he has a lot of documents supporting his doubts. On the other side, there is Kay Graham, the Washington Post’s owner who knows about him and the documents he has and wants to compete with the New York Times. When the government knew about all of that they issued a Federal restraining order, to prevent all of them from publishing the documents, but could it stop them from doing their work?
Movie Time: 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Movie Type: Biography, Drama and History.
Spy Game – 2001
A Tony Scott movie starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, and Catherine McCormack, and a great addition to the movies similar to Body of Lies list. The movie is about the CIA agent Nathan Muir, who got information claiming that his protégé Tom Bishop got arrested in China, so instead of retiring, he uses his skills to set Bishop free. During all this, he recalls how he recruited Bishop and how he trained him… and the woman they both have a crush on.
Best Movies Like Upgrade Movie
Movie Time: 2 hours and 6 minutes.
Movie Type: Action, Crime and Thriller.
Allied – 2016
A spy movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. The movie is set during World War II, from the point of view of Max Vatan, the Wing Commander, a and Marianne Beauséjour from the French Resistance. They both met each other in Morocco to finish an important target in Casablanca. After that, they escape to England, get married, and have a baby. All is well until Max gets a call from his agency telling him that his wife is a German spy, and he has to act according to this information and prove his loyalty to his country.
Movie Time: 2 hours and 4 minutes.
Movie Type: Action, Drama and Romance.
The International – 2009
Another entry in the movies similar to the Body of Lies list. The movie is directed by Tom Tykwer, and starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. It is about Louis Salinger the Interpol Agent and Eleanor Whitman the Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. They work together to bring one of the world’s biggest banks to justice, due to some illegal activities like arms trading and money laundry. Salinger and Whitman traveled to New York, Berlin, Istanbul, and Milan to complete their investigations and make a solid case, but the Bank owners would do anything to keep their work protected.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 58 minutes.
Movie Type: Action, Drama and Crime.
Kandahar – 2023
A movie directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and starring Tom Rhys Harries and Gerard Butler. The movie is about Tom Harris the CIA agent who has a mission in Afghanistan, his cover has been exposed and now his life is threatened by terrorists and well-trained mercenaries, and he needs to escape from this trap. His only chance is reaching Kandahar to ride one of the Allies’ helicopters, or maybe he will just end up with a bullet. Watch the movie if you are a fan of movies similar to Body of Lies and enjoy it.
Movie Time: 1 hour and 59 minutes.
Movie Type: Action and Thriller.
