Dive into a curated list of 10 Classic Non-James Bond Spy Movies. This list is handpicked by Dan and Tom of Cracking the Code of Spy Movies. We spotlight hidden gems, wartime operas, Hitchcock staples, and movies that directly influenced later Cold War movies.

• Quick takes on ten movies you should add to your watchlist, including plot hooks, historical context, key performances, and why each movie matters to the spy movie lineage.
• Notes on influences linking early spy movies to Bond, Thunderball, The IPCRESS FILE, and more.
• Links to full episode discussions on each of these movies.

These are the movies we discuss. Each one is linked to our full episode on the movie. So, if after listening to this episode, if you want to hear a deep-dive on the movie, just click the link.

• THE SILENT ENEMY (1958)
• Q PLANES / CLOUDS OVER EUROPE (1939)
• THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934 & 1956)
• THE 39 STEPS (1935)
• SECRET AGENT (1936)
• SABOTAGE (1936)
• THE LADY VANISHES (1938)
• THE ADVENTURES OF TARTU (1943)
• NOTORIOUS (1946)
• 5 FINGERS (1952)
  
  

Did we miss your favorite? Tell us which one. Do you have any comments on any of these movies to share with the community?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/46wSUuh

Join Dan Tom as they decode SPY – the movie from 2015. Find out if this spy comedy movie holds up. It has a great cast. But does it work as a comedy?

This movie is written and directed by Paul Feig. It stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Allison Janney, Miranda Hart, and others. But it is a comedy spy movie and there is a hit-or-miss track record for these movies.

Can this writer, director, actors and crew pull this off? Listen to find out!

· The cast – does it work?

· How much of this movie was improvisation?

· Jason Statham’s role was originally going to be different that it ended. How is it different?

· Melissa McCarthy has to carry much of this movie. Does she succeed?

· Did Aldo have a backstory we never saw?

· What are some of the common spy movie tropes that we see?

· Why do Elektra King and Madeleine Swann from the James Bond series get mentioned?

· Rats!

· Will there be a SPY 2?

· Do Dan and Tom think this spy movie is worth watching?

· And of course, there are more.

So, take a listen to hear what works and what doesn’t work in this movie.

Had you seen this movie before listening to this episode? If not, will you now? Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: http://bit.ly/3VlyK17

Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 1965 spy movie, OPERATION CROSSBOW. Find out if this spy movie, based on a real World War II operation, is worth watching.

This movie, which stars George Peppard, Sophia Loren, Trevor Howard, and more tells us the story of the real-life Operation Crossbow operation from World War II. This operation was created to try to stall or eliminate Germany’s efforts to create the V-1 and V-2 missiles.

So, this movie is part a war movie and part a spy movie. Does that work?

· The cast – does it work?

· A couple of nice cameo appearances

· What is the marketing gimmick that was used to promote this movie?

· What title did it get in the U.S.A and why?

· Is the cinematography picture perfect?

· And is the soundtrack music to your ears?

· Does Richard Johnson’s portral of Winston Churchill work?

· Also, what are some of the corellations between what we see in OPERATION CROSSBOW and what is happening in the world today?

· Did you know about the test pilots for the pilotless rockets?

· How was the balance of “spy movie” vs. “war movie”?

· Do Dan and Tom think this spy movie is worth watching?

· And of course, there are more.

So take a listen to hear what works and what doesn’t work in this movie.

Had you seen this movie before listening to this episode? If not, will you now? Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: http://bit.ly/4m7ZDAq

Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 1979 spy movie, AVALANCHE EXPRESS. This was Robert Shaw’s last movie. Is it worth watching? Listen to find out!

AVALANCHE EXPRESS is a Cold War spy thriller that was a recommendation from some of our listeners. Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw, Linda Evans, Maximilian Schell, Mike Connors, and Joe Namath lead the talented list of actors in this one.

This movie has a Soviet general defect, a NOC-list of sorts, and, of course, an avalanche. And since this is a spy movie, of course there is a train.

· Who are the actors who appeared in this movie who were also in James Bond movies?

· Consequently, does this cast work?

· And as a result, do the characters work?

· What were the very large production problems this movie encountered?

· What’s up with those gloves

· Joe Namath: Wasn’t he an American football player?

· One of the big-name actors dies early in the movie. When this has happened in other movies, what happens?

· Do the cinematography and miniatures work for the avalanche?

· Naked beer slides?

· What real-world spy techniques do we see used?

· What Opera House plays a prominent role?

· Do Dan and Tom think this spy movie is worth watching?

· And of course, there are more.

So take a listen to hear what works and what doesn’t work in this movie.

This movie had some huge production problems, not of anyone’s doing. Did they pull it together? Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3I1wGbp

Join Dan and Tom as they decode 20 Things You Missed in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE! How many will you miss? Listen to find out!

Every movie has questionable sequences and stuff that you miss, especially on your first time viewing the movie. Well, in this episode, we’re going to Russia (and a few other places) to find out what we’ve been missing.

· A picture on the wall of an embassy

· A famous chess move

· It might be a Ford. However, it could be a Chevy. Or both?

· What did James Bond give Kerim Bey’s son?

· Things that strangely get clean

· An ominous yet hidden warning

· Similarly, we have a scar-y dilemma

· Of course, we must ask: Who is the ventriloquist?

· Better to see you, my dear

· Um, what model of train was the Orient Express?

· A reassembling helicopter?

· A steamy situation

· Meanwhile, who is that guy in the picture?

· And of course, there are more.

We find that by looking for these types of things, you watch the movie more closely, especially when watching a movie for the second or third time. And some of these things you miss are continuity issues, so EON Productions missed them, too.

Finally, this video covers our top 20 things you likely missed. Did you know about any of these already? Are there some we missed? If so, drop us a note and let us know.

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4fWvjY8

Dan and Tom interview Steve Begg, who led the visual effects for CASINO ROYALE, SKYFALL, SPECTRE, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, & more! Listen to how his magic transformed these movies!

For those who don’t know the name Steve Begg, you have seen his work, usually without knowing that visual effects were used in a scene. When his work is done well, it becomes invisible.

You have heard our interview with Special Effects wizard Chris Corbould (YouTube or our website) on his work with the James Bond series. Special Effects and Visual Effects combine to give us true movie magic.

In this interview we have two main goals:

· - Tell Steve’s story

· - Learn how some of his amazing effects were done

Some of the Steve’s scenes we discuss include:

· - CASINO ROYALE’s palazzo collapse into the Venice canal

· - What the special effects team had to do in that collapse

· - When James Bond first meets Vesper Lynd on the train in CASINO ROYALE

· - SPECTRE’s mouse

· - CASINO ROYALE’s hangar scene

· - CASINO ROYALE’s parkour chase

· - SKYFALL’s helicopter and DB5 destruction

· - SKYFALL’s opening sequence

· - Steve’s use of miniatures

· - In addition, we find out the answer to the question: How do they replace a person’s face?

· - And, of course, much more!

So, do you want to find out how the sausage is made? Trust us, you’ll learn something in this episode.

Prior to this interview, had you heard how these effects were done? Did you know that the mouse was CG, not real? How much of the additional effects Steve Begg’s team added to these movies did you think was real, or practical, not a visual effect?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3JBS5Z6

Dan and Tom compare the GOLDFINGER – novel vs movie. How close is the movie to the novel, and how did the novel impact the franchise? Listen to find out!

Many of the early Eon Productions James Bond movies were based on the novels written by Ian Fleming. Ian Fleming’s seventh novel, “Goldfinger,” was used as the basis for the third Eon Productions James Bond movie of the same name.

In this episode, we decode the major differences between the novel and the movie. We also look at some other James Bond movies that were influenced by the “Goldfinger” novel.

· The opening sequence in Miami

· Catching Goldfinger cheating

· Investigating Goldfinger

· The Golf Match

· Tilly Masterton/Masterson

· James Bond’s torture scene

· The differing plots at Fort Knox

· What was the poison GB from the novel?

· Pussy Galore’s role

· What happened on Goldfinger’s plane at the end

· And of course, there are more.

Links to episodes mentioned in this episode:

· Our trip to Indiana University (Ian Fleming’s manuscripts)

· University of Iowa (Richard Maibaum Collection)

Finally, have you read the “Goldfinger” novel? If so, did we miss any major differences? Which of these items were you surprised to see?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: http://bit.ly/45pvdU4

Join Dan and Tom as they decode 20 things you missed in GOLDFINGER! How many of these did you miss? You will be surprised. Listen to find out!

Every movie has questionable sequences and stuff that you miss, especially on your first time viewing the movie. Well, in this episode, we’re going to put a golden hue on this topic and give you 20 things you missed in GOLDFINGER. We’re sure there are more, but these are our favorites.

· The golf outing

· The raid on Fort Knox

· The Aston Martin DB5 – there are a few things with this car to discuss

· James Bond quips

· James Bond spying

· Golf Balls

· A cola promotion – you have to love product placement

· Oddjob’s skills

· Continuity issues

· Disappearing men

· Men appearing out of nowhere

· And of course, there are more.

We find that by looking for these types of things, you watch the movie more closely, especially when watching a movie for the second or third time. And, some of these things you miss are continuity issues, so EON Productions missed them, too.

Finally, this video covers our top 20 things you likely missed. Did you know about any of these already? Are there some we missed? If so, drop us a note and let us know.

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4fhA4Lq