10 Best Spy Thrillers To Watch Like Argylle

There are several other modern spy comedy thrillers that fans of Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle can enjoy. Depsite having a star-studded ensemble cast featuring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, Dua Lipa, and Henry Cavill, Argylle was a box office flop upon its release in early February 2024. Argylle only made $96 million worldwide against its staggering $200 million budget, quickly becoming one of the biggest box office failures of the year. Still, there are several other good spy comedy thrillers for fans of the fun-loving genre.

Argylle’s poor reviews likely contributed to its poor box office performance. Argylle has several headscratcher moments and plot holes that make it difficult to fully comprehend its serpentine narrative. Although Vaughn has indicated that he plans to expand on the original film’s concept with several Argylle prequels, sequels, and crossovers, the poor box office performance and critical reception of the film may prevent him from doing so. There is speculation that Argylle could eventually crossover with Kingsman and that the next movie will be based on the actual book published by “Elly Conway” in January 2024. Argylle is now available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+.

10

Spy (2015)

Spy is a celebrated spy thriller comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, and the formidable action star Jason Statham. Written and directed by Paul Feig, the acclaimed creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of Bridesmaids and fifteen episodes of The Office, Spy is full of parody of the typical spy-action genre and is arguably one of the best spy action comedies ever made. The spoofs seen throughout Spy are very similar to those in Argylle, playing on many traditional tropes of spy classics such as those in the James Bond franchise. Spy received an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75 on Metascore, a great indication of its overall quality as a spy comedy thriller. Spy is currently available to stream on MAX.

9

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Atomic Blonde may not be the most obvious choice as a spy action comedy, but it is still a phenomenal spy thriller led by the incomparable Charlize Theron fresh off of 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Atomic Blonde, which was directed by David Leitch and based on an adapted screenplay written by Kurt Johnstad, also stars James McAvoy, John Goodman, Bill Skarsgard, and Eddie Marsan. Theron is perfectly cast in the lead role of undercover MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, who played an integral part in the realistically gripping fight scenes. Leitch, the director of Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Bullet Train, also directed The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Atomic Blonde is not currently available to stream on any major platforms.

8

American Ultra (2015)

American Ultra is a comedic cult classic starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Walton Goggins, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, John Leguizamo, and Tony Hale. American Ultra spoofs on the action comedy genre through Eisenberg’s stoner character Mike Howell, who is secretly disguised as a government agent. The film is directed by Nima Nourizadeh of Project X acclaim and is based on a screenplay written by Max Landis (Chronicle, Bright). Similar to Argylle, American Ultra is full of for lack of a better word silly and often bizarre twists that, while nonsensical, are still very entertaining. The film was similarly given poor reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, earning a score of 44% compared to Argylle’s abysmal 33%. Fans who were willing to give Argylle a chance could find themselves pleasantly surprised by American Ultra, which is currently available to stream on Peacock.

7

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a spy action comedy classic starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, famous for pairing the iconic Hollywood celebrity couple together. Not to be confused with the recent Mr. & Mrs. Smith Amazon series co-created by Donald Glover, which is arguably even better than the 2005 original movie, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is widely considered one of the most notable action spy comedies of the 2000s. Directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, American Made, Road House), based on an original screenplay by Simon Kinberg (X-Men: The Last Stand, Sherlock Holmes, Jumper), Mr. & Mrs. Smith is an absolute must-watch for fans of the spy action thriller comedy genre. The 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith film is available to stream on Hulu, while the Mr. & Mrs. Smith television series is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

6

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

The Spy Who Dumped Me is a somewhat overlooked spy action comedy from 2018 starring two comedic heavyweights, Mina Kunis and Kate McKinnon. The film’s title is a direct play on the classic 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me in which Roger Moore portrayed Agent 007. Kunis and McKinnon play two best friends who become entangled in an international conspiracy when they realize that one of their ex-boyfriends is a world-class spy. The premise alone makes for an intriguing film, which is made even more appealing by the comedic pairing of Kunis and McKinnon. What’s more, Justin Theroux plays the spy named Drew. The Spy Who Dumped Me was written and directed by Susanna Fogel, one of the screenwriters of Olivia Wilde’s celebrated coming-of-age story Booksmart. The Spy Who Dumped Me is not currently available to stream on any digital platform.

5

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a hilarious, one-of-a-kind satirical spy comedy starring Nicolas Cage as himself. While The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is not the first movie in which Cage has gone super meta in a leading role, like in the iconic 2002 Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman film Adaptation., the 2022 comedy is one of Cage’s most enjoyable films in recent memory. In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a fictionalized version of Cage is recruited by a CIA operative to investigate a dangerous superfan named Javi Gutierrez, played by the incomparable Pedro Pascal. The film was written and directed by Tom Gormican, who rose to prominence from 2014’s That Awkward Moment starring Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is available to stream on Roku Channel.

4

Burn After Reading (2008)

Burn After Reading is a classic spy satire written and directed by the Oscar-winning duo, Joel and Ethan Coen. Burn After Reading has an incredible cast that includes Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons, and more. While Burn After Reading is certainly more grounded in reality than the larger-than-life Argylle thanks to the unique and gritty filmmaking approach of the Coen Brothers, the film is still full of style and humor. Pitt’s knucklehead protagonist Chad Feldheimer tries to blackmail a CIA operative named Osborne Cox after finding classified information. Fans of Argylle will certainly find the characters, story, and filmmaking in Burn After Reading compelling. Burn After Reading is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

3

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre has a very similar look and vibe to Argylle and Matthew Vaughn’s other spy comedy franchise Kingsman. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre has a star-studded cast led by Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Hugh Grant, and Josh Hartnett and was one of the more overlooked movies of 2023. It also marks the fifth feature film collaboration between Ritchie and Statham, only a few years after their celebrated heist movie Wrath of Man (2021) was released. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is meant to be an enjoyable, easy-to-watch spy action comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which means that fans of Argylle will almost certainly like it. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is currently available to stream on Starz.

2

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is somewhat of a landmark mid-2010s spy action comedy that was originally seen as Henry Cavill’s James Bond audition tape. While that didn’t necessarily pan out in Cavill’s career, Cavill found himself as the face of another spy franchise in Argylle. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. remains one of the most fun and entertaining spy action comedies in recent years. Unsurprisingly, the film was written and directed by Guy Ritchie. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. features a stellar cast that includes Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant, and Jared Harris. It’s entirely possible that Ritchie could be planning a sequel for The Man From U.N.C.L.E, which could give Cavill another major action spy franchise to be the face of.

1

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Fans of Argylle should drop everything and watch Kingsman: The Secret Service if they somehow have not already. Directed by Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service sparked a sequel and prequel as well called Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and The King’s Man (2021), respectively. Vaughn is expected to continue developing his Argylle universe and eventually overlap it with the characters and locations of Kingsman, as hinted in the Argylle post-credits scene. With Kingsman: The Blue Blood, the third Kingsman movie, and The King’s Man: The Traitor King, the Kingsman’s prequel sequel movie both currently in production, there will be plenty more Kingsman material from Vaughn to come. Kingsman is currently available to be streamed on MAX.