10 greatest James Bond alternatives you probably missed – and not the ones you think
Films that scratch that 007 itch – that you might not have thought of.
Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images
- Sam Moore
Published: Thursday, 23 July 2026 at 7:00 am
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Over the last 60 years, James Bond’s shadow looms immeasurably large over cinema. The 25 official films have defined generations, influenced countless filmmakers and it remains one of the few series to not be overexploited in a world of endless content. The character itself is also a template for other icons such as Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne and even the parodic Austin Powers. A cinematic landscape without James Bond is genuinely unthinkable.
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Such is the weight of influence, there have been no shortages of attempts by writers, producers and directors to put their own alternative spin on both Bond and the spy genre that he looms over so greatly. This, of course, leads to a mixed bag of imitators and pale comparisons but also more than a few sharply dressed spy classics that can put their own flavour on the much-loved genre and stand equal to 007.
As it has now been five years since the last Bond film and we don’t appear to be particularly close to the start of production on the 26th iteration, here are some of the best alternatives to 007 that can keep you busy until Denis Villeneuve weaves his magic.
1) The Man from UNCLE
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There were a swath of spy-inspired TV shows in the '60s including the Roger Moore-starring The Saint, The Avengers (no, not that one) and of course, The Man from UNCLE with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum.
In 2015, Guy Ritchie was brought in to give the series a retro-fitted cinematic update starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. Keeping the original Cold War setting, this is the closest we’ll get to a Ritchie-directed Bond film, complete with swaggering style, buzzing action sequences and enough charm to impress 007 himself. Overlooked at the time, it’s now a firm cult favourite.
Where to watch: HBO Max
2) Tenet
John David Washington as The Protagonist in Tenet. Warner Bros Entertainment
Christopher Nolan has made no secret of his love of James Bond and while the chances of him actually helming a 007 movie are now slim to nonexistent, he made his own go of it with Tenet. It features all of the usual Nolan idiosyncrasies relating to time and grounded sci-fi but at its complex heart, Tenet is a globetrotting spy caper with a Russian villain and an epic cold open action sequence, which is about as Bond as it gets without featuring a martini.
Where to watch: HBO Max
3) The Thomas Crown Affair
Starring '90s Bond himself, John McTiernan’s remake of the 1960’s Steve McQueen classic is a reminder of how badly Pierce Brosnan was let down by the quality of his last two Bond appearances. With enough charisma to power a G7 nation, Brosnan plays a master art thief who engages in a romantic game of cat and mouse with Rene Russo’s insurance company detective for what is the type of evocative thriller Hollywood has long forgotten about.
Where to watch: MGM+
4) xXx
American actor Vin Diesel as Xander Cage in a scene from the film xXx. Murray Close/Getty Images
Think James Bond through the lens of early '00s pop culture and you get xXx. There’s skateboarding (including a cameo from Tony Hawk), a Rammstein concert and Vin Diesel when he hadn't already given his career over to the Fast & Furious franchise. This time capsule of a film is catnip for any man of a certain age and serves as part homage, part parody of some of Bond’s tropes, featuring absurd gadgets and a protagonist magnetised to femme fatales. A joyful relic for anybody that prefers tank tops over three-piece suits.
Where to watch: Sky Cinema
5) Black Bag
Black Bag may be a film limited to just a single gunshot but it reveals how much fun and intrigue can still be mined out of the spy genre. Starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as a spy couple, foul play is afoot as a traitor in the midst has to be tracked and identified after a software program is leaked. There’s poisoned curry, intense polygraph exams and Pierce Brosnan in the M role and it all adds up to a sophisticated, suspenseful narrative that blends the cynicism of Le Carré with the wit of Ian Fleming.
Where to watch: Sky Cinema
6) The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
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A semi-fictional account of Operation Postmaster, a World War II mission carried out by the Special Operations Executive to disrupt U-boat supply channels, the hero of the story is Gus March-Phillipps, widely credited as a key inspiration for James Bond. And it’s easy to see why.
Played by Henry Cavill, March-Phillipps is a swashbuckling daredevil and a charismatic leader of men who goes around blowing things up in what was then a Spanish controlled island off Equatorial Guinea with his motley crew of commandos. Alan Ritchson and Eiza Gonzalez excel in supporting roles.
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
7) The Tailor of Panama
Le Carré stories are not known for their resemblance to Fleming. While both worked as spies, Le Carré's stories were typically filled with existential dread whereas Fleming found the thrill and adventure of spycraft. Where they overlapped was The Tailor of Panama, adapted by John Boorman and starring Pierce Brosnan as a Bond adjacent MI6 agent who is more into womanising than any actual spy work.
The convoluted, darkly funny plot is powered along by Brosnan and a monologuing Geoffrey Rush as the convict-turned-tailor of the title. Keep your eye open for a pre-Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe.
Where to watch: Prime Video
8) Haywire
Before Gina Carano’s political views earned the ire of Disney, she was the next female action hero in the making. Here, in her debut, and surrounded by a stacked cast of greats including Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas, she excels as an agent on a mission in Steven Soderbergh’s typically economical action-thriller.
Doing her own stunts, the former MMA fighter puts on some stunning choreography, the highlight being her bedroom dalliance with Fassbender that is equal parts sexy and thrilling.
Where to watch: Prime Video
9) The Ipcress File
The Ipcress File. Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
From much of the same production team as Dr. No, including producer Harry Saltzman and composer John Barry, The Ipcress File and its glasses-wearing secret agent, Harry Palmer, were something of a rival to Bond throughout the '60s. Where Bond was cut from an aristocratic cloth, Palmer was working class and though both characters have a penchant for beautiful women, Michael Caine's take on the spy is thornier, more ironic and a subversion of swinging London.
Palmer’s legacy, of course, got nowhere near the heights of Bond thanks to the diminishing returns of the sequels but this is a British classic.
Where to watch: Prime Video
10) Ronin
If Bond could age and become jaded, he would be something like Robert De Niro in Ronin. This late '90s thriller penned by David Mamet under a pseudonym features a group of former special ops agents assigned to steal a MacGuffin for the IRA in Nice. What follows is a series of endless double crosses, some of the best car chases ever put on film and a brutal cynicism reminiscent of Timothy Dalton-era Bond.
Suitably, Tomorrow Never Dies villain, Jonathan Pryce, stars here as an IRA commander, but thankfully does not bring with him his imitation of Michelle Yeoh’s martial arts.
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Authors
Sam Moore
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