Film

Secret Agent 777

A 1965 spy-action romp where a scientist's discovery of nuclear resurrection becomes the MacGuffin in a globe-trotting game of espionage. Cheap sets, earnest performances, dubbing that lands somewhere between charming and baffling—it's the kind of Saturday afternoon movie that treats its preposterous premise with complete sincerity. For fans of spy camp and pulpy Cold War thrills.

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The Spy Who Came In from the Cold1965

Released the same year, this John le Carré adaptation is the thinking person's spy thriller: morally murky, dialogue-driven, obsessed with tradecraft over gadgetry. It's what spies actually felt like in 1965.

But Slow, grey, deliberately unglamorous—no explosions, no one-liners. If you want movement and fun, this will feel like homework.

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold poster

Barbarella1968

Jane Fonda in a space-age fever dream with the same campy energy and beautiful-people-in-silly-situations vibe. Silly without apology, gorgeous to look at, and genuinely inventive in its absurdity.

But The tone is pure candy floss. If you need stakes or character depth, the weightlessness will frustrate you.

Barbarella poster

Our Man Flint1966

James Coburn as a super-spy who treats the whole affair as a lark. Ludicrous plot, cartoonish villains, that perfect mid-60s colour palette. It knows exactly what it is and commits entirely.

But Relies entirely on charm and mood. The plot makes no sense and nobody pretends otherwise. Some find that liberating; others find it hollow.

Our Man Flint poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Secret Agent 777

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Eolomea1972

Both are low-budget Cold War-era films that treat implausible science as a serious plot engine, filmed in that distinctive Eastern European style—flat colour palette, geometric sets, a tone that never winks.

A Bulgarian science-fiction film about scientists on an alien planet—utterly sincere, gorgeously shot, with practical effects that still astonish. It shares the same earnest tone as Secret Agent 777 but with five times the imagination and none of the irony.

But Slow-paced, long stretches without dialogue, and no plot in the traditional sense. It's meditative where Secret Agent 777 is kinetic, which can feel like it's refusing to entertain you.

Eolomea poster
More like this (6)

Modesty Blaise1966

Monica Vitti, a diamond heist, comic-strip aesthetics, and a director (Joseph Losey) having wicked fun with spy-movie conventions. Visual and playful in ways that feel surprisingly fresh.

But Deliberately artificial. The tone is ironic when some viewers want sincerity, which can feel like the film is laughing at them rather than with them.

Modesty Blaise poster

The Italian Job1969

Heist, spy-craft, Mini Coopers, and Michael Caine at peak charm. A perfect machine of a film that moves, entertains, and doesn't overstay. Pure professionalism in the service of fun.

But Straightforward entertainment. There's no depth to mine and no subtext lurking underneath. It's exactly what it appears to be.

The Italian Job poster

In Like Flint1967

The Our Man Flint sequel doubles down on absurdity: women-only country clubs as cover for global conspiracy, Coburn's unflappable cool. Peak mid-60s spy-fi silliness.

But Even lighter on logic than the first film. If you need a plot that tracks, you're out of luck.

In Like Flint poster

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies2006

A French film that recreates the look and tone of 1960s spy movies with such precision you'll think you're watching an actual period film—except it's relentlessly, brilliantly funny about the racism and sexism baked in.

But Satire works only if you've absorbed what it's satirizing. It requires film literacy and won't work for anyone new to the genre.

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies poster

Johnny English2003

Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling spy playing it straight in an absurd situation. Silly, kinetic, and surprisingly well-made for what amounts to a feature-length sketch.

But Slender plot, relies on physical comedy and a single joke—incompetent spy does the right thing by accident. That's the whole meal.

Johnny English poster

Diamonds Are Forever1971

Sean Connery's final Bond is genuinely enjoyable: killer performances from the villains, absurd set pieces, a moon buggy chase. Silly without losing the sheen that made Bond a phenomenon.

But The portrayal of women is embarrassing by any standard. The film treats them as furniture, which grates even if you're watching for camp.

Diamonds Are Forever poster

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