Best cold war spy films ?

Been watching cold war spy films & wonder if members could recommend any

 

Sure thing:

Ice Station Zebra.
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.
WWIII.
Enigma (version which has Martin Sheen in it)
Escape From East Berlin.
Jet Pilot.
The Quiller Memorandum (SP?)
The Manchurian Candidate.
The Counterfeit Traitor (it might have been a WWII flick but I cant remember if it was so? or if it was Cold War.
The Berlin Tunnel.
Firefox.
The Bedford Incident.
Damnation Alley.
Gulag.
Gorky Park.
Our Man Flint.
In Like Flint.
And most of the James Bond movies ;-))
There was also a couple with Dean Martin in it but I forget what character he played even though I do know it. The damned theme music is now playing in my head.

I know of quite a few others but just cant think of their names at this time.

EDIT BY ME: The Dean Martin films were Matt Helm movies.

 

Thanks for the list
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is one of my favourite

 

The Bedford Incident isn't a spy movie. It's more in the genre of Fail Safe.

 

Hi UK, quite welcome.

Gromit, the Gentleman asked for Cold War spy movies. I listed the ones I could think of at that moment. I did my best to give said gentleman, a list of Cold War Spy Movies. However, I noticed that I was not given any help from you in not giving any movie titles. You say that: The Bedford Incident, isnt one because it "really" isnt a spy movie? They were tracking a Russian Sub-even if you didnt see the full sub-you still saw its periscope in several scenes. That Russian sub was dubbed in the movie-as a spy sub as well as Russian ""Fishing Vessels"" were dubbed as Trawlers-thats (Spy) Trawlers. That mostly unseen Russian Sub-was caught (by Widmark and his crew, of) spying on us and our (unseen) Allies. Widmark even had a former German Uboat Ace/Commander by the name of Schepke Eric Portman, a favorite British actor of mine)-who was in the movie, portraying a West German Navy guy-who was requested by Widmark to be attached to his ship as an advisor.

Another Widmark movie that needs to be included into the list and IS a Cold War Spylike movie is: Hell and High Water. A group of multi-nation Scientists purchase an old WWII Japanese Sub and hire former multi-national Sailors for it screw as well as Widmark as the Subs Commander. Their job was to go to some small island which the Chinese had stationed Soldiers and Scientists on and who were doing some secret project involving nukes. In the process they discover that the wily Chinese had Captured an American Bomber from somewhere and was going to use it to drop a nuke bomb on Moscow or some other Russian Metropolis-and of course the innocent Russians not knowing the atack was really by the Chinese-would ahve no choice but to think and believe that that attack was truely done by the Americans.

Oh and there was a movie done which had the star of the ""classic"" Western: Shane-which was a old war movie which I THINk is called: The Deep Six? or something like that? and it too was a Cold War Spy movie.

There is another Cold War Spylike movie I liked very much but can't think of its name. This movie was an excellent one and has Yul Brynner in it as a mid grade Russian Officer. I also think that Leon Askin was in this movie and a few other "Recognizable Faces" are also in it.

Here is another Cold War "Spy" movie: Big Jim McLain-which is another John Wayne movie. The first Duke Cold War "spy" movie I mentioned was: Jet Pilot. That one definately is a CW Spy movie because it has Duke ""defecting"" to the Russians because he seemingly fell in love with the Female Russian pilot. Well, his "disguse" was that since he was allegedly in love with the Russian pilot-and his superiors (in the open) were against him having an affair with the gal, that Duke openly was against what his superiors wanted but secretly that was his cover-to fool the Russians and that guise was used for Duke to be able to swipe a Russian Aircraft (as well as) really falling in love with that Female Russian pilot. Clint Eastwoods Cold War spy movie: Firefox, was based on Dukes Jet Pilot--in case you were now aware of that fact? And yeah, I know that Firefox was based on a book writte I think by Craig Thomas??? and Craig thomas based his book on Dukes movie: Jet Pilot.

Oh and another Duke movie comes to mind which is another Cold War spy movie is: Blood Alley-which also starred Bogies "Squeeze" Lauren Bacall. ;-)) One thing I disliked about Blood Alley was that the make-up people did a lousy job of trying to convince me that Mike Mazurky (SP?) was actually Chinese. ;-))

 

"Night Flight to Moscow" Great film.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned any of the Harry Palmer films like "The Ipcress File", "Funeral in Berlin" or "Billion Dollar Brain". Oscar Homolka is great as Michael Caine's nemesis (but not really) Colonel Stok. The opening scene in "Funeral" has a defector getting over the Berlin Wall in the cement hoist of a crane. Genius. A lot more of Len Deighton's books should be made into movies.

Another one I'm quite fond of is "The Looking Glass War" with Anthony Hopkins, based on the John LeCarre novel of the same name.

And for sheer enjoyment, although made for TV, the first part of "The Company" has Alfred Molina kicking KGB butt all over East Berlin.

 

Cheers Alien/ I know of most of those you list and they are darn great movies. Thanks for those and the couple I never heard of.

 

I've watched most of the Harry Palmer films

 

You can't beat John Le Carre...

The Spy who Came In From The Cold...Is a great film and in my opinion Richard Burton's best one.

I also recommend the two BBC series...Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. There is a Russian mole in the circus (British Intelligence) and George Smiley is bought back to unmasked the mole very near the top.

And

Smiley's People...George Smiley is bought out of retirement to investigate a Murder of a General and soon finds hes on the tracks to his old arch enemy Carla.

The late Alec Guinness is in both series as George Smiley

 

BTW: Ice Station Zebra is a good romp.

The Osterman Weekend years since I last saw that one.

Talking of Rutger Hauer...Hostile Waters

The Fourth Protocol...Good film watched it the other day.

Three from Alfred Hitcock...

The 39 Steps

Topaz

Torn Curtain

 

Good ones Mate. I have seen most of them and also had completely forgotten about The Osterman Weekend. Hostile Waters w/ Rutger hauer is also a good one. I have that somewhere amongst my small DVD collection ;-))

 

The Kremlin Letter. A bit confusing if you don't stay glued to the screen, but interesting nonetheless. The Kremlin Letter (1970)

 

...and although far from being his best, it was directed by Sam Peckinpah.....


( Another movie I quite liked on the Cold War theme was 'The Double Man' with Yul Brynner....)

 

Hi Martin, thanks for that. I didnt know that Peckinpah directed that film. Ill have to order a copy of it if on DvD. I think it also had Burt Lancaster in it? cant remember?

Ive been watching what I can of Yul Brynner films over the past several months. I am not sure if this is the Brynner film i was talking of-which had him as a russian Major? or something? but I only saw about the last half of the movie and thought it was a great movie. Im waiting for TCM to come around and show it again-along with Taras Bulba.

 

In 'The Double Man' the Russians try to replace Brynner with an exact double but it all goes wrong ( the movie is set in the Alps...)

 

wasn't at war with the army with Dean Martin?

 

Were the Dean Martin films the 'Matt Helm' series ? These were in fact 'spoof' movies based on spy novels by Donald Hamilton ( the films were The Silencers, The Ambushers, Murderers Row and The Wrecking Crew...)

 

Cheers Martin, Skipper,

Martin, thanks for that Brynner title. Iv'e never seen it but will keep an eye peeled to see if TCM ever plays it or if I can find it on Ebay.

Hi Skipper, At War With the Army did have Dean Martin & also Jerry Lewis. I have this on DvD somewhere in the collection and I think it was colorized?

Nr 2 Hi Martin, Ive seen The Ambushers as well as The Silencers, but not the other two. I always did like Dean Martin and thought he did rather well as Matt Helm. I wish he would have done more of these but-four aint bad ;-))

 

You beat me to the Matt Helm answer. I agee with your mention of the James Bond series. Your list is a good one and Ice Station Zebra is a personal favorite. How about Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood? Wasn't that a cold war flick, too?