A Fistful of Spies! (Matt’s Picks)

    With the release of Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, we at In the Mouth of Dorkness figured it would be a good time to talk about some of our favorite cinematic spies.  Spies have been sneaking around on screen since before sound.  And I’m sure they won’t be going away anytime soon. 

5.  Gary Johnston (Team America: World Police):  Gary has a specific set of skills.  Skills that will help him save the world from whatever evils it might face (no matter how much collateral damage it takes).  He’s an actor.  No.  He’s a great actor.  And he’s willing to do whatever it takes (whatEVER it takes) to get the job done.

Master of disguise!

4.  Lyn Cassady (Men Who Stare at Goats):  He isn’t just a spy.  He isn’t just a super-secret psychic agent for the US government.  He’s a Jedi.  

3.  A man of many faces, Felix Leiter is there when a friend is in need.  At least, he is if that friend is James Bond.  Leiter is always willing to go the distance, break the rules, and do the right thing.  A good man to have in your corner when the chips are down and the Reds are in the shadows.

2.  Sidney Reilly (Reilly: Ace of Spies):  There are few protagonists so ruthless.  Reilly is quite simply a cold hearted bastard.  Yet, watching him do his thing, screw over whoever he can, fight the good fight, and the bad fight while he’s at it, is fascinating journey.  James Bond wishes he could be this tough.

1.  Der Mann (Woman in the Moon):  That sneaky two faced member of the first rocket ship to land on the Moon.  You just can’t trust him.  He’s working for…the Other Side!  Fritz Rasp had this ophidian charm that made him somehow jarringly repulsive on a gut level, and frightfully friendly at the same time.

-Matt