10 Best Spy Films That AREN'T James Bond

The second Frankenheimer banger on this list, 1998's Ronin is a spy thriller that, in truth, has never fully received the flowers it deserves.

Ronin - so titled because of its mercenary central characters - starts as a heist thriller but steadily evolves into a post-Cold War meditation on spycraft and the nature of espionage in the wake of the Iron Curtain's collapse, essentially posing the question of "what do Cold Warriors do with no Cold War?"

J. D. Zeik and David Mamet's script entails plenty of twists and turns that build to a captivating conclusion (hint: the new world isn't so different to the old), all the while delivering shootouts and set-pieces that stand toe-to-toe with Michael Mann's Heat, as well as a car chase that usurped The French Connection's as arguably the greatest in movie history.

Again, as with fellow nineties spy classic Sneakers, Ronin is also elevated by its ensemble, which is led by Robert De Niro in an underrated turn as an ex-CIA agent known only as Sam. The film's ranks are further bolstered by decade staple Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean, and Jonathan Pryce, with each lending their talents perfectly to a story mired in deception and fragile alliances.

All the more fascinating for its historical context but equally compelling just for the technical engineering of Frankenheimer's direction, Ronin is essential nineties cinema.