10 Best Spy Films That AREN'T James Bond
2. North By Northwest
Frequently regarded as Alfred Hitchcock's finest film, 1959's North by Northwest could also lay claim to being the most iconic production of the 20th century, so memorable is Cary Grant's escape from his biplane-piloting pursuer in the film's second act. However, North by Northwest is also a prodigious entry in the spy genre itself, forerunning Bond and his siblings with a blistering blend of art-pop-flavoured suspense, romance, and humour, as Grant's Roger Thornhill is embroiled in a comedy of errors that entails assassination, subterfuge, and conspiracy.
It is Hitchcock at his authoritative peak. North by Northwest marked the third collaboration between the director and Grant, and also saw the involvement of Bernard Hermann and Saul Bass, who both had a hand in cultivating the immortal sound and imagery of Psycho a year later. The end result is nothing less than joyous, with Thornhill navigating an increasingly absurd set of circumstances as he tries to understand his role in a messy web of spycraft.
In short, it's a perfect creation, and one of many Hitchcock films that created a gargantuan legacy.