James Bond practically shaped a genre. Since Dr. No debuted in 1962, the Bond franchise has become the gold standard for stylish spy thrillers, where danger is dressed well, villains have lairs carved under volcanoes, and saving the world comes with a martini and a well-timed quip. Across decades and actors, James Bond has remained a constant. And the formula, however distinct and unmistakable, is also endlessly influential.
Bond is British, but American cinema has spent years riffing on the template. While there is no single U.S. counterpart who has carried the same mantle across generations, there are notes of it in action movies everywhere. From rogue CIA operatives to suburban spies, American action movies have drawn from Bond’s best traits and reimagined them with their own charm. These movies may trade Aston Martins for muscle cars and MI6 for shadowy government programs, but they still deliver style and substance.
This list rounds up 10 American action movies that are just like James Bond.
‘The Recruit’ (2003)
James Clayton, a brilliant MIT whiz with a knack for cryptography, has always been a bit of an outsider, never quite fitting in. He’s recruited by veteran CIA operative Walter Burke after showcasing a surveillance program called Spartacus. Hoping to uncover the truth about his father’s death, James enters “The Farm” and is pushed to his psychological and physical limits, only to be thrust into a covert mission to expose a mole within the agency.
Like Bond’s More Cerebral Outing
The Recruit feels Bond-adjacent not just because of the spy setting, but also because of the seductive blend of mentorship gone sour, high-stakes tech, and the mental warfare. Directed by Roger Donaldson, it ratchets up the tension, with Al Pacino being in top form as Burke and Colin Farrell bringing in a brooding quality to the young recruit struggling to find his footing in this cutthroat world. Though it received mixed reviews, it was a box office success and has a tech-savvy edge to it.
‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ (1996)
Geena Davis plays Samantha Caine in The Long Kiss Goodnight. She is a suburban school teacher with amnesia, living a quiet life with her daughter, until a car accident triggers flashes of her violent past. When a home invasion reveals her lethal combat skills, she teams up with private investigator Mitch Henessey to understand her own identity. Turns out, Samantha is actually Charly Baltimore, a former CIA assassin presumed dead.
If James Bond Ever Had a Christmas Special
This one is a wild cocktail of Bond-style espionage, ‘90s excess, and Shane Black’s signature snark. Directed by Renny Harlin, The Long Kiss Goodnight combines holiday cheer with absolute mayhem and gives us a female lead who is as lethal and stylish as any 007. Davis transforms from a PTA mom to a platinum-haired killer, and while that’s empowering to watch, the finale is pure Bond territory.
‘Salt’ (2010)
Salt’s Evelyn Salt is a decorated CIA operative whose life is turned upside down when a Russian defector accuses her of being a sleeper agent tasked with assassinating the Russian president. Forced to go on the run to clear her name as authorities chase her through Washington D.C. and New York, Salt manipulates identities and breaks into high-security zones, all while trying to uncover a vast conspiracy.
A One-Off That Deserved a Sequel
Salt is a high-velocity thriller that looks at Bond’s Cold War roots through a post-9/11 lens. The taut direction from Phillip Noyce keeps things active, while Angelina Jolie makes up for the rest with her layered performance and undeniable action chops. The disguises, the gadgets, the globe-spanning missions, paired with the emotional core and moral ambiguity give Salt an edge and put a refreshing gender twist to the spy lore.
‘The Bourne Supremacy’ (2004)
In The Bourne Supremacy, Jason Bourne is living off-grid in Goa, India, while trying to escape the ghosts of his post. But when a CIA operation in Berlin goes sideways and Bourne is framed for the deaths of two agents, he’s forced back into hiding. He uncovers a conspiracy involving stolen CIA funds, political assassinations, and his own role in a murder-suicide staged years earlier.
Thrives on Brutal Realism
Where James Bond movies revel in over-the-top spectacle, the Bourne series opts for a more grounded, hard-edged approach to espionage, and The Bourne Supremacy is where the contrast is most visible. There’s urgency and intimacy in every scene, thanks to Paul Greengrass’s handheld direction, and Tony Gilroy’s script deepens Bourne’s internal conflict. Matt Damon’s performance is amazing, and the supporting cast (Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Karl Urban) makes it all the more compelling.
‘Deadly Prey’ (1987)
Directed by David A. Prior and starring his brother Ted Prior, Deadly Prey tells the story of Mike Danton, a regular guy taking out the trash when he is suddenly abducted by a group of mercenaries and dropped into the woods for a live-fire training exercise. What they don’t realize is that Danton is a Vietnam vet with incredible instincts and a history with their commander, Colonel Hogan, and he’s a little too keen on dismantling the operation one kill at a time.
Over-The-Top Violence and Earnest Performances
Say you strip James Bond down to its rawest elements. No tux, no martinis, just vengeance and a machete. That’s what Deadly Prey is. A low-budget riff on The Most Dangerous Game, it channels grit from movies like Live and Let Die or Octopussy, but sets itself apart with elements like the mercenary training camp, the personal vendetta, and the lone operative dismantling a corrupt system, all to become a VHS-era legend.
‘True Lies’ (1994)
James Cameron’s True Lies tells the story of Harry Tasker, a man who leads a double life. To his wife Helen, he is a dull computer salesman, but in reality, Harry is a top-tier agent for Omega Sector, a covert U.S. counterterrorism unit. When Harry discovers that nuclear warheads are being smuggled into the U.S. by a terrorist group, things spiral. It does not help that he suspects Helen is having an affair with a used-car salesman who pretends to be a spy.
Spy Thrills and Domestic Comedy
There’s a lot more to the plot of True Lies than what’s on the surface. Its espionage meets domestic chaos, with explosions, tangoes, and truth serum confessions making way for an unforgettable climax. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harry is less suave than Bond but equally resourceful, and Jamie Lee Curtis turns Helen into an action heroine. Their chemistry, plus Tom Arnold’s comic relief, gives the film its texture.
‘North by Northwest’ (1959)
Cary Grant appears in North by Northwest as Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue ad exec who is mistaken for a nonexistent government agent named George Kaplan and abducted by foreign spies. Framed for murder and pursued across the country, Thornhill gets caught up in a web of espionage he does not understand. Along the way, he meets Eve Kendall, a mysterious woman whose loyalties are not clear.
Homage to the Spy Genre
Alfred Hitchcock was the undisputed master of suspense, and in North by Northwest, he crafted one of the most iconic and influential spy thrillers of all time. Grant is pitch-perfect as the everyman entangled in unusual circumstances, and he basically created the template for every bond that follows. Unflappable, well-dressed, and always one step ahead. Nominated for three Academy Awards and preserved in the National Film Registry, it’s James Bond’s cinematic godfather.
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)
In Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Ethan Hunt is back, and this time he is racing to recover stolen plutonium before it is used in a global catastrophe. After choosing to save a teammate, Ethan is paired with CIA enforcer August Walker to track down an elusive arms dealer. Meanwhile, Solomon Lane, the villain from Rogue Nation, returns and plots to contaminate a third of the world’s water supply.
Crowd-Pleasing and Deeply Thoughtful
The Mission: Impossible movies have long been a reliable source of heart-pounding action and high-stakes espionage, but Fallout takes things to a whole new level. As usual, Tom Cruise’s Hunt is bruised and battered when it all ends, but he’s victorious, and he once again saves the world by the skin of his teeth. Also, the Bond DNA is everywhere. Exotic locations, double agents, and nuclear stakes. The HALO jump and helicopter sequence also easily belong in the Bond category of action sequences. With $791 million at the box office, Fallout is the franchise’s highest-grossing entry and every bit as thrilling.
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