Leaked Intel: 10 Gripping Spy Movies Based on Real Events

Spying and the leaking of classified intelligence often go hand in hand. The following movies reveal what’s at stake when secret information surfaces and the motivations behind those who expose it. Get ready for a deep dive into the world of espionage!

Cambridge Five Films

Driven by the Soviet Union’s utopian ideals, the Cambridge Five used their expertise to uncover and leak classified intelligence to the Soviet Union. This group consisted of:

• Kim Philby (MI6)
• Donald Maclean (British Foreign Office)
• Guy Burgess (British Foreign Office and British Embassy in Washington, D.C.)
• Anthony Blunt (Security Service MI5 and MI6 liaison)
• John Cairncross (Bletchley Park code-breaker).

The Cambridge Five’s actions inspired twenty-four movies, starting with Traitor in 1971 and most recently, A Spy among Friends in 2022.

Fair Game (2010)

Fair Game tells the story of CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose identity was leaked to the press. Columnist Robert Novak revealed her identity in his July 14, 2003, column for the Washington Post after her husband, Joseph Wilson, disputed claims about Iraq.

The Bush administration used reports that Niger had sold uranium to Iraq as justification for the war against Iraq. However, Joseph Wilson, who was dispatched to find the truth, instead discovered no such evidence. When Wilson reported the results of his investigation in a New York Times article, his wife Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA officer was leaked to discredit her husband.

The movie argues that the White House ignored evidence and made phony claims to justify the invasion, despite knowing that Saddam Hussein had no WMDs.

The Fifth Estate (2013)

Based on Daniel Domscheit-Berg’s book, The Fifth Estate explores WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange. The film highlights some of the leaked intelligence WikiLeaks brought to light, including:

• Corruption inside a Swiss bank
• Police death squads in Kenya
• Identities of members of the neo-Nazi British National Party
• A video of two Reuters journalists murdered and covered up by U.S. troops in Iraq
• War logs from Iraq and Afghanistan
• 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables.

The movie questions whether the unrestricted flow of information could destroy what it aims to save.

Snowden (2016)

Snowden focuses on Edward Snowden’s role as a whistleblower. As a former CIA computer intelligence consultant, Snowden exposed thousands of U.S., British, and Australian secrets about NSA surveillance, hacking, and clandestine operations.

The film reveals how these operations tapped into servers of major Internet companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. Other surveillance activities included intercepting Angela Merkel’s phone calls and monitoring embassies worldwide.

American Made (2017)

American Made tells the story of Barry Seal, an American commercial airline pilot who became a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel. After being convicted, he became an informant for the DEA and testified in major drug trials.

The film suggests that the White House leaked information about Seal’s 1984 trip to Nicaragua. While the movie takes some liberties with the truth, it provides an intriguing look at the connections between the CIA and Seal’s criminal activities.

The Post (2017)

The Post dramatizes the Washington Post’s decision to publish information from the Pentagon Papers, leaked by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg. These papers revealed the history of U.S. decision-making in Vietnam from 1948 to 1968.

The New York Times had already published articles based on the classified material, drawing wide attention. After the New York Times was restrained from further publication, the Washington Post continued to print articles. The Supreme Court eventually ruled that the documents could be published.

Red Joan (2018)

Red Joan is based on the story of Melita Norwood, a secretary who stole nuclear secrets for the Soviet Union during World War II and the Cold War. Motivated by her desire to spread communism and her fear of unchecked nuclear capabilities, she leaked critical information.

Her gender helped her evade detection, as sexism in the 1930s led to her being dismissed as a potential spy. Norwood escaped prosecution and felt no remorse for her actions.

Official Secrets (2019)

Official Secrets tells the story of Katharine Gun, a translator for Britain’s GCHQ who leaked a memo requesting incriminating personal details on UN representatives from six small countries. The goal was to blackmail them into voting for the war in Iraq.

Gun printed the memo, which appeared in The Observer. She was charged under the Official Secrets Act but the charges were dropped without explanation.

The Courier (2021)

The Courier focuses on MI6’s recruitment of businessman Greville Wynne, who meets with Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Penkovsky. Their meetings produced leaked material that played a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

While the film takes some creative liberties, it attempts to piece together an accurate account of the clandestine operation, acknowledging that the full truth may never be known.

Reality (2023)

Reality is about Reality Leigh Winner, an American intelligence specialist arrested for leaking classified information about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The film is based on the play Is This a Room? and uses dialogue directly from Winner’s interrogation.

Winner, a former Air Force translator, printed a classified document and mailed it to The Intercept. The report detailed Russian military intelligence cyberattacks. Winner was sentenced to over five years in prison and public opinion on her actions remains divided.

These movies show the high stakes involved in espionage and the complex motivations of those who leak classified information. From exposing government misconduct to ideological convictions, these stories offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of secrets and lies.

What are your favorite spy movies based on real events? Leave your comments below!