Movies like The Spy Gone North (2018)
The best movies like The Spy Gone North (2018) are Escape from Mogadishu (2021), The Berlin File (2013) and Shiri (1999). If The Spy Gone North hooked you with its drama and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedA Taxi Driver (2017)8.0/10 from 1,248 votes
- NewestHarbin (2024)Released 2024
- In KoreanEscape from Mogadishu (2021)Also in Korean
Escape from Mogadishu (2021)
Diplomats from the North and South Korean embassies in Somalia attempt a daring joint escape from Mogadishu when the outbreak of civil war leaves them stranded.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Berlin File (2013)
When an illicit arms deal goes bad, North Korean spy Pyo Jong-seong finds himself targeted not just by the South Koreans but also his own bosses.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShiri (1999)
North Korea's 8th Special Forces hijack a shipment of CTX, a potent new liquid explosive, and threatens South Korea as part of a plot to re-unify the two countries. Ryu and Lee, special agents of O.P., South Korea's secret intelligence service, attempt to track down the terrorists and find the CTX. Meanwhile Hee, the 8th's ultra-bad female sniper, resurfaces to wreak havoc and haunt Ryu.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDefault (2018)
Only one week left until South Korea will go under sovereign default. Han Shi-hyun is a leader of the monetary policy team at the Bank of Korea. and is assigned to a crisis team.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSteel Rain (2017)
Amid a coup, a North Korean agent escapes south with the country's injured leader in an attempt to keep him alive and prevent a Korean war.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHunt (2022)
After a high-ranking North Korean official requests asylum, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park Pyong-ho and Domestic Unit chief Kim Jung-do are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy, known as Donglim, who is deeply embedded within their agency. When the spy begins leaking top secret intel that could jeopardize national security, the two units are each assigned to investigate each other.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhantom (2023)
In 1933, when Korea was under Japanese occupation, five people in Gyeongseong are suspected to be "Phantom" spies of the anti-Japanese organization.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this1987: When the Day Comes (2017)
In 1987 Korea under an oppressive military regime, the unlawful interrogation and death of a college student ignite ordinary citizens to fight for the truth and bring about justice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJack Strong (2014)
Poland, 1970. Firmly determined to fight against Soviet tyranny and prevent the destruction of the world, the high-ranking officer of the Polish army Ryszard Kukliński makes a serious decision that will put his life, his family and the fate of an entire nation at risk.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Suspect (2013)
Betrayed and on the run, a former North Korean agent tries to seek revenge on the man who killed his wife, find his missing daughter, and uncover the secrets hidden inside the eyeglasses of a dead man.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisV.I.P. (2017)
A son to a high-ranked official in North Korea commits a series of murders going across the countries around the world. The movie depicts the following events as South Korea, North Korea and Interpol start chasing down after him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAssassination (2015)
In Japanese-occupied Korea, three freedom fighters are assigned a mission to assassinate a genocidal military leader and his top collaborator. But the plan goes completely awry amidst double-crossings, counter-assassinations, and a shocking revelation about one of the assassins' past.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCommitment (2013)
The son of a North Korean spy decides to follow in his father's footsteps to protect his little sister.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSecret Reunion (2010)
Two spies share a secret bond, despite their loyalties. A North Korean assassin is sent to Seoul to kill a dissident, but instead he teams up with a South Korean agent in search for revenge.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisConfidential Assignment (2017)
When a crime organization from North Korea crosses borders and enters South Korean soil, a South Korean detective must cooperate with a North Korean detective to investigate their whereabouts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Age of Shadows (2016)
Set in the late 1920s, The Age of Shadows follows the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between a group of resistance fighters trying to bring in explosives from Shanghai to destroy key Japanese facilities in Seoul, and Japanese agents trying to stop them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSilmido (2003)
On 31 January 1968, 31 North Korean commandos infiltrated South Korea in a failed mission to assassinate President Park Chung-hee. In revenge, the South Korean military assembled a team of 31 criminals on the island of Silmido to kill Kim Il-sung for a suicide mission to redeem their honor, but was cancelled, leaving them frustrated. It is loosely based on a military uprising in the 1970s.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarbin (2024)
In 1909, several years after Korea is forced into becoming a Japanese colony, freedom fighters plot the daring assassination of Japan's prime minister during their quest for independence.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man Standing Next (2020)
When the investigation of 'Koreagate' takes place, Park Yong-gak, a former KCIA director who knows everything about the government's operations, heads to the United States in exile.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Taxi Driver (2017)
May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCliff Walkers (2021)
In the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, four Communist party special agents, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Attorney (2013)
Song Woo-seok is a lawyer with no clients. When his friend's son is falsely accused of a crime and tortured, he takes up the case and the course of his life changes for good.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoint Security Area (2000)
Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The lead investigator receives differing accounts from the two sides.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRansomed (2023)
In Beirut 1986, during the Lebanese civil war a Korean diplomat is taken hostage without a trace. Two years pass and long forgotten, a young diplomat Min-jun receives a phone call proving that the hostage is still alive. With the given mission, Min-jun is sent to Beirut to save the hostage with a bag of ransom money.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
George Smiley, the aging master spy of the Cold War and once heir apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape (2024)
After completing his required decade of military service and being honored as a hero, a North Korean sergeant makes a sudden shocking attempt to defect to the South, risking life and limb for the chance to finally determine his own destiny.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMAL·MO·E: The Secret Mission (2019)
During the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Japanese Empire seeks to eradicate the Korean language and identity. In retaliation, a small group of Korean patriots try to protect their language by compiling the first Korean language dictionary.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Net (2016)
A poor North Korean fisherman finds himself an accidental defector, and is groomed to be a spy by an ambitious South Korean military officer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this12.12: The Day (2023)
After the assassination of President Park, martial law has been declared. A coup d'état bursts out by Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwang and a private band of officers following him. Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-shin, an obstinate soldier who believes the military should not take political actions, fights against Chun Doo-gwang to stop him. The conflict between the two grows while military leaders are holding their decision and Defense Minister is gone. In the midst of chaos, the spring of Seoul that everyone longed for heads to unexpected direction.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Face Reader (2013)
An exceptionally talented face reader becomes entangled in a bloody power struggle between a child king and his uncle who plans to usurp the throne.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Spy Gone North?
The closest matches to The Spy Gone North are Escape from Mogadishu (2021), The Berlin File (2013) and Shiri (1999). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Spy Gone North?
People who watched The Spy Gone North most often go on to Escape from Mogadishu (2021), The Berlin File (2013) and Shiri (1999).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Spy Gone North?
A Taxi Driver (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 1,248 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Spy Gone North?
Harbin (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like The Spy Gone North?
Yes: Escape from Mogadishu (2021), The Berlin File (2013) and Shiri (1999).
How are movies similar to The Spy Gone North chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Spy Gone North, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.