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However, on more than one occasion, a special circumstance can lead to an agent playing both sides. When this realization is made or when the secret is revealed, it leaves mouths agape with shock and awe. Double agents play both sides of the field to ensure their survival and to always be a part of the winning side. Double agents are masters in betrayal, deception, and camouflage, appearing like loyal comrades but secretly plotting against those who trust them. Here are some of the most iconic double agents in movies.
6 Face/Off - Sean Archer
Face/Off stars John Travolta and Nicholas Cage. Travolta plays FBI agent Sean Archer, on a mission for revenge over his son’s death. Cage plays Castor Troy, a wanted terrorist who murdered Archer’s son after a botched assassination attempt.
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The two rivals meet, bullets fly, and Troy is left comatose. Seeing an opportunity to prevent a terrorist attack on US soil, Sean goes undercover as Troy and undergoes an invasive surgery to replace his face with that of his worst enemy. Face/Off is an action-packed thrill ride where Sean Archer must embody the negative traits of the criminal underworld to survive and put a stop to Castor Troy, who has woken from his coma and assumed Archer’s identity.
5 XXX - Xander Cage
Vin Diesel stars in this gritty action pick about a talented hoodlum who’s contracted by a secret government organization to infiltrate a Russian terrorist cell. Xander Cage makes his living terrorizing the upper class and performing insane stunts.
He gains the attention of Augustus Gibbons, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who drafts him into a program where he must put his life on the line to save the world. Xander does everything he can to gain the trust of his targets so that he can prevent whatever plan they have in store, but when things come to light, he may be in over his head.
4 Atomic Blonde - Lorraine Broughton
Atomic Blonde is a chaotic action masterpiece brilliantly crafted by Director David Leith, known for Deadpool 2 and John Wick. Charlize Theron plays Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 agent tasked with recovering a lost list of government agents that could lead to a widespread string of assassinations.
Lorraine must infiltrate a ring of spies and evade discovery while attempting to find the list and escape Berlin before the wall comes down. Utterly alone in her mission, unable to trust her own allies, Lorraine cuts down anyone in her way with vicious proficiency to complete her mission, proving she is no one to be trifled with.
3 Safe House - Tobin Frost
Ryan Reynolds plays agent Matt Weston, stuck in a dead-end career path of watching over agency Safe Houses. Desperately seeking access to the field, Weston gets his wish when one of the most wanted men by multiple agencies lands on his doorstep.
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Denzel Washington plays Tobin Frost, Agency whistle-blower who committed treason and escaped into the world and continues to wage war against his former allies. The plot thickens as Weston becomes an impromptu accomplice to Weston after discovering corruption in some of the highest levels of the US government, which Weston has been hunting for decades.
2 The Double - Cassius
In this mind-bending thriller, Richard Gere plays CIA agent Paul Shepherdson who has been hiding a dark secret for nearly fifty years. When bodies begin to surface with wounds that relate back to a Cold War assassin, the search begins again for the world’s most wanted spy, Cassius.
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Shepherdson is brought back and partnered with a fledgling agent, played by Topher Grace, to work the case and get to the bottom of Cassius’ returns. Unbeknownst to his partners, Shepherdson is Cassius, and must discover the truth about the recent string of deaths before his identity is revealed. Unfortunately, Shepherdson finds himself in the hornet’s nest that reopens old wounds and splits his focus between protecting his own life and getting revenge for the reason he betrayed his country.
1 Salt - Evelyn Salt
Played by Angelina Jolie, agent Evelyn Salt is the top interrogator in the CIA. When an international Russian criminal becomes captured, he ousts her as a Russian spy, which puts her life and career in jeopardy. Now on the run, Salt goes to great lengths to protect herself and clear her name.
But Evelyn is a Russian spy, and she must complete her mission to assassinate the President of the United States and obtain the US nuclear launch codes for her comrades. Evelyn is filled with conflicted emotions between her duty and the life she made for herself as a CIA officer.
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