Spies are some of the most common types of heroes that appear on the screen and in most cases, these individuals tend to be employees of real-world organizations. The CIA features heavily in many screen projects and so do the MI6, Mossad, and KGB. However, a few fictional agencies have also been introduced in movies and TV shows over the years — a move that allowed directors and showrunners to get creative with the mandates for the globe-trotting agents.
A good number of these fictional spy centers are offshoots or siblings of real ones and a trend spotted in most of them is the use of contrived acronyms. This is either because the original name is too long for characters to keep pronouncing it or because piling fancy words together results in a catchy noun. Whatever the reason, these institutions have plenty of depth and so far, these are some of the best ones to ever appear.
10 Kingsman – Kingsman Franchise
Espionage is best conducted in secrecy and the Kingsman agency does that brilliantly by presenting itself as a chain of tailor shops. Members of the public, therefore, don’t know the identity of its agents — who mostly use code names from Arthurian legend, preferably the Knights of the Round Table. The weapons used are also disguised to look like haberdasheries and ordinary tailor items, giving the members a whip hand during combat.
Compared to other spies, Kingsman agents are better trained too, hence there are never more than nine of them at any given time. A good number of the memorable fights in the Kingsman movies even involve one agent taking on multiple attackers at once, notably Harry tackling religious extremists inside a church in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service. Additionally, their codes make them honorable. One is required to exhibit gentlemanly behavior at all times and when a colleague dies, they are toasted to using 1815 Napoleonic brandy.
9 Impossible Missions Force (IMF) - Mission Impossible Franchise
The IMF features in both the Mission Impossible movies and TV series, though the field team is led by Ethan Hunt on the big screen while Jim Phelps takes charge during the ‘60s adventures. The agency handles missions that are too dangerous or too sensitive for the CIA and so the old “You are on your own if you get caught!” plausible deniability trope gets used all the time.
Most importantly, IMF agents enjoy a major right that other spies lack consent — consent. After an order is issued, they choose whether it’s worth pursuing or not. As such, one of the more famous quotes from the movies is the message that comes in every tape: “Your mission should you choose to accept it…” On top of that, Ethan Hunt is the ultimate daredevil and so the IMF has consistently delivered entertaining moments through the wildest of stunts.
8 Division – Nikita
Nikita's Division is one of the most unstable spy agencies since the leadership keeps changing from honorable individuals to malevolent ones. Nonetheless, it has some of the most adept agents in spycraft. Their field exploits are also very believable because viewers get to see exactly how the recruits get trained, with gun assembly, infiltration, engineering, language, and hand-to-hand combat often getting singled out as some of the best areas for mastery.
Going rogue is never a wise choice for Division agents either since the organization has a set of designated “cleaners” whose only assignment is to hunt down anyone that deviates from the mission. Most importantly, roles strictly depend on skill. Agents are never seen oscillating between fieldwork and deskwork as is the case with many other movies and TV shows. Those with tech skills strictly remain indoors and so do those with leadership skills, since they serve as guardians to the trainees.
7 United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E) - The Man from U.N.C.L.E
U.N.C.L.E is what the United Nations would look like if it was a spy organization. Instead of representing the interests of a single country, it deals with global threats. In line with that, agents are plucked from some of the world's most popular agencies. So far, the agency has appeared in what is undoubtedly one of Henry Cavil’s best movies as well as in the ‘60s TV shows. The Man from U.N.C.L.E and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
In the film, audiences are treated to the exploits of the CIA agent, Napoleon Solo, and KGB Agent Illya Kuryakin's exploits as they work together to stop Nazi sympathizers. Such is the kind of team-up that normally wouldn’t happen in the real world since America and Russia have had conflicting interests ever since the beginning of the Cold War. Even more interesting is the fact that they take directives from an MI6 officer. It’s an interesting mashup that enables viewers to fantasize about a peaceful and united world.
6 C-5 – Acapulco HEAT
The C-5 slightly borrows its concept from Charlie’s Angels by placing a mysterious figure as the boss. The spies are assigned to the Puerto Vallarta-based Hemisphere Emergency Action Team (H.E.A.T.), whose aim is to stop terrorist threats and other high-stakes crimes. And in order to keep a low profile, team members pose as models and photographers.
Thanks to the front that the agents use for operations, viewers can see the fun side of spycraft. There is a Baywatch-type of atmosphere in each episode, with the agents gladly mixing work and pleasure. Additionally, the agency comes off as stronger because it features spies with all kinds of law enforcement and espionage backgrounds. There is an ex-federale, a former cat burglar, an ex-MI6 agent, a former MI6 member, and a former CIA agent.
5 CONTROL – Get Smart
Warner Bros. Pictures
Steve Carell’s Get Smart is not only a comedy gem but also one of the highly-rated movies based on TV shows. Both the film and its source material feature a spy organization known as CONTROL, though the acronym’s real meaning is never given. So cool is the agency that its members are reported to have been holding meetings on the moon way before the Apollo 11 astronauts even went there.
CONTROL’s main objective is to stop the international criminal organization known as KAOS. Because both the movie and TV show are comedies, the agents keep failing their missions in spectacular fashions. Still, CONTROL remains an interesting organization by attempting to copy what everyone else does and introducing all kinds of weird and incompetent recruits.
4 I.S.I.S. (International Secret Intelligence Service) – Archer
Archer's I.S.I.S is yet another spy organization that is played for laughs. It’s more comical than competent, so much so that even the password to the mainframe computer is “Guest.” Besides that, the employees are often shown engaging in all forms of debauchery, ranging from Caligula-like parties to petty crimes that they know they won’t be tried for because of their status as agents.
Various other things about the I.S.I.S offices are preposterous. For example, the carpet is always filthy because the boss killed the cleaning staff after they threatened to unionize. Since it’s a private agency, it prioritizes profit over saving the world. Accordingly, members have taken on all sorts of weird jobs, notably Archer helping a criminal mastermind to smuggle aliens across the border.
3 The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) – MCU
Many of the high-stakes events in the MCU would never have gone well if it wasn’t for S.H.I.E.L.D. Through its director, Nick Fury, the organization is responsible for the formation of the Avengers and for laying out most of the key plans that the superheroes have used. Overall, S.H.I.E.L.D. has done way more work than any other fictional agency because it was featured in more projects.
In terms of competency, S.H.I.E.L.D. is unbeatable because it relies on ordinary skilled agents as well as superheroes. The agency has faced the deadliest of threats throughout its run but has never failed to get the job done. It’s also superior in terms of resources. Additionally, it owns over 20 different facilities (all well-equipped) and dozens of unique modes of transport., notably the Hellcarrier 46, which is basically an office in the skies.
2 Department S – Department S
In the spy-fi series, Department S, Interpol has its own fictional sub-agency that deals with espionage-related matters around the globe. Like the James Bond franchise, it has a hedonistic playboy as a protagonist. Going by the name, Jason King, the hero is always at the forefront during missions and whenever he is not out chasing bad guys, he writes novels based on his experiences. Consequently, he is able to afford a very expensive lifestyle.
However, King doesn’t do all the magic on how own. There’s Annabelle Hurts, a computer expert and seductive master of disguise that always has an easy time bringing down male adversaries. There is also Sir Curtis Seretse, who is the true definition of a good boss. The character never fails to stand up for his agents, even when they cause a diplomatic incident, and is always quick to reward good behavior.
1 Counterterrorist Unit (CTU) – 24
In the world of 24, major terrorist attacks occur all the time, hence the necessity of a Counterterrorist Unit (CTU). Despite being a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, CTU is shown to have unlimited resources. In addition to that, it has direct access to the White House. A couple of plots have thus involved the star agent, Jack Bauer stopping planned assassinations of the leader of the free world.
Overall, CTU stands out because of its exemplary work in the field. Thanks to Bauer’s combat skills, terrorists never stand a chance whenever he goes after them. The agency is very effective at gathering intelligence too, that’s why mega criminal plans are always discovered way before they happen, preventing the loss of millions of lives.
"TV" - Google News
July 25, 2023 at 08:35AM
https://ift.tt/emZY4Nu
10 Best Fictional Spy Organizations in Movies & TV Shows - MovieWeb
"TV" - Google News
https://ift.tt/fIXp1kB
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "10 Best Fictional Spy Organizations in Movies & TV Shows - MovieWeb"
Post a Comment