5
minute read
From Freemasons to the mafia, secret societies and clandestine clubs rule dark corners of the world onscreen and off. Here’s the SPYSCAPE guide to the top-secret movies and TV series you won’t want to miss.
SPECTRE
Is there an organization more evil than Spectre, the Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion? The 21-member cabal made its debut in Ian Fleming’s ninth novel Thunderball (1961) and returned in three other Bond tales. Spectre reveals its goal of world domination in the movie You Only Live Twice (1967) and is rediscovered by 007 (Daniel Craig) in 2015’s Spectre. (Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play)
TENET
Christopher Nolan’s bold, time-bending Tenet involves a CIA officer (John David Washington) who joins an international secret society. They track a Russian arms dealer bent on starting World War III, but nothing is straightforward (or straight backward) in this fast-paced thriller. (Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play)
MR. ROBOT
Mr Robot follows Elliot Anderson (Rami Malek), a cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker. Mr Robot, the mysterious leader of an underground hacker group, recruits him to destroy the firm Elliot is paid to protect. The thrilling tale unwinds over four seasons, so keep an eye out for the Deus Group secret society. (USA Network, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes, and the Sky Store in the UK)
THE DA VINCI CODE
A murder in Paris' Louvre Museum and clues in Leonardo da Vinci's paintings lead to a secret society hiding information that could shake the foundations of Christianity. The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks as ‘symbologist’ Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou as cryptologist Sophie Neveu. (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube)
STAR WARS FRANCHISE
Star Wars films center mainly on the battle between the evil Empire and virtuous Rebellion in a galaxy far, far away, an epic space opera awash with secret societies. If you are one of the few people on the planet to have never watched a Star Wars film, you’ll want to know that The Jedi, Jedi Knights, or the Knights of the Jedi Order are the main protagonists, often working symbiotically alongside the Galactic Republic and the Rebel Alliance. (Disney+, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube.)
GOODFELLAS
Secret societies don’t get much more secret than the mafia. From Goodfellas to The Godfather trilogy and The Sopranos, audiences can’t get enough crime-family drama. And why not? The mafia is nothing if not memorable. Gangsters are exciting and the themes are close to our hearts: power, loyalty, and betrayal. So 'fuhgeddaboudit' and start streaming. (Amazon Prime, YouTube, GooglePlay)
GAME OF THRONES
Game of Thrones is about winning or dying. Nine noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. The Citadel, founded centuries ago, is the headquarters of the Order of Maesters, secretive scholars who advise the lords of the Seven Kingdoms on scientific, medical, and historical matters. (Google Play, YouTube, HBOMAX, Amazon Prime)
A depressed man (Edward Norton) teams up with soap salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) to form an underground club with strict rules about fighting. Tyler then recruits members for a new anti-corporate organization, Project Mayhem. (Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play)
EYES WIDE SHUT
Tom Cruise stars as Dr Bill Hartford, a man obsessed with having a sexual encounter after his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) admits to having fantasies about a man she met. He discovers an underground group but is soon out of his depth in Eyes Wide Shut. (Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play)
