You've screened It's a Wonderful Life, Die Hard, Rocky IV, and Lethal Weapon’s Christmas shootout. Now what? It’s time to settle in for more sinister streaming.

Here are 15 must-watch spy and superhero movies for the festive season.

‍

‍

Batman Returns (1992)

Michael Keaton owns the screen in Christopher Nolan's Batman Returns, an oddball Christmas movie set among twinkling lights and dark, devious enemies. The Penguin (Danny DeVito) teams up with businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) to topple the Batman but when Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) finds out she is transformed into the Catwoman. Meow. (Prime Video YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV)

‍

Iron Man 3 (2019)‍

It’s official. Marvel considers Iron Man 3 a ‘Christmas movie’: “If there’s one movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that could be compared to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, it’s Iron Man 3.” And even if you’re ‘bah humbug’ about Christmas, Robert Downey Jr. will turn your head as hacker extraordinaire Tony Stark. (Disney+, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video)

‍

Three Days of the Condor (1975)‍

Director Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford wanted to have fun with the deadly topic of CIA assassinations so they started creating Six Days of the Condor as a 007-style frivolous romp. When they began nailing down scenes, however, the film transformed into a thriller that still has audiences and critics buzzing almost 50 years later. (Google Play, YouTube, Prime Video, Apple TV)

‍

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

We just had to slip this gem onto the list. Robert Redford is back in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and we don't believe it is a coincidence that the plot echoes Three Days of the Condor. The theme for both films is: “Trust no one.” Certainly not the CIA, Joe Turner's (Redford's) employer in Three Days of the Condor, and certainly not SHIELD, the agency that employs Rogers. Both films ride a wave of cynicism led by current events - Watergate and the Edward Snowden intelligence scandals. Both films express their distrust of institutions and Redford’s appearance in the two blockbusters ties the movies together. (Prime Video, Disney Plus, Starz, Roku Premium Channel)
‍

‍‍

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

‍The Long Kiss Goodnight is a highly underrated espionage action movie (think Geena Davis as a female Bourne). During the Christmas holidays, Samantha Caine (Davis) suffers a concussion in a car accident. She recovers physically but doesn’t understand the remarkable skills she possesses. Rotten Tomato readers consider it ‘smart, sharp-witted, and fueled by enjoyably over-the-top action’. (Prime Video, SKY TV in the UK) 

‍

‍

Knives Out (2019) 

Daniel Craig may have given up on 007 but he's back with another lovable character in the form of Detective Benoit Blanc. The plot revolves around the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey and the insanely dysfunctional Thrombey family. As for the timing, our money is on the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas period, so button up. It's cold outside. If you are searching for a quirky detective movie, you've come to the right place. (Netflix)

‍

The Package (1990) ‍

Does anyone do spy thrillers better than Gene Hackman? The former real-life US Marine stars as Army Sgt. Johnny Gallagher who must bring criminal Thomas Boyette (Tommy Lee Jones) home from Europe after a prisoner swap. Boyette disappears, however, leading Gallagher to chase him down to Chicago and into a deadly spy plot. Dennis Franz is in his element as a police officer who doesn’t play by the rules. (Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu)
‍

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)‍

A mole is operating within MI6 and George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is on the hunt, back to his old trick of spying in the hall of mirrors. The Christmas party is a particular delight with John le Carré’s cameo appearance. Did MI6 have Christmas parties when the author worked as a spy?’ ‘Oh yes,’ le Carré told The Spectator, recalling that one year the party got so out of hand Scotland Yard was called in to keep MI6 in check. (Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video)

‍

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)‍

Christmas is in the air but US Rep. Charlie Wilson’s (Tom Hanks’) mind is on international intrigue, whiskey, and women (not necessarily in that order). Before filming, the real-life Charlie Wilson told Hanks: “Look, I don’t care how you portray me. Chances are if it’s illegal I did it.” Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as the smartest-guy-in-the-room CIA chief of station. (Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube) 

‍

‍

Ronin (1998) ‍

Ronin is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it salute to Christmas and well worth streaming. Sam (Robert De Niro) is an ex-intelligence officer working with Vincent (Jean Reno), Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard), and others selected for an operation to steal a valuable briefcase. The contents are a mystery, however. De Niro was nervous during the chase scenes even though a stuntman was driving: “It’s a little hairy. Especially on the turns.” (Prime Video, GooglePlay, YouTube, Apple TV, Microsoft)

‍

The Bourne Identity (2002)‍

A man (Matt Damon) is picked up by a fishing boat, suffering from amnesia, racing to elude assassins, and attempting to regain his memory. Oh, and it is also Christmas time. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy didn’t write the film for Matt Damon and didn’t understand the casting choice at first: “But I was completely wrong. There’s so much dignity. There’s something empathetic about him.” (Netflix, Prime Video, GooglePlay, YouTube, Apple+)

‍

Enemy of the State (1998)‍

All he wants to do is buy lingerie as a Christmas present for his wife but (Will Smith) gets swept into a plot with NSA spy Thomas Reynolds (legendary baddie Jon Voight) who wants a congressman assassinated to assure the passage of surveillance legislation. Smith’s crew met with the CIA to ensure all of the technology in the film is used by real-life spies - although it is the ‘old stuff’, Smith said. They weren’t allowed to see the ‘new stuff’. Gene Hackman also stars. (Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play)
‍

‍

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)‍

George Lazenby is sometimes underrated as Bond but he holds his own in this spy thriller. (Check out the Christmas party held by Telly Savalas as villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.) Lazenby’s favorite line from his one-and-only Bond film? “This never happened to the other fellow.” (Prime Video, Apple TV, Microsoft, Google Play, YouTube, SKY TV in the UK)

‍

‍

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Robert Downey Jr. is back in this dark comedy starring Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. After he's mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a movie role. Instead, he is entangled in a murder mystery with a struggling actress. (Prime Video, Apple TV, Chili, Rokuten, Google Play, YouTube)

‍

Shazam! (2019)

This superhero Christmas movie was abit underrated when it debuted in theaters in 2019. Starring Zachary Levi, the movie follows teenager chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam to be his new champion by saying the name "Shazam", allowing him to transform into an adult superhero (Levi). If that sounds overly complicated, stick with it. The movie was followed by the spin-off Black Adam (2022) and a sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, is underway. (Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV)