Essentials – Movies

Top Secret – Movies & TV Shows

The following list of movies & TV shows on this page are what we consider to be some great examples, in one way or another, of various aspects of Top Secret game play. They are not listed in any particular order. A brief notation explaining what we like about the movie will also be included. Most of the links will go to The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) for reference. Sometimes there will be links to videos on YouTube.

• Dogs of War – This movie has been one of our favorite TS movies! THE main movie we refer to when we want to see some great examples of the use of the MM-1 grenade launcher. It also has one of our favorite movie quotes from the character portrayed by Christopher Walken near the end. Here is a taste…

• Wanted: Dead or Alive – This movie recently came up in discussion due to an oblique and obscure reference in a comic strip. This movie also featured the classic scene of the terrorist and the grenade. Click here for a quote.
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith – Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie team up in this flick. The scene in the house after they have found out that they both are spies and they are trying to kill each other is just amazing. Wonderful weapon room and some pretty nice gunplay throughout.
• Highlander – This movie was the best movie that we never intentionally went to see! We had gone to see another movie and it was sold out and we ended up seeing this movie. We were puzzled by the opening sequence and then the segue back in time to the Scottish highlands in the 1500’s. Wow! What an interesting movie came out of this. Great swordplay, great quote from a Def Leppard song, beheadings of immortals, and Sean Connery to boot! One of the original characters took his code name from this movie.

The Terminator Series – This series of movies has always held a special place in our hearts. “I’ll be baaack.”

• The Terminator – The original and probably best. Set the tone for the series. Loved that Arnold’s character was the bad guy.
• Terminator 2 Judgement Day – A great example of the use of a mini-gun followed by an M-79. Click here to view a video of the mini-gun & M-79 as the ability to embed was disabled.
• Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines – Has one of the most amazing car chase scenes I’ve ever seen. I just love the sound effects in this scene. Click here for a clip. (Odds are that this link will not last too long.  It seems that the YouTube copyright police keep knocking this one down).

More Arnold…

• Predator – Most of us liked the first one far better than the second. Although there was elements in the second that we did like. The first one has a great example of a mini-gun scene!
• True Lies – Another movie that teams up James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger plus adds a fantastic Jamie Lee Curtis! This movie has the distinction of referring to something that just happens to relate to one of our Admin’s adventures and has us cracking up every time we hear it in this movie. You get to briefly see a Stinger missile in action. Also, called shot to the skyscraper with a Harrier jet.
• Commando – Another Arnold movie! Although not an overall great movie, it still has some good gunplay in it. This movie features one of the better examples of the use of the M202A2 4-shot flame weapon.

• Die Hard – Brought us one of our favorite villains in Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). Loved the use of the Steyer AUG.
• Die Hard 2 – Best use of an icicle as a weapon! H&K MP5A3 (link is for the very similar H&K MP5A2) submachine guns were used extensively and played a crucial point in the plot. We liked the red and blue tape on the magazines. We didn’t like how the film dealt with the Glock 17 because the info stated in the film was incorrect.
• Die Hard With A Vengence – Jeremy Irons is great as Simon Gruber, brother of Hans from the first movie. More H&K’s; this time with an MP5K. Several in the group liked this movie better than the second.
• Live Free or Die Hard – Decent story related to new technology. I liked Timothy Olyphant. I had some issues with the special effects during the fighter/truck/bridge sequence and I just couldn’t shake my image of Justin Long (the MAC dude) while watching this movie.

• Dr No – As I went back to watch this movie, I’m not so sure that I ever saw this. The parts I enjoyed most really have not much to do with the plot of the movie. I liked the part where Honey Ryder comes out of the water on the beach sequence as I can now understand the sequence in Die Another Day where Halle Berry does the same thing. Nice homage to this original shot! Some other things I liked was when Bond put a hair over the closet doors and powder on his briefcase to see if someone had searched his closet and/or the briefcase. I particularly enjoyed the sequence where a woman tried to photograph him when he was walking through the airport and at the last second, Bond put his hat up to deflect the shot. Brilliant! Sadly, the technology to do car chases wasn’t too good as one of the car chases was really cheesy.
• Thunderball – For a movie done in 1965, it was probably pushing the envelope with the effects. Recently re-watched this movie and the extra features mention that the underwater work shot for this film set new standards in film making.
• A View To A Kill – Released in 1985, this movie was the last movie to feature Roger Moore as James Bond. Also got a familiar bad guy in Christopher Walken. As my TS campaigns sometimes feature blimps, I liked that a blimp was used multiple times in this film. I also liked the iceberg submarine at the beginning of the film. Several really nice looking blonde girls in this film as well. Typical mid-80’s “big” hairstyles for these girls. Character Kimberly Jones played by Mary Stävin as the agent in the sub and the main Bond girl, Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton.
• The Living Daylights – First of only two movies with the new James Bond, Timothy Dalton. Unlike many, I didn’t mind him in the role. I thought he did ok. Really good scenes with the use of the Walther WA-2000 sniper rifle.
• License To Kill – At the time this movie came out in 1989, I wasn’t so sure about it as it seemed a lot grittier and harder of a Bond than what had gone before. In retrospect all of these years later and what happened with the Daniel Craig Bond, it is tame by comparison. Couple nice shots of stinger missiles and their attempted use against gasoline trucks. Couple cool little “Q” gadgets in this one as well.
• GoldenEye-
• The World Is Not Enough –
• Die Another Day –
• Casino Royale – Movie released in 2006 and the first to feature Daniel Craig as 007. Really good flick and focused a lot on poker. One of my favorite Bond women in Vesper Lynd. The torture scene of Bond on the chair makes all men cringe.

• Quantum of Solace– Movie released in 2008.I particularly liked the Mi6 agent Strawberry Fields.
• Skyfall– Released in 2012 and probably one of my favorite of the Daniel Craig Bond movies. Very intense and the constant action feels like it pummels you into submission.
• Spectre– Movie released in 2015.
• No Time To Die – Noteworthy as the last Bond movie that Daniel Craig would be doing. Was to be released in 2020. . . but then COVID hit and it has been on hold since. Here I am writing this in February 2021 and we are still waiting.

• Lethal Weapon 1 –
• Lethal Weapon 2 – Probably the overall best out of the series. The main characters had more development. Enjoyed the nude scene with Patsy Kensit. One of our all-time favorite quotes from a movie character. Click here for Leo Getz’s quote.
• Lethal Weapon 3 –
• Lethal Weapon 4 –

• The Hunt For Red October – Probably my second favorite Tom Clancy movie. I thought Sean Connery did his usual fantastic job and overall, I think that the movie did a decent job of keeping true to much of the book as well as keeping the suspense even during the underwater submarine sequences.
• Patriot Games – This Clancy movie is probably my favorite. I like Harrison Ford in the role of Ryan better than Alec Baldwin. I also liked how the movie treated the story.
• Clear and Present Danger – I liked elements of this movie and I was looking forward to seeing how they were going to treat John Clark (one of my favorite Clancy characters) and who would play him. I was disappointed that they chose William Dafoe although he did do a decent job with the character.

• The Sum of All Fears – Did not like that the movie decided to be “PC” and chose to change the antagonists of the novel. Movie had it’s moments but not up to the level of any of the other three.

TV Shows Inspired by Tom Clancy Characters:

• Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan – Began running on Amazon in 2018.  Based off of the Clancy books and the Jack Ryan character.  I’ve only seen season 1 so far (season 2 has recently premiered) but overall, a very good series and has lots of twists and turns and a good storyline.  Similar to the Die Hard Movie Live Free or Die Hard with Justin Long, in this series John Krasinski (from Office) is difficult for me to believe as the Jack Ryan character.  As this series is still new and fresh and (as of this writing) only one series into it, lots to digest moving forward.

Movies made from the Robert Ludlum novels on Jason Bourne:

• The Bourne Identity –
• The Bourne Supremacy –
• The Bourne Ultimatum –

Rambo

• First Blood – This movie was based off a book by David Morrell.  Stars Sylvester Stallone along with Richard Crenna who plays the character Colonel Samuel Trautman. The film is about a Vietnam veteran who has become a drifter as he has had difficulty in adjusting to civilian life. As this movie came out in 1982, it had some profound influence on us as we began gaming in the Top Secret universe. Lots of violence and weapons.
• Rambo: First Blood Part II – This movie came out in 1985 after seeing the success of the first movie. The country of Thailand seems to play a significant background role in many of these films as that is where Rambo ends up living many times. Lots of Soviet and Vietnamese villains. This movie really impacted us as it introduced us to one of the most awesome attack helicopters of the time in the Soviet Mi-24 Hind.
• Rambo III – Released in 1988, we now move on to Afghanistan and the fight between the Soviets and the Afghans.

There are at least two other Rambo movies in the series “Rambo” in 2008 and “Rambo: Last Blood” in 2019.

The Expendables Series

• The Expendables – This movie was released in August 2010 and has jumped into one of our essential movie list. The Sylvester Stallone written and directed by and starred in franchise based on characters created by David Callaham. As the Wikipedia entry on this franchise says “The film series itself was created to pay homage to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and ’90s and also pays tribute to the action stars of those decades, as well as more recent stars in action.”  There is the awesome use of a H&K CAWS and then there is this amazing scene with a Grumman Albatross.

• The Expendables 2 – Released in 2012 , it continues the trend from the first movie of providing a little career resurrection for former action stars from the 80’s and 90’s. Special shout out to the appearance of Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme.  I’m not going to go into all of the different action stars as it will be a very long list. You can find it at the links I’ve provided to IMDB on each of the movies. Again, lots of violence and weaponry.
• The Expendables 3 – Released in 2014.  Slight twist on things as the main character, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) ends up hiring a younger group of “expendables” that begins including younger action stars of the more current time frame. Special shout out to appearances by Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford. Again, lots of violence and weaponry.

More Expendables movies are planned so this section will be updated as needed.

The John Wick Series

• John Wick – Keanu Reeves stars as the character John Wick.  This movie was released in 2014 and has launched this series.  This movie is known for the intense level of violence and death.
• John Wick: Chapter 2 –

More John Wick stories look to be planned to be told so this section will be updated as needed.