Why Amazon Controlling James Bond Might be the Best thing ever!
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Dan and Tom look at the pluses and minuses of Amazon controlling James Bond. Is it the best thing for the franchise? It just may be! On the other hand, what are the roadblocks they may encounter in making this a success? Listen to find out! We’ve had a bit of time to digest the news of Eon Productions’ selling creative control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon. At the time, we released a fan reaction episode. But now, producers and directors are being announced, so it is time to reexamine this dramatic change to this 63-year-old powerhouse. Furthermore,...
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THE DOUBLE MAN - The Man Who Wasn’t Himself
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join us as Dan and Tom decode the 1967 movie THE DOUBLE MAN. This movie starring Yul Brynner has a great plot twist. But is it any good? Listen to find out! This movie is set in the Austrian Alps, where we join CIA officer Dan Slater as he investigates his son's suspicious skiing death. Meanwhile, as he digs deeper, he uncovers a Soviet plot to infiltrate the CIA. The film blends Cold War paranoia with identity deception in a tense alpine setting. To sum up, this is an interesting example of a mid-1960s spy movie. Specifically, it is dark and tense with a lack of high action scenes. ...
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What makes THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS so good?
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
What makes THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS so good? Join Dan and Tom as they dive in to discover exactly what does make it so good! THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS introduced us to a new actor playing James Bond, Timothy Dalton. This ended Roger Moore’s twelve-year run in the role. With the new actor, the series shifted to a grittier, less humorous James Bond. What we will decode in this episode These are the things we decode as we answer the question: What makes THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS so good? · Timothy Dalton’s changes to the...
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THE IMPOSSIBLE SPY - Decoded!
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Dan and Tom are joined by Dr. Wesley Britton to decode the 1987 movie THE IMPOSSIBLE SPY. This movie tells the story of a real Israeli spy, Elie Cohen. Without a doubt, he was one of the most successful spies in history. Is this movie worth a watch? This episode has two sections. First, we discuss with Dr. Wesley Britton some of the information about Elie’s story and the making of the movie. Then, we decode the movie in depth. Dr. Britton is the host of the online radio show and Podcast, “Flashback with Wes Britton” He has also written multiple books about...
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FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO - Decoded!
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 1943 movie, FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO. Is this World War II movie a spy movie? Listen as Dan tries to convince Tom it is, despite Tom's uncertainty. The story with this menacing title follows the exploits of Cpl. John Bramble in June 1942 after he fell out of his tank in the North African desert. Later on, he ends up meeting Rommel, The Desert Fox, himself. Most of the movie takes place inside the hotel “Empress of Britain”. It is a great setting. Also, something is interesting there underneath the first floor. The people behind this movie are...
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CRACKERJACK 3 -Decoded!
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join Dan and Tom as they decode the movie CRACKERJACK 3, from 2000. Is this third movie in the series worth a watch? Listen to find out what we think! This is a “No holds barred” episode! The first two CRACKERJACK movies were not spy movies. They were closer to DIE HARD than a spy movie. CRACKERJACK 3, however, is a spy movie, even though there is no train sequence! This one stars Leo Rossi, Amy Weber, Oliver Gruner, and Bo Svenson. This one has an explosive device, a state-of-the-art cell phone, and a group of old retired spies. These are the...
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING - Review
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join Dan, Tom, and Mike Reyes as they review (No Spoilers! ) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING – This movie stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames. Listen to find out what we think! We’ve seen MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING, and the most recent before this one, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE DEAD RECKONING. Now we see if they all tie together. In our no-spoiler review, we dive into the following about MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING: · The Pre-Title Sequence ...
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THE TAMARIND SEED - Decoded!
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 1974 spy movie THE TAMARIND SEED. This movie stars Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. Listen to find out all the good and perhaps the bad! We’ve seen Julie Andrews in Torn Curtain with Paul Newman. Now she is in a romantic spy movie with Omar Sharif. Does the match work? In this decoding episode we dive into the following about THE TAMARIND SEED: This is a romance/spy movie. Does that work? What we think of the pace of the movie Who was the director and what was his connection with Julie Andrews? Who did the...
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Character Spotlight on Fiona Volpe played by Luciana Paluzzi in THUNDERBALL
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join Dan and Tom for their Character Spotlight on Fiona Volpe, played by Luciana Paluzzi in THUNDERBALL. Can she handle the harsh spotlight? We know that Fiona Volpe was a tough, determined, and beautiful villain. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her job done. And she wanted to take James Bond out. In this Character Spotlight we look at the following about this wonderful character: How was Luciana Paluzzi’s performance? What traits does Fiona Volpe portray in her villainess role? How important control is...
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SPY INTERVENTION - Decoded!
Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!
Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 2020 spy comedy movie SPY INTERVENTION. It is a spy movie, but how is the comedy? Is it worth a watch? Dan and Tom are in a lively discussion answering that question! Listen to find out why. SPY INTERVENTION is a comedy starring Drew Van Acker, Poppy Delevingne, and Blake Anderson. There is a strong supporting cast as well. The basic premise is that a spy falls in love with a woman which made him leave the spy business and move to the suburbs. Can he handle the mundane suburban life after a life of adventure? ...
info_outlineJoin Dan and Tom as they decode the 1943 movie, FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO. Is this World War II movie a spy movie? Listen as Dan tries to convince Tom it is, despite Tom's uncertainty.
The story with this menacing title follows the exploits of Cpl. John Bramble in June 1942 after he fell out of his tank in the North African desert. Later on, he ends up meeting Rommel, The Desert Fox, himself. Most of the movie takes place inside the hotel “Empress of Britain”. It is a great setting. Also, something is interesting there underneath the first floor.
The people behind this movie are top-notch. Billy Wilder directed and co-wrote it with Charles Brackett, adopting Lajos Biró’s play “Hotel Imperial”. It garnered three Academy Award nominations and has an excellent cast. Specifically, Anne Baxter, Franchot Tone, Akim Tamiroff, and Erich von Stroheim play the leads.
This is a movie where you don’t want to be scanning your phone at the same time as you watch it. You need to pay close attention. However, by listening to this episode, you will enhance your viewing experience. We give you some things to look out for.
What we will decode in this episode
While we don’t give away the key answers for this movie, these are the things we decode in our look at FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO:
· Details on this great cast.
· How it had a real-world impact on the war.
· The humor in this serious movie. For example, we include a clip from the movie about bedbugs.
· Without a doubt, there is a tie-in to Boris Karloff. What is it?
· The production, cinematography, costuming, and the score.
· What Tom thought Bramble needed to have with him on the tank.
· The use of the German language. Authentic?
· Opera in a World War II movie?
· The dialogue - good, or bad?
· Certainly, Rommel would not have said what he said at that lunch. Would he?
· Answering Tom’s question of if this is a spy movie
· And more!
What we don't answer is what the “five graves to Cairo” are. You need to watch the movie for that.
Where to download the movie
As of the time of the release of this episode (June 2025), you can stream this movie for free at: https://archive.org/details/five-graves-to-cairo-1943-billy-wilder.
Tell us what you think about our no-spoiler review of FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO.
So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Have you heard of FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO before this episode? As a result of listening to this episode, did you watch it?
To sum up, if you have seen this movie, what do you think? Were we on point with our review? What did you like and what would you have changed about the movie?
Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you think of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected]. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!
You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.
Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3FtdIJD