Spy Ops is informative, and at least in the beginning, quite engaging. But the allure of insider access and first-hand knowledge quickly gives way to boredom. You can only insert so many archival clips, reenact so many events, and dramatize so much of the music before it becomes obvious how scant the material actually is. It also suffers from a narrow perspective; we hear from the intelligence operatives but rarely from people who don’t share the same views, people who more often than not are from the Global South. The information it shares seems vital enough, but without the expert editing and wide perspective that a truly compelling documentary needs, Spy Ops falls flat.