I just rewatched the DVD release of the 2008 movie remake of “Get Smart” based on the 1960s television show of the same name. (CAUTION — SPOILERS AT THE LINK.)
The original TV series created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry featured Don Adams as Agent 86 Maxwell Smart, Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and Edward Platt as the Chief of Control. The function of Control is to counter the machinations of an international organization of bad guys whose name is Chaos. (Subtle this was not.)
As the wikipedia link notes, the original series was intended to satirize the James Bond films of the era — starring Sean Connery at the time of the series debut — as well as tossing in elements of Inspector Clouseau. Early Bond films took place against the background of the Cold War, and included Russian agents, rich supervillains, and nuclear threats. Sound familiar?
The 2008 remake with Steve Carrell as Smart, Anne Hathaway as 99, Alan Arkin as the Chief, and Dwayne Johnson as a Control agent updates the series to 2008. The Soviet Empire has fallen, Russia in is turmoil, but there are still nuclear threats and rich supervillains. Control has supposedly been disbanded with the end of the Cold War as the movie opens with a montage of references to the original series — but then dives right into a recreation of the opening sequence of the original show with multiple armored doors opening and closing as Carrell enters Control’s secret HQ.
The plot turns around nuclear bomb-making materials stolen in Russia and terrorism threats. As Control’s top analyst, Smart has been on top of the evolving threat and is determined to become a field agent, but is deemed too valuable where he is — until Control is attacked by Chaos and all of their current agents are compromised and elminated. And that’s when Max gets his big break.
He’s teamed with 99, who has been given a new identity, as the only available agents — and a romantic comedy plot line spins through the movie as the two of them work through their own issues.
The movie plays homage to the original series and to its source material; Carrell does a great job recreating the hyper-competence of Smart as well as the clumsiness and social awkwardness, while working in catch phrases from the show. There’s also classic Bond-type action along with spy technogadgets, and some political satire as well. (The Chief is attending a national security briefing where the various agencies are sniping at each other, when he gets into a physical confrontation with the Vice President — a Dick Cheney type who hates his guts.)
I’m not going to dwell much more on the plot or the movie except for several points. Although reviews were mixed the film did very well at the box office. I personally enjoyed it. And there’s one scene that will remind you of why we are still having to take our shoes off to get on a plane...
Many of the scenes are set in the Russia of 2008; the old Soviet system had collapsed and the country was still fumbling to get some kind of footing; Putin would not begin his rise to power until several years later. It’s a look at when the Cold War era seemed to have finally ended (in 1991) and there were still different ways to go forward. Russia is not quite the principle threat to the U.S. as it was in 1965 — Chaos as a source of nuclear terrorism in the movie was a more plausible threat. (The introduction of a Ferrari into the movie at one point is a not subtle jab at the rise of the Oligarchs.)
Watching the film today contrasted against the current state of affairs with Putin trying to recreate the Cold War and doing a chilling impression of a rich supervillain, well it adds a certain perspective to events. The gleeful poking of fun at DC politicians in 2008 is less entertaining after the malevolent buffoonery of the Former Guy.
It’s a movie very much set in a particular time and as such is one way to mark where we currently are in ours.