In the all-new action comedy Get Smart, Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS.

When the headquartes of US spy agency Control is attacked and identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).

Smart is partnered instead with the only other agent whose identity has not been compromised – the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (played by Anne Hathaway).

As Smart and 99 get closer to unravelling KAOS’ master plan (and each other!) they discover that key KAOS operative Siegfried (Terence Stamp) and his sidekick Shtarker (Kenneth Davitian) are scheming to cash in with their network of terror.

Given little field experience and even less time, Smart – armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm – must defeat KAOS if he is to save the day.

Director Peter Segal approached Get Smart as both a filmmaker and a fan.

"This was an iconic show from the 1960s, a true classic and one of my favourites," he says.

"I loved it. It was smart, irreverent and hilarious."

Producer Charles Roven adds: "We didn’t want to recreate it but to contemporise it –

to make it work for our time with a modern perspective and action sequences that aren’t only there to punctuate the laughs but are worthy of any thriller.

"We wanted to bring this world of super-spies into a new era with the scale and scope it truly deserves on the big screen."

Segal discovered that just imagining the familiar characters and some brand new ones in today’s headline-worthy situations sparked a thousand ideas and jokes, inspired by the same savvy humour that made the series – the brainchild of comedy mavericks Mel Brooks and Buck Henry – so memorable.

"Our goal was to embrace the spirit of what Mel and Buck created and bring it to a new generation.

The movie pays homage to the touchstones of the series; its irreverence, political satire and some of the catchphrases that are now part of our culture," says Segal, "but with a fresh story, a 2008 point of view and a style and energy all its own."

Get Smart is rated PG and is screening at Birch Carroll & Coyle.

Share this article