★★★★★

Smiley’s People is the standard by which all other spy movies are judged. In whole or part it is based on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre’. Quite possibly the only good thing attending DeVry’s Lombard campus ever did for me was forcing me to read this book.

Alec Guinness plays the central character of George Smiley. Once you see this fantastic BBC production, you cannot ever imagine anyone else playing this role. This miniseries was made in 1982 and it is still relevant today. Honestly I just ordered a copy of this DVD set from Thrift books because I keep referencing this work when reviewing other spy movies. A review is long overdue.

Slow Burn

This is not a XXX with tons of action and things blowing up. If someone told me the BBC managed to make Smiley’s People for $100K, I would actually believe it. Even though I read the book years before I watched this miniseries, I got pulled in. It is so well crafted and slow paced that you enter this world leaving all knowledge of the world it is based on behind.

What sells this, besides the acting, is being “shot on location.” It’s like they went to a thrift store, found some vintage suits, drove around England to find a vintage looking suburb, then rented a few old cars for people. I’m sure they were some scenes shot in a studio, but it doesn’t feel like it.

Granted, You Have to Like Spy Movies

Yes, I loved Vin Diesel in XXX with all the action, hot women, and stuff blowing up. I also like spy movies. Real spy movies like Smiley’s People. Unlike another British spy series you’ve probably heard of, James Bond, they didn’t have out of this world spy gadgets in this. I’m actually saddened with what has happened to the James Bond franchise. Sean Connery was right. In his day 007 would “charm” what he needed out of a woman or whoever. Real spy-craft. Today it is violence and big budget special effects. Oh, Sean Connery’s era had gadgets, read up on the re-breather that brought inquiries from multiple militaries wanting to know if it actually worked. It’s just that today’s spy movies, 007 included, tend to rely on outsized quantities of violence and special effects.

This is all about spy-craft:

  • Noticing that of the two umbrellas in the stand, only one is wet.
  • Placing a pair of toothpicks (or tiny pieces of paper) in the door and checking before opening.
  • Always placing a book face down in a drawer and checking for it still being that way.
  • Identifying choke points as you walk and turning through them without ever running to lose a tail.

The old-school stuff. Learning how to read another human and how to never show anything.

Movie not quite Book

One of the great lines from the book was his wife telling someone Smiley didn’t get hot or cold, rather he adjusted his internal body temperature to match his surroundings. I do not remember seeing that in the miniseries but I did notice just how well they honored it. All of those scenes where Smiley’s People couldn’t wait to get their coat or suit jacket off yet Smiley stood there in three piece suite and trench coat.

This is the golden era, before Hollywood found out you could use fewer actors of lessor skill and make more money if you blew lots of shit up.

For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.