Diagonaldi Very well executed

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Paul Evans I can imagine this not being to everyone's taste, the 39 Steps is given a somewhat softer makeover, slightly more of a romantic thriller, then a great espionage film. More amiable in tone then the original movie version, but the story holds up as well as ever, and is engaging to this day.Rupert Penry Jones is an outstanding actor, and worthy of any lead role, he gives a wonderful performance, he is ably matched by the brilliant Lydia Leonard, the pair had true chemistry and bounced off one another beautifully, the car chase and hotel room scenes were fantastic. Great supporting cast, David Haig, Patrick Malahide (when does he not make a brilliant villain?) and off course the mercurial and wonderful Eddie Marsan, who's time alas was too short.I always enjoy watching this, it's easy viewing, almost amusing at times, but it holds up remarkably against its predecessors.Great effort, 8/10

ags123 I'm normally the first to raise Cain when anyone dares imitate The Master. I had to see for myself what damage had been inflicted on one of Hitchcock's greatest films. I will admit that the stage satire of "The 39 Steps" was hilarious, clever and deeply reverential. Still, I approached this effort with a jaundiced eye - BBC productions tend to take themselves way too seriously. It turns out this teleplay was somewhat entertaining. There were lots of liberties taken with the story which didn't hold together very well. The superb locations were all beautifully photographed. Rupert Penry-Jones made an appealing hero as Richard Hannay, though certainly nowhere near Robert Donat's definitive portrayal. Lydia Leonard lacked the smoldering sensuality of Madeleine Carroll, greatly reducing the seductive interplay between the two main characters. Pleasantly diverting without desecrating the original (unlike Gus Van Sant's atrocious "Psycho" remake). Overall, not half bad.

bob-carr-2 I thought I might be driven to writing my first ever film critique in response to a feeling of elation at having just watched a truly inspiring film.In fact, it's quite the contrary. So appalling was this film that I immediately felt a strong moral obligation to warn others against watching it. Trust me, I know about these things - under no circumstances should anyone be tempted by the film's title nor the superficial charm of its lead character played by Rupert Penry-Jones to believe that this is anything other then complete, utter tosh.The plot bears the thinnest of resemblances to Buchan's book, the characters are furnished with a 'Terry and June' comic gravity and the running time is 85 minutes too long. Anyone giving this film a rating of more than 1 needs to get out more :)

barbie6982003 I was so prepared to not enjoy this, that when it was automatically recorded by my TiVo as part of the "Mystery" series, I very nearly deleted it without watching. I am a huge fan of Hitchcock, and have likely seen his version of "The 39 Steps" a hundred times. I had read the book years ago and remember thinking that the Hitchcock movie must not have been an adaptation.Out of boredom, I decided to watch the 2008 version, thinking that I would turn it off and delete it within the first few scenes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did indeed resemble - if not follow faithfully - the original book. It held it's own. The characters were likable and well played. I thoroughly enjoyed Lydia Leonard as Victoria. They took liberties with this character, but in a satisfying way.I will watch it again with my husband, whom I think will enjoy this as well. If you're expecting a remake of Hitchcock's movie, you'll be disappointed. Then again, I can see no reason to remake ANY of Hitchcock's films, so I was happy with this version of the book by John Buchan.