• click here to return to the homepage •
Home > Categories > Movies > Action > The 39 Steps review
The 39 Steps is a fast-paced adventure movie based on the world famous novel by John Buchan. Starring Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks, Cassanova) as sophisticated and dashing hero Richard Hannay, a man with an inquisitive mind and a miraculous habit of getting himself out of tricky situations.
Set on the eve of World War One, Hannay has returned to London from South Africa to begin a new life, when he becomes embroiled in an undercover German plot to steal Brittish plans for the outbreak of war. As the clock starts ticking, can Hannay outrun the police and German spies to protect Britain?
Rated PG: contains low level violence
Run time: 85 minutes
Mulan 2
No Country for Old Men
Tess of the D'Ubervilles
Green Street Hooligans 2
The Campaign
Freebirds
Atomic Blonde
Brad's Status
Isle of Dogs
The Cloverfield Paradox
Downton Abbey
Sonic The Hedgehog
23 WalksProduct reviews...
Members are welcome to post a review. You will need to log in to post yours.
Review by: kiwifi (Fiona)
Dated: 16th of January, 2010
This BBC TV version of 'The 39 Steps' is a thoroughly enjoyable suspense adventure with a decent sprinkling of subtle humour and romance. The scenery is absolutely beautiful (set largely in Scotland's Culross in Fife) and the vintage cars are just gorgeous - I love the 'low speed' car chasing as they tootle around corners in idyllic countryside-
It is 1914 and our hero, Richard Hannay, has just come back to London after working in South Africa as a mining engineer. He is thrust by chance into the world of espionage when his neighbour, a man called Scudder, bursts into his apartment and desperately entrusts him with a notebook that must be delivered to Captain Kell, Head of the British Secret Service. In short order Scudder is gunned down by German spies who enter the apartment and then swiftly leave. Hannay is blamed for the 'murder' by a bobby who was nearby and heard the shooting.
Hannay fears the only way he can clear his name is to prove the existence of a secret German post that Scudder had mentioned, located in a small Scottish village, and to get the notebook into the hands of Captain Kell. If he can just keep ahead of the men in hats, be they British police or German spies! The race takes on exasperating and romantic elements as the attractive and forthright suffragette Victoria gets involved-Given the period of the story, the inclusion of an intelligent action role for a major female character was an unexpected and welcome surprise.
I found the movie to be delightful entertainment. Well worth a watch. It really has little in the way of special effects, but I gave it full marks on account of fantastic locations, sets etc and of course those wonderful vintage cars (and the bi-plane).
Points of interest:
• John Buchan wrote the novel 'The 39 Steps' in 1915.
• It was first brought to film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, based on an adaptation by Charles Bennet.
• In 1959 a remake screened, directed by Ralph Thomas based on a screenplay by Frank Harvey.
• In 1980 another remake screened, directed by Don Sharp based on a 1978 screenplay by Michael Robson.
• The 2008 BBC version (on which this review is based), originally for TV, was directed by James Hawes based on a screenplay by Lizzie Mickery.
• In 2011, yet another remake is planned based on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock version - with screenplay written and directed by Robert Towne.
Random listing from 'Movies'...
In the near future, Major Motoko Kusanagi (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible terrorist attack, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major Kusanagi is uniquely qualified to stop it.
As she prepares to face a new ... more...
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
