I have to admit that having watched this tonight on BBC1 as part of their Christmas line-up I was incredibly disappointed. The story was changed dramatically from both the 1930s and the 1970s versions, the dynamic action that appeared in both previous well-known incarnations was lacking. They sexed the characters up (I would be the first to admit that I love Penry-Jones in almost everything and he certainly carries off a suit and a uniform extremely well) and in doing so managed to fit the story into 90 rather dull minutes that actually skipped the meaning of the 39 steps completely. Wouldn't recommend you watch this unless you are a fan of Penry-Jones or any of the rest of the cast, stick to the previous versions to get the excitement and drama of the original tale.
Review of The 39 Steps
