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Reviews
The 39 Steps (2008)
Heartily enjoyable TV Movie thriller
Not disappointing at all. I heartily enjoyed this reworking of The 39 Steps. The depiction of Hannay's well known terrible predicament and his single minded efforts to extricate himself from such was mounted well enough to furnish me with a riveting 90 minutes. The Photography, script and acting were entirely creditable. Certainly the suspension of disbelief was not maintained throughout. At times narrative expediency was a little disconcerting. But from the outset I detected the filmmaker's agenda of non seriousness. In Hannay's narration in the opening scene he tells us that the talk at his club was in part concerned with: "Hobbs' dismissal for four by Haig at the Oval." He then adds the self-knowing risible annotation: "that's cricket by the way." This sets one up for the not-that-deadly-serious content to follow.
The FBI Story (1959)
considerably entertaining and suitably upbeat for Bank Holiday viewing
I found The FBI Story considerably entertaining and suitably upbeat for my New Years Day holiday viewing. Its drama and action-packed episodes were thrilling. The Hardesty character was well drawn and admirable. Overall the photography, script and direction was perfectly creditable. Rather than taking the film to be a repugnant piece of propaganda, as some might, I enjoyed it as a well mounted portrayal of the necessity of ingenious minds and brave bodies in the fight against crime. Again, the depiction of a family holding together even under the strain of the husband's commitment to his (arguably) important work, I did not find to be a twee representation but an ideal and exemplary one.