The 7.39

... how many people would change partners were opportunity presented as in this fairly well-made-good little mini-series... here these-two made to appear as really very nice-decent-individuals, just happening to meeting-having-sex-regularly because they can, and really are very sexually attracted to one another

... it's well made and appealing, just a bit hollow, along with evidencing why divorce rates are high world over... commitment crushed by passion till awakening or rationality (or nature) intervenes-returns

... and not that all these works need-require-nudity, yet making this here storyline more authentic, today's expressive-audiences increasingly sense its absence-avoidance.

This is a drama about two people who have a chance meeting on a train. Both are with other people and seemingly happy but the attraction between them is too strong to resist. It follows their relationship from the platonic to the inevitable fallout from the decisions they take.

In other hands this could have been a corny and cheesy mess however a brilliant cast and good direction means this is nothing but a success. It moves along at a good pace and never gets boring. I also liked the fact that it didn't paint the adulterers as awful people just normal people in a difficult situation.

The main cast are all top rate actors and they don't disappoint. David Morrissey is great as the guilty husband, the fantastic Sheridan Smith is beguiling as the younger woman and Olivia Colman superb as the spurned wife.

The 7.39 is a very good drama and well worth watching.

I approached this movie thinking it can't be much --- and I'm glad to state I was wrong.

The story is easy to understand --- life can become a rut and then you find yourself stuck in a daily routine. The rewards become transparent and frustration can set in quickly.

Here we have two people, Carl & Sally, who come to cross purposes on a commuter train one morning. With an apology later from Carl the ice is broken between our two characters. They both find out through just daily talking that there is a common thread between them. A friendship develops and then more comes into their lives.

What's so marvelous about 'The 7:39' is how the relationship progresses and the brilliant ability of the writer and director to keep this old and over told story consistently fresh and lively, start to finish.

It's 2 hours long but it's worth the watching !!!

David Nicholls' reworking of the David Lean classic shifts the action from wartime Carnforth to contemporary London. Carl Matthews (David Morrissey) and Sally Thorn (Sheridan Smith) have a chance meeting, see each other on a regular basis on the 7.39 morning train from an unspecified suburb to the center of London, and fall in love. Unlike Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson in the earlier film, their love is not restricted to clandestine meetings in a station canteen, but develops into a full-blown affair. Nonetheless the outcome is much the same, as they realize that there is no future for either of them. The story is a familiar one, set against the backdrop of contemporary London - a teeming, high-tech city that alienates many of its citizens. John Alexander's direction vividly captures the heartlessness of contemporary urban life, with shots of a crowded train whose passengers seldom, if ever talk to one another, and interior shots of Carl's office, where the employees are separated from one another by glass screens. No one, it seems, has the time or the inclination to relate to one another. Thus it is perhaps inevitable that Carl and Sally should try to seek an alternative through love. Shot mainly in a series of shot/reverse shot sequences, THE 7.39 is an intense drama focusing on the characters' unspoken feelings: a close-up of Sally's tortured expression as she leaves Carl for the last time tells us far more about her pent-up emotions than dialog ever can. The casting is highly effective: Morrissey towers over Smith, suggesting that the couple are both physiognomically as well as emotionally ill-matched. Nonetheless they take full advantage of the affair while it lasts.

There is so very little to look forward to on telly these days, but this is just incredible. A host of great people, great characters and a great script. I have read all the typically superfluous comments re. Oh the 7.39 is always so crowded, where is the fat balding bloke etc etc. the 7.39 does not go from West Sussex to paddington. I am a railway enthusiast and even I groaned at that one !! Having been fortunate enough to experience a very intense wonderful affair of this type, this is so realistic, I was spell bound and cannot wait for tonight. The looks, the subtle body language, the doubt, the intense rush it's all there and yes I hope the lust will be there as well. Well it is 2014, even if it's the London commuter belt and all that and the stuffy old south of England !! Well done the BBC for showing this, well done to the actors and actresses a modern day Brief Encounter, fantastic !! More please.