loading...
Enigma
2001
Set in England during World War II, Michael Apted's ENIGMA follows bookish code-breaker Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) through a whirlwind love affair with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), a seductive blonde clerk, and his subsequent recovery from a mental breakdown caused by the relationship. As Tom begins to pick up the pieces .. Read more
| Starring | Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows, Tom Hollander |
|---|---|
| Director | Michael Apted |
| Genres | Drama |
loading...
Enigma
Set in England during World War II, Michael Apted's ENIGMA follows bookish code-breaker Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) through a whirlwind love affair with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), a seductive blonde clerk, and his subsequent recovery from a mental breakdown caused by the relationship. As Tom begins to pick up the pieces of his sanity, he is reinstated by his former employers at Bletchley Park, a secret agency that intercepts transmissions from German U-boats and decodes them for use in the Allied cause. When a suave government agent (Jeremy Northam) investigates Bletchley in search of a suspected spy and the now-missing Claire, Tom takes matters into his own hands and enlists the help of Claire's roommate, the seemingly prim Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet). Together Tom and Hester begin to unravel a mystery that goes extends across continents and allegiances.
Apted's WWII thriller, based on the novel by Robert Harris and screenplay by Tom Stoppard, is a well-crafted period piece that successfully transports the audience to 1940s Britain. Scott and Winslet are compelling in their roles as intellectuals forced into action, and Northam exudes a rakish charm during his appearances. The film's secret weapon, however, is the plot, which gets more and more intriguing as the story progresses. In the end, even the most astute viewers will be surprised by ENIGMA's finale.
| Starring | Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows, Tom Hollander, Jeremy Northam, Corin Redgrave, Robert Pugh |
|---|---|
| Director | Michael Apted |
| Studio | WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 54 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 01 May 2007 Production year: 2001 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews (3)
View all -
Acting as an antidote to the Hollywood heroism of U-571, in which a German code machine is recovered by the US Navy during the Second World War, this romantic thriller (based on the Robert Harris novel) concentrates on the quiet, bookish pluck of our own code-breakers at Bletchley Park. Dougray Scott plays the fragile but brilliant Tom Jericho, back at his desk after a nervous breakdown and drawn into a race against time to crack the latest German cipher. He also suspects that the girl he has become infatuated with (Saffron Burrows) is a spy. This well-acted wartime intrigue has Kate Winslet looking suitably dowdy in a supporting role, while Jeremy Northam steals the show as a pompous secret serviceman. The film is commendable for the intelligence it assumes on the part of the audience, but the effect is spoiled somewhat by a superfluous, Boys' Own adventure ending that seems out of synch with the rest of the movie.
-
Stolidly old-fashioned movie, in the style of Second World War propaganda films, that segues into an even more old-fashioned spy yarn of derring-do.
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
11 out of 16 people found this review helpful
Set in England during World War II, Michael Apted's ENIGMA follows bookish code-breaker Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) through a whirlwind love affair with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), a seductive blonde clerk, and his subsequent recovery from a mental breakdown caused by the relationship. As Tom begins to pick up the pieces of his sanity, he is reinstated by his former employers at Bletchley Park, a secret agency that intercepts transmissions from German U-boats and decodes them for use in the Allied cause. When a suave government agent (Jeremy Northam) investigates Bletchley in search of a suspected spy and the now-missing Claire, Tom takes matters into his own hands and enlists the help of Claire's roommate, the seemingly prim Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet). Together Tom and Hester begin to unravel a mystery that goes extends across continents and allegiances.
-
Most recent members' review
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Surprising
After the castigating reviews I missed this in the cinema. I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent sets; the period was captured beautifully and the acting was nowhere near as bad as reported. Don't be put off by the critics, make you own mind up.
-
News and features
View all
Ang Lee named top director
- 30 Jan 2006
Hollywood's directors have named Ang Lee director of the year for Brokeback Mountain. Lee (Eat Drink Man Woman, The Wedding Banquet, Hulk) picked up the award from the Directors Guild of America (DGA), beating off George Clooney (Good Night, And Good Luck), Paul Haggis (Crash), Bennett Miller (Capote) and Steven Spielberg (Munich). Lee is now the favourite to pick up the best director Oscar as only six times since the DGA awards started in 1949 has the winner not gone on to receive the academy... Read more
-
Image gallery
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 4
-
-
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
Brazilian Best (14)
