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Enigma on DVD (2001)

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Average rating: 66%
1114620141525
3.0
from 1,059 members
 
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: 114 mins
Certificate: 15
Genres: Drama
Languages: English
Released: 01/05/2007

Brief synopsis of 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.

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Critics Reviews

Rating of 3 stars out of 5 Radio Times

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.

Halliwell's Film Guide

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.

Time Out

Bletchley Park WWII code-breakers Scott and Winslet battle to save the world. The cracking of the German Enigma machine... Read more on www.timeout.com

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Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 3 stars

A customer from MANCHESTER , 05/10/2004

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.

  8 out of 12 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 2 starsA Bit Of An Enigma

Lighthouse from BRIGHTON , 18/11/2003

The true story of life at Bletchley Park and the Enigma machine is a fascinating one. The fact that it was all kept secret for so long is almost unbelievable. Especially as in this film Bletchley Park looks like a comprehensive school at break time. So many people, so many secrets.

But this film only hints at what really went on. Instead we are treated to a story that looks and feels like a Foyle At War tv thriller but without the atmosphere. The cast is let down by some pretty ordinary acting by the leads. Saffron Burrows is especially disapointing. So we are left with an ok film that should have been better. Why it isn't better is a bit of an ENIGMA.

  5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 5 starsGood drama limited in other ways

Graham Law from Leicestershire UK , 21/06/2005

This is primarly a love story, if you want a film focused on the goings on at Bletchy during WW2 then this does not go deep enough. Worth viewing for what it is rather than what I thought it would be.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starsClassic wartime intrigue

A customer from England , 17/05/2008

A very British response to the American suggestion that it was their exploits that cracked the German U-boat codes during WWII. Woven with a sub-plot about who is on whose side. Very entertaining and a history lesson, too.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 3 stars

A customer from MANCHESTER , 05/10/2004

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.

  8 out of 12 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starsMust Watch

BoVo from Southampton UK , 08/10/2006

Great film - Superb acting, very atmospheric of the time.

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