The sort of film that makes me miss Hitchcock, but also feel optimistic that there’s hope for popular cinema yet.
Enigma (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:103
Fresh:74
Rotten:29
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: The well-crafted, twist-filled Enigma is a thinking person's spy thriller.
Theatrical Release:Apr 19, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $3,842,105
Synopsis: A romantic thriller steeped in the tense atmosphere of wartime Britain, this suspenseful drama centers on the mysteries of WWII cryptography while telling a tale of love, patriotism, obsession and... A romantic thriller steeped in the tense atmosphere of wartime Britain, this suspenseful drama centers on the mysteries of WWII cryptography while telling a tale of love, patriotism, obsession and betrayal. Enigma takes you inside Station X, one of the most secret places at Bletchley Park; famed birthplace of the Computer Age and the scene of some of the most brilliant code breaking of all time. In March 1943, the best minds in England have gathered at Bletchley Park and face their worst nightmare: the Nazis have changed the code key for the Enigma machine! Since they're unable to monitor the Nazi U-boats' communication, the clock is ticking for an allied convoy crossing the Atlantic with 10,000 passengers and vital supplies. Allied command looks for help from Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott), a brilliant young mathematician and code breaker. Unknown to his colleagues, Jericho has another equally baffling enigma of his own to unravel: Claire (Saffron Burrows), the woman he's obsessed with, has disappeared just when authorities suspect there may be a spy at the Park. To get to the bottom of both mysteries, Jericho enlists the help of Hester (Kate Winslet), Claire's best friend and co-worker at Bletchley. Together they keep one step ahead of secret services agent Wigram (Jeremy Northam), to reach a conclusion that uncovers both international and personal betrayals. -- © 2002 Manhattan Pictures International [More]
Starring: Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam, Saffron Burrows
Starring: Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam, Saffron Burrows, Corin Redgrave, Tom Hollander, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Director: Michael Apted
Director: Michael Apted
Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard
Producer: Mick Jagger, Lorne Michaels
Composer: John Barry
Studio: Manhattan Pictures International
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Reviews for Enigma
This romantic thriller is steeped in the atmosphere of wartime England, and ably captures the speech patterns, moral codes and ideals of the 1940s.
With a strong screenplay by Tom Stoppard, a first-rate cast, impeccable production design by John Beard, and wonderfully clever costume design by the late Shirley Russell, Enigma is Apted's finest film in years.
Notable, alas, for providing the last film score to date from veteran British film composer John Barry.
'Enigma' is the kind of engaging historical drama that Hollywood appears to have given up on in favor of sentimental war movies in the vein of 'We Were Soldiers.'
An enticing romantic suspense drama of the sort Alfred Hitchcock once made, and stands up well to that high comparison.
'Enigma' is a good name for a movie this delibrately obtuse and unapproachable. A waste of good performances.
A handsome but unfulfilling suspense drama more suited to a quiet evening on PBS than a night out at an AMC.
Throughout all the tumult, a question comes to mind: So why is this so boring?
This crafty little mystery/thriller deserves a wider audience -- if for no other reason than its attention to period detail, its subtlety and its emphasis on mood.
An elegant and witty throwback to the days when movie spies walked rain-slicked European cobblestones on the trail of Nazis or Communists.
Apted, who directed Gorillas in the Mist, Coal Miner's Daughter and the last James Bond film, re-creates the era nicely, but the circumstances are fleetingly felt.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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