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Enigma Main Cast:
Director: Michael Apted Rating: 3 Stars. Worth a watch. Plot Summary: During the Second World War the British had a top-secret base at Bletchley Park for the interception and decoding of enemy messages. Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) is a mathematical genius who is returning to Bletchley after having a nervous breakdown. When he returns he finds that the Germans have developed a new code that must be broken. He also learns that his ex-girlfriend Claire (Saffron Burrows) is missing. With the help of Claire’s friend Hester (Kate Winslet) Tom discovers that there are some intercepted messages missing from the base and Claire seems to be involved… Review: Based on Robert Harris’s book the film tells the story of the British base at Bletchley Park where enemy messages were decoded. The story is well told as it jumps back and forwards in time. The viewer has to stay awake and put the pieces together to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Claire (Saffron Burrows) and the removal of German coded messages from the base. The film gives an interesting insight into the work of the base. It explains how the British were able to decipher complicated codes and shows how crucial this work was to winning the war. It also gives an insight into how secretive the work was. The people who worked there could never talk about what they did and they did not even know what work their colleagues did. This film is not meant to be a big explosive action blockbuster and it does perhaps lack a little excitement, suspense or tension. But it is a story well told and it is consistently interesting from start to finish. Good acting all round in this film and there is good dialogue to work with. Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam probably get the best lines with Northam getting the chance to add some cutting humour usually at Tom Jericho’s expense. Reviewed by Niall Quinn, PremierMovieReviews 2001 |