During the heart of World War II, in March of 1943, cryptoanalysts at Britain's code-breaking center have discovered to their horror that Nazi U-boats have changed their Enigma Code. Authorities enlist the help of a brilliant young man named Tom Jericho (played by Dougray Scott) to help them break the code again. The possibility of a spy within the British code-breakers' ranks looms and Tom's love, Claire (Saffron Burrows), has disappeared. To solve the mysteries, Tom recruits Claire's best friend, Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet). In investigating Claire's personal life, the pair discovers personal and international betrayals.
Now for The Zone's Eye View
By Laura Alber
Although "Enigma's" plot was extremely complex, and nearly as difficult to decipher than the actual Enigma decoding device, I still found it very intriguing. Michael Apted paid vigorous attention to detail in this film, and finally someone was historically accurate and allowed a film to show that the women were the ones behind the scenes of the war. The women did pretty much everything and anything that could be done behind closed doors to aide in the war efforts, including around the clock shifts of listening to coded messages. A meticulous script was crafted from this Robert Harris Novel and this will be a definite boost for Mick Jagger's new Jagged Films who produced this challenging film.
The main characters were also perfectly chosen. Dougray Scott plays Tom Jericho, a brilliant mathematician who had broken codes prior to this most recent need for him, and he had just been released from a hospital from a breakdown caused by a woman of all things. Of course, if that woman is Saffron Burrows ("Claire Romilly") who could blame him. Upon his return to the top secret code-breaking site located in an old country estate called Bletchley Park, he finds help uncovering a secret the war effort has been hiding, and assistance with the disappearance of his long lost love Claire, with Kate Winslet. Winslet plays Hester Wallace, Claire's roommate who works in one of the "huts" in the elegant estate.
Jericho is called in, despite his recent breakdown, for one simple reason; he is the best code-breaker they've ever had, not to mention that he designed the machine that helped to decipher each days German code with their Enigma machine. It seems the German's have not only changed their codes to a near impossibility of cracking, but they have also maintained radio silence on their Nazi U-boats in the Atlantic, which were in place to destroy an entire Allied merchant shipping convoy. The code must be cracked to find the German's location before their U-boats can find the shipping convoy first and attack them.
During all the chaos amidst the code breaking, Jericho discovers that Claire, his lost love has disappeared. She had also worked at the Estate, but had been missing about 3 days according to her roommate Hester. What would seem to be something completely separate from what their goal is in the first place (code-breaking), turns in to what appears to be a cover up of some kind, and is found to be extremely closely related. So, while still trying to beat the clock with the German U-boats, Jericho and Hester spend all their spare time searching for clues to find the missing Claire.
Jeremy Northam steps in the picture as Wigram, who is part of the secret service and administration of Bletchley Park. Wigram is a persistent and intimidating character that carefully watches Jericho's every move. He seems to be trying to deter any attempts to find Claire, and also seems to know much more than he'll ever say. The two opposite characters, tough and clever Wigram and the genius yet listless and depressed Jericho, work off of each other wonderfully. Hester seems to be the only level headed one of the bunch. Winslet is a delight to watch as the "plain Jane" type of woman, one with brains and beauty masked behind ordinary clothing and unflattering eyeglasses.
Everything about this complex web of a film was extraordinary. The costumes were perfectly fitting for the time period. And, the set design was masterful. The original "Bletchley Park" is now a museum, and couldn't be used due to the modern buildings that now surround it. So, John Beard re-created the whole estate at Chicheley Hall, not a small task to undergo. As I said, the plots and dialogue are extremely complex, but it is a thrill to watch if you have the time to catch every minute of the film. The Zone rates "Enigma" a 7 out of 10. An extremely engrossing film!
