| The
Review: |
Hollywood takes no prisoners when
it comes to turning history into a work of fiction. Most infamous
is the method of inserting fictional characters into the backdrop
of a real event, in hopes that we as an audience may relate
to the ramifications of whatever landmark or turning point
comes into play. Sometimes this has a positive effect: James
Cameron's masterful love story "Titanic" managed to sail away
with this critic's heart, as well as millions of others. But
for every effort that succeeds, there's at least one that
fails (Michael Bay's love-among-the-ruins epic "Pearl Harbor"
comes to mind). ***
And now we have "Enigma," based
on a novel by Robert Harris, and adapted for the screen by
writer Tom Stoppard, who wrote the Oscar-winning "Shakespeare
in Love," and director Michael Apted, whose resume lists everything
from 1994's Jodie Foster drama "Nell" to the new James Bond
flick "The World is Not Enough." With an incredible British
cast in place, and material that seems worthy of their status
as filmmakers, Stoppard and Apted seemed to have a sure-fire
winner on their hands. ***
Sadly, however, the results are
less-than-commendable in more than one instance throughout
the picture. This is one of those rare epics that looks great,
feels right in various fields, and yet the overall experience
remains distant and lifeless. It took me three times just
to stay awake for the film's first half, a sign that I'm sure
the moviemakers were not looking for. ***
The story takes place in Britain,
during the period of World War II when British intelligence
is desperately trying to crack the German's secret code through
the use of their Enigma machine. We learn that a large Allied
convoy of supply ships is making its way across the Atlantic
towards Europe; cracking the code means alerting the ships
to possible danger, thereby reducing the risk of losing lives
and material. *** Alas, the Germans have once again changed
their codes, which brings about the arrival of Tom Jericho
(Dougray Scott), known for his ability to break codes, and
for his familiarity with the Enigma codes and how to dissolve
them. Called back to Bletchley Park, a small town in Britain
where top-secret code-breaking takes place, Jericho is given
the run-down on the situation, realizing that due to the fact
that German radio traffic from the U-boats has gone silent,
there is no way to crack their new code until they begin maneuvers
against the convoy. ***
This allows him plenty of time
to fester in his emotions for his long-lost lover, Claire
(Saffron Burrows), a tall, slender blonde who once broke his
heart, and has now gone missing from her post as one of his
coworkers. Enlisting the help of Claire's roommate, Hester
(Kate Winslet), he embarks of a journey of uncovering a variety
of clues and events that he hopes will lead him to Claire's
whereabouts, all-the-while making small discoveries concerning
mass graves and stolen German codes while trying to avert
the questions and suspicions of one detective Wigram (Jeremy
Northram), who begins to suspect that Jericho himself may
have something to do with Claire's disappearance. ***
The stage is set for a rather well-played
second half in which more plot elements come into play, and
all of which coalesce into a final, finely-tuned conclusion
that is smart and provocative without downplaying our intelligence.
Subplots and small clues that were once unimportant now come
into play, and the result is of the same caliber as any mainstream
Hollywood concoction you'll see these days. ***
It's only a shame that much of
the movie suffers from nothing less than melodramatic boredom.
The romance between Jericho and Claire is seen in a variety
of flashbacks throughout the picture, each of which is so
juvenile and childish that it ranks as little more than sheer
buffoonery. The disinterest in this aspect of the picture
is mirrored by that of the actual code-breaking as seen in
the first half of the film; we become party to various conversations
about the Enigma machine itself, as well as the code and what
is involved in breaking it. But how does one crack such a
brilliant code? How can Apted and Stoppard expect us to become
involved with such scenes if we can't identify with the urgency
because of the lack of information given to us? ***
Other details tend to stand in
the way of one's enjoyment, like the fact that Hester and
Jericho can waltz into any top-secret agency, and later exit
with all the files and information they need. One of these
sequences involves Jericho entering a file room, after which
one of the women who works at that station makes her way to
the door to bust him. Pardon me for saying so, but this woman
looks as if she could crack Jericho's skull wide open with
her scowl alone; if this is maximum security, then I'm a German
submarine commander. *** One thing manages to save the movie
from wallowing in its insomniac state, and that is its cast.
Scott, Winslet, and Northam give such astute, intricate, and
detailed performances that it's hard not to admire their work
here, even in the face of such yawn-inducing story antics.
They get into their characters and relish the nuances of their
emotions so vividly, that you walk out of the movie with a
higher regard for their work. ***
It's only a shame that the rest
of the material can't live up to the talent that tries ever-so-hard
to breathe life into it. "Enigma" is a film that is well-made
and thoroughly engrossing at times, yet is plagued by inconsistencies,
convolutions, melodramatics, and the ever-present factor of
trying to make history seem interesting by putting a fictional
spin on the events at hand. The reason this doesn't work is
because Stoppard and Apted don't have any faith in nonfictional
aspects of the plot, choosing instead to focus on the hammy
love story and thriller aspect. Why else we would know less
about the Enigma machine and how to crack the codes, and more
about what type of overcoat and shoes Claire wore the last
time she and Jericho ever saw one another.
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