SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: ENIGMA

"ENIGMA"
(2002) (Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Moderate	Heavy	Mild	Heavy

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Minor	None	Mild	None	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	Extreme	None	Moderate	Heavy

QUICK TAKE:: Drama/Thriller: While attempting to break Nazi Germany's new enigma code and with news that there might be a spy in their operation, a mathematician tries to discover what happened to his missing former lover with the aid of her roommate.

PLOT:

It's March 1943 and mathematician Tom Jericho (DOUGRAY SCOTT) has returned to Station X at Bletchley Park, the center of British code-breaking operations against the Nazis. Although Jericho is considered a brilliant code breaker, his previous nervous breakdown - the result of either too much work or his brief but failed romance with Claire Romilly (SAFFRON BURROWS) - has left certain other code breakers and officials there, including Skynner (ROBERT PUGH), doubtful of how much he'll be able to contribute to solving the latest crisis.

It seems that the Nazi U-boats have changed the code generated by their enigma machines to communicate with each other and the German command. The danger is that a large convoy of Allied merchant ships is headed across the North Atlantic and reports have it that several packs of German subs are hunting them down.

Accordingly, it's up to Tom and other code breakers such as Baxter (RICHARD LEAF) and Puck (NIKOKAJ COSTER WALDAU), who are working under the supervision of naval liaison Cave (MATTHEW MacFAYDEN), to crack the code before the Germans sink any ships. Adding to the mix is the presence of Wigram (JEREMY NORTHAM), an intelligence officer who believes a spy may have been and/or currently be in their midst.

Yet, Tom has his own mystery to solve and that's the whereabouts of Claire whose roommate, Hester Wallace (KATE WINSLET), has reported her missing. As Tom fondly recalls his brief, happy time with his former lover, he and Hester try to solve her disappearance as well as her possible involvement with the code-breaking operation, all while hoping to decipher the Nazis' code before lives are lost at sea.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or historical material related to Nazi Germany's enigma machine, it doesn't seem very likely.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For a sex scene and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: To avoid giving away any late in the game plot/character developments and revelations, only the early characteristics of the characters are listed here.; DOUGRAY SCOTT plays a brilliant but troubled mathematician who previously had a nervous breakdown from working too hard and/or his failed romance with Claire (with whom he had sex). Called back to duty, he tries to crack the new Nazi code while also investigating Claire's disappearance. He briefly uses strong profanity.
KATE WINSLET plays Claire's smart roommate who helps Tom in his dual investigation, all while being miffed that she can't be anything more than a file clerk in the general operation.
SAFFRON BURROWS plays a mysterious woman who's disappeared but previously had a romantic/sexual fling with Tom.
JEREMY NORTHAM plays an intelligence officer who seems suspicious of most everyone possibly being the spy he's after. He smokes, intimidates others and uses some strong profanity.
NIKOKAJ COSTER WALDAU plays another code breaker working with Tom.; KATE WINSLET plays Claire's smart roommate who helps Tom in his dual investigation, all while being miffed that she can't be anything more than a file clerk in the general operation.
SAFFRON BURROWS plays a mysterious woman who's disappeared but previously had a romantic/sexual fling with Tom.
JEREMY NORTHAM plays an intelligence officer who seems suspicious of most everyone possibly being the spy he's after. He smokes, intimidates others and uses some strong profanity.
NIKOKAJ COSTER WALDAU plays another code breaker working with Tom.; SAFFRON BURROWS plays a mysterious woman who's disappeared but previously had a romantic/sexual fling with Tom.
JEREMY NORTHAM plays an intelligence officer who seems suspicious of most everyone possibly being the spy he's after. He smokes, intimidates others and uses some strong profanity.
NIKOKAJ COSTER WALDAU plays another code breaker working with Tom.; JEREMY NORTHAM plays an intelligence officer who seems suspicious of most everyone possibly being the spy he's after. He smokes, intimidates others and uses some strong profanity.
NIKOKAJ COSTER WALDAU plays another code breaker working with Tom.; NIKOKAJ COSTER WALDAU plays another code breaker working with Tom.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated dramatic thriller. Profanity consists of at least 4 uses of the "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue occur, while a sex scene includes movement, nudity and related sounds. Brief glimpses of partial nudity are also present, while some couples are seen making out.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while violent material includes the damage and/or destruction of some seagoing vessels (with implied deaths) and some fighting with attempts at injuring or killing others. Some of those scenes and others may be a bit tense/suspenseful to some viewers, as might the sight of various partially decomposed/mummified human remains being unearthed from a mass grave.

Beyond that, various major and many miscellaneous characters smoke throughout the film. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: We hear that Skynner has ordered a bottle of scotch for the first man who breaks the German code. Later, a man brings a half bottle to Tom, who then leaves it for Cave.

BLOOD/GORE: We see a dead and partially mummified hand after a boy's dog digs it up.
We see a man whose face is badly scarred on one side from some past, unseen incident.
We see a tiny bit of blood on the end of Tom's finger in a flashback.
We see several scenes that show various dead and partially decomposed/mummified bodies being unearthed from a mass grave.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: An official at the Park doesn't like Tom and doesn't hide that.
A man tells Hester that she doesn't look half bad without her glasses (she replies that without her glasses "neither do you").
Tom lets himself into Claire's place and then begins rummaging around.
After Hester's boss catches her snooping around but doesn't do anything to punish her, he says one good turn deserves another and kisses her. She comes back by asking what his wife would say and he stops.
Although they're doing so to get to the bottom of the mystery of Claire's disappearance, Tom and Hester borrow/steal files that don't belong to them and that they're not supposed to have.
Those responsible for massacring many people (we only see the dead bodies being unearthed) obviously have both types of attitudes (but we never see them and they're not characters in the film).
We learn that one of the code breakers is working for the other side (but for personal revenge motives rather than purely political/national ones).

FRIGHTENING SCENES: The sight of various dead and partially decomposed/mummified bodies being unearthed from a mass grave might be unsettling/disturbing to some viewers.
Scenes where Hester and Tom individually are nearly caught snooping around might be somewhat suspenseful to some viewers.
After Tom and Hester have stolen some files, the police chase them down a road and Tom drives in front of an oncoming tanker truck to elude them (the police car crashes into a fence).
Tom and Hester try to crack some code as officials progressively near their hiding place, while Tom and others later try to break other code before U-boats find and torpedo merchant ships.
Tom fights with a traitor over control of a gun.

GUNS/WEAPONS: We see some archival footage of German fighters, bombs being dropped and destroyed/burning buildings.
Rifles: Carried by various soldiers.
Submarines and torpedoes: Used by the Germans to attack Allied merchant ships.
Handguns: Carried by intelligence agents.
Handgun: Used by a traitor to shoot at Tom and then vice-versa.
Plane with a bomb: Used to destroy and sink a submarine.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Holy sh*t," "Bloody" (adjective), "Shut up," "Who the hell are you?" "Bloody hell," "Talking through your ass," "Gals" (women), "Idiot," "Bugger," "Piss off," "Why the hell not?" "Bitch" (about a situation), "Bastards," "What the hell is this about?" "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" "Ball" (testicle) and "Where the hell could it be?"

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A mild amount of suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 4 "f" words (3 used sexually), 2 "s" words, 7 hells, 3 buggers, 1 ass, 1 damn, 4 uses of "Christ," 3 of "My God," 2 each of "For God's sakes" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "God" and "By God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: We see a tiny bit of blood on the end of Tom's finger in a flashback. Claire then kisses and sucks on it, and we then see them passionately kissing.
In a flashback, we see Claire dancing around in her slip and then see part of her lower butt/upper thigh as she sits down.
Wigram mentions some women dropping their drawers like debutantes.
We see a flashback of Tom and Claire having sex with her on top (seen from the side of them and after she told him she'd be quiet as a mouse in his room). We see her bare back and top of bare butt, glimpses of her bare breasts, and movement, while we hear sexual sounds. In the present, Wigram asks Tom if he slept with her after that and he says yes. Back in flashback, we see her walking around the room wearing just his shirt (we see part of her bare butt) and then see brief glimpses of his bare butt (but nothing else sexual occurs).
Wigram tells Tom that Tom is the only one "who got himself f*cked into a nervous breakdown" by a missing blond.
Some men joke about "utility knickers" and that with one yank and they're off.
Tom and Hester make out in the backseat of a car in an attempt to fool Wigram and others about what they were really doing in a barn (which wasn't sexual).
An officer comments on the blond who "f*cked half the Park."
After a comment is made about Claire and another man seeing each other, Wigram states that they were "seeing each other's brains out."
We see a flashback to a man kissing Claire's neck.
A comment is made, "You had her f*cking for England."
Tom and Hester briefly but passionately kiss.

SMOKING: A code breaker (pipe) and Wigram (cigarettes) each smoke around 5 times, while many different characters smoke in many scenes (pipes and cigarettes) throughout the film.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The enigma machine, how it worked, and the efforts to break its code.
WWII and the Nazis.
Tom's advice to allow the first convoy to be hit so that they could then use the German's transmissions to capture and decipher their code.

VIOLENCE: We see some archival footage of German fighters, bombs being dropped and destroyed/burning buildings.
Tom tears up part of Claire's room while looking for something.
We see many dead bodies being unearthed from a mass grave (and hear that they were murdered, but never see the act).
After Tom and Hester have stolen some files, the police chase them down a road and Tom drives in front of an oncoming tanker truck to elude them (the police car crashes into a fence).
A torpedo hits a merchant ship, resulting in a big explosion (and we hear reports of many casualties).
Tom punches an officer after the latter makes a disparaging remark about Claire.
Tom grabs Wigram and the two briefly struggle.
Tom kicks and hits a traitor several times and then has a rope around his neck as both struggle to get to a gun. That man then knocks Tom overboard and Tom fires several shots at him.
A plane drops a bomb that hits a submarine, resulting in at least one death (that we don't directly see) and the sinking of the sub.

Reviewed April 29, 2002 / Posted May 3, 2002

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