Richard Crouse

The title refers to a code used by the Germans in WWII to direct their submarine convoys in the North Atlantic. Thought to be unbreakable, the British, working at a facility called Bletchley Park, cracked it not once, but twice. This is the story of a team of code-breakers lead by the brilliant but unstable Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott). He had recently suffered a nervous break-down after the collapse of his relationship with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), but he is the only person clever enough to break the code and is brought back into service. At work he befriends Claire’s roommate Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet), and learns that there is more to his ex-lover than meets the eye. Enigma is a nicely crafted, intelligent thriller that builds slowly and delivers a surprising payoff. Kate Winslett has never been better, transforming herself from mousey to sex-kitten, and Saffron Burrows burns up the screen with her sex appeal.