Enigma

Bletchley Park WWII code-breakers Scott and Winslet battle to save the world. The cracking of the German Enigma machine and the diversity and oddity of the personnel involved should have provided for a fascinating and relevant story. Regrettably, Apted's film, from Robert Harris' romantic thriller, gets caught between the demands of crowd-thrilling adventure and psychologically compelling history, and satisfies neither. The director, his design team and camerman have ably recreated the ruddy, grey surface tones of 1943 Britain. But the stress is on surface. Psychological authenticity is, perhaps, too alienating for modern audiences, though it was a bold move to render Winslet so plain while giving all the glamour to the Veronica Lake-like femme fatale Burrows. Equally bold is the fractured playing of Scott's genius don. However, his late conversion to all-action hero strips the film of credibility.