Enigma (1983)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Jeannot Szwarc

Writers:

Michael Barak (novel)
John Briley (writer)

Release Date:

January 1983 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

KGB | CIA | Female Nudity | Spy | Based On Novel

Cast

Martin Sheen	...	Alex Holbeck
Brigitte Fossey	...	Karen Reinhardt
Sam Neill	...	Dimitri Vasilikov
Derek Jacobi	...	Kurt Limmer, East German
Michael Lonsdale	...	Bodley
Frank Finlay	...	Canarsky
Warren Clarke	...	Konstantin
Michael Williams	...	Hirsch, Limmer's Assistant
David Baxt	...	Melton
Kevin McNally	...	Bruno, CIA
Michel Auclair	...	Doctor
Alan Adair
Féodor Atkine
Patrick Bauchau
Georges Beauvilliers

Runtime:

Sweden:102 min | UK:122 min | USA:101 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | Iceland:12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Lille, Nord, France

Company:

Archerwest

Trivia:

'Michael Lonsdale' is dubbed by 'Marc Smith'.

A thrilling spy story, interwoven with a beautiful love story.

Enigma is a computer part which scrambles Russian messages, so that America can't understand them. They can only be read by the intended recipient. The Americans know that the Russians are going to transmit a message revealing the plans of five political assassinations they want to carry out.

So they send in former defector Holbeck (Martin Sheen) to grab the scrambler and substitute a false part, so they'll be able to decode the message, and block the assassination attempts.

However, as we listen in on the Americans heads of the spy organisation, we find that they already have the scrambler, and they want Holbeck to try to steal Enigma, only to convince the Russians that they don't already have it. They don't expect Holbeck to succeed. That way the Russians, who had stopped transmitting with Enigma, just in case, will begin transmitting again.

Enigma is in the computer in the office of Dimitri Vasilikov. Somehow Holbeck must gain access, and in order to do that, he must find out when Vasilikov will be out. He sends in his former girlfriend Karen (Brigitte Fossey) to seduce Vasilikov, so that she can look through his papers and find out his scheduled movements. Karen is glad to do it, as they tortured her father, a university professor, to death.

Because we know that it's better for the Americans if Holbeck fails, the movie becomes even more intense as a spy thriller. We find ourselves hoping he can survive against the odds, especially as he uses ingenious methods to beat the Russians at every turn.

But what's this? Are Karen and Vasilikov falling in love? Will Holbeck win Karen back, or will she actually end up with Vasilikov? The romantic twist lifts this spy thriller, already worthy of a ten, even higher, for its originality. The writing, the direction, and the acting all combine to make this new and fascinating twist a compellingly realistic one.

You find yourself at the edge of your seat, gripping your armchair, not only for the excitement of the spy story but for the intensely beautiful romantic love story as well. The two themes are interwoven perfectly, right up to the end. You really want both sides to win. So who does win, in the end? You'll have to see the movie and find out, won't you!