Enigma
Manhattan Pictures International | Release Date: April 19, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
11
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Along the way it provides the grand, intelligent entertainment of a superior cast playing smart people amid a compelling plot. It may not be perfect, but it's decidedly a cut above. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
It is such a grand, romantic entertainment that it sweeps the viewer along in its swiftly escalating suspense. Read full review
90
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
With a cast of actors playing some of England's smartest people and with a crackling script by Stoppard -- no slouch in the brains department -- it pays to stay awake. Read full review
90
Rolling StonePeter Travers
A riveting and surprisingly romantic ride. Read full review
88
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Uses the compelling true story of the triumph of the Enigma code-breakers as background for an invented but believable story of love, betrayal and heroism. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe Leydon
Intelligent, involving and intricately plotted thriller. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Schickel
Enigma is not for everyone, but the thoughtful (and the historically minded) will find it an absorbing and extremely well-textured experience.
80
Film ThreatRich Cline
It's brainy and brilliant, but despite amorous overtones and a few good action set pieces, it just doesn't generate the thrills or romance that would have made it a true classic. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Period re-creations so rich you can taste them, and the fine cast. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It's done with such a wonderfully dry style and wit that you don't mind having to stop to catch up now and again. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The film manages to crack all its codes, and even when it sags a bit, it's never lacking grace and some wit. Not enigmatically at all, it pleases and teases us -- in high style. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
The combined talents of Apted, Stoppard and the stellar cast make Enigma a puzzle worth solving. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
With its combination of intrigue, romance, and adventure set against a World War II backdrop, the movie has an undeniable appeal. Flaws aside, Enigma is engaging and ambitious. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
A smart, old-fashioned spy thriller in which the weapon of choice is brainpower.
75
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
Think of Enigma as a cerebral thriller about the horror of war and the hope that people had in spite of it. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
What I like about the movie is its combination of suspense and intelligence. If it does not quite explain exactly how decryption works (how could it?), it at least gives us a good idea of how decrypters work, and we understand how crucial Bletchley was -- so crucial its existence was kept a secret for 30 years. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Doesn't coddle the audience. But neither does it play fair. The narrative takes several fast turns and stops short with the sudden introduction of new material; the exposition is hurried and lazily predicated on characters' thinking aloud. Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
First-class in all departments except clarity. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Most of the actors keep an icicle-stiff upper lip except for Winslet, who darts around like a finch with a beak full of sunflower seeds, and Burrows, who exudes a musk of refined sexiness. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Enigma, named for the Nazi secret-coding machine, has everything going for it except a pulse. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Best of all, though, is Northam, whose sable hair and polished poise put one in mind of the young Cary Grant. In this no-sweat performance, he's an actor who conveys how restorative it is to think. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeRenee Graham
Snoozy, plodding film that never captures the inherent suspense of its subject. Read full review
60
New Times (L.A.)Jean Oppenheimer
Certainly a terrific sense of urgency underlies the story and Tom's desperation over Claire is palpable, but that may not be enough for viewers who actually like to understand how the riddle is unraveling. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Achieves a dullness that defies its pedigree and its story's potential. Read full review
60
SalonCharles Taylor
Director Michael Apted does a smooth, competent job, but like almost all his work, Enigma lacks excitement and a vivid personality. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Given his way with witty banter, Stoppard's obvious, even leaden, dialogue is especially disappointing; director Michael Apted's handling of the story's frequent flashbacks is equally infelicitous. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
It's all part of a larger calculus that the filmmakers hope will translate into a thinking person's thriller. If only they themselves knew how to figure it. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The idea of cracking a secret message from the enemy during war is thrilling; making the process interesting to watch is more problematic. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
All these good elements have resulted in a movie that is not so much awful as mediocre, disconnected and ultimately incomprehensible. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A turgid muddle of romance, espionage, and geek valor, despite intimations that it might have turned into ''A Reasonably Dapper-Looking Mind.'' Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Stoppard and his director, Michael Apted, must be aware of how dry their film is, because periodically they work in little thriller divertimenti -- car chases and such -- that only serve to point up how un-thrilling everything is. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The mystery of Enigma is how a rich historical subject, combined with so much first-rate talent -- a highly capable (if not always exciting) director, a fine English cast, a script by Tom Stoppard -- could have yielded such a flat, plodding picture. Read full review
40
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
Enigma is, to be blunt, "No way Out" meets "Revenge of the Nerds," and the meetinhg is not a happy one. [22 & 29 April 2002, p. 208]
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