Not being familiar with the source novel but obviously aware of the involvement of industry heavy-weights like Tom Stoppard and Michael Apted, it was reasonable to expect that the satisfaction from this particular movie would be more cerebral rather than visceral. And what's wrong with that, to paraphrase Mr McCartney? That said, the movie has a density at its core which is hard to penetrate and is promulgated by a too-complicated plot and probably just too much dialogue.
There's much to admire though, particularly in the cinematography and acting stakes. For the former, period is convincingly recreated, not least with some wonderful old cars running around country roads and especially with the massive code-breaking construct inside Bletchley, a juggernaut of dozens of clicking dials. I liked the acting too and even if Dougray Scott's accent sometimes drifts north from its supposed Yorkshire moorings, he displays no little range in depicting the damaged "genius" of the piece, this in the movie immediately following his pumped up appearance as a super-criminal in "MI2". Kate Winslet is also good, no air-brushing or Titanic ball-gowns here as she frumps up effectively as the "don't fancy yours much" friend of the captivatingly pretty Saffron Burrows' Clare who ensnares Scott's Tom Jericho in her machinations. Jeremy Northam is also fine as the smooth, double-talking investigator at Scott and Winslet's heels.
On the debit side, the plot really is quite impenetrable with more convolutions than a convolution machine and which had my head spinning pretty well as much as the dials on the tracking equipment at Bletchley, but then it's well known that Mr Stoppard likes a puzzle or two. I'm all for keeping the audience hanging on every word but there are so many of them here that it's difficult to properly weigh up their significance in the context of the narrative. The few action set-pieces on board seem too detached from their surroundings to really engage and often seem like drop-ins, while the Scott/Winslet relationship seems to blossom unconvincingly from nowhere at all.
However, it's fair to say, in conclusion, that this period thriller, while successfully recalling the depth and feel of British war-movies of the 50's, doesn't quite transcend that achievement and seems to lack fulfilment as a cinematic entertainment. That said, just how do you successfully dramatise as mundane and unglamorous a profession as code-breaking, so that overall, I'm bound to say this was a noble attempt and more than likely a film that will repay repeat viewings, to more satisfyingly uncover the myriad layers at its centre.
There's much to admire though, particularly in the cinematography and acting stakes. For the former, period is convincingly recreated, not least with some wonderful old cars running around country roads and especially with the massive code-breaking construct inside Bletchley, a juggernaut of dozens of clicking dials. I liked the acting too and even if Dougray Scott's accent sometimes drifts north from its supposed Yorkshire moorings, he displays no little range in depicting the damaged "genius" of the piece, this in the movie immediately following his pumped up appearance as a super-criminal in "MI2". Kate Winslet is also good, no air-brushing or Titanic ball-gowns here as she frumps up effectively as the "don't fancy yours much" friend of the captivatingly pretty Saffron Burrows' Clare who ensnares Scott's Tom Jericho in her machinations. Jeremy Northam is also fine as the smooth, double-talking investigator at Scott and Winslet's heels.
On the debit side, the plot really is quite impenetrable with more convolutions than a convolution machine and which had my head spinning pretty well as much as the dials on the tracking equipment at Bletchley, but then it's well known that Mr Stoppard likes a puzzle or two. I'm all for keeping the audience hanging on every word but there are so many of them here that it's difficult to properly weigh up their significance in the context of the narrative. The few action set-pieces on board seem too detached from their surroundings to really engage and often seem like drop-ins, while the Scott/Winslet relationship seems to blossom unconvincingly from nowhere at all.
However, it's fair to say, in conclusion, that this period thriller, while successfully recalling the depth and feel of British war-movies of the 50's, doesn't quite transcend that achievement and seems to lack fulfilment as a cinematic entertainment. That said, just how do you successfully dramatise as mundane and unglamorous a profession as code-breaking, so that overall, I'm bound to say this was a noble attempt and more than likely a film that will repay repeat viewings, to more satisfyingly uncover the myriad layers at its centre.