Mary Macleod Movies

The true story of a major breakthrough in intelligence technology created during World War II provides the backdrop for this blend of mystery, romance, and espionage, based on the novel by Robert Harris. Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) is a gifted mathematician who is working with the British government on the development and maintenance of the Enigma machine, an electronic device that allows Allied intelligence agents to decode scrambled messages sent by Germany military officers. But the emotionally fragile Jericho is buckling under both the pressure of his work and the collapse of his relationship with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), a co-worker with whom he's fallen deeply in love. After suffering a minor breakdown, Jericho is sent on a leave of absence, but when he returns to work, a crisis awaits: it seems the Germans have instituted a new code that the Enigma is not yet able to crack, and Jericho is needed to help unravel Axis communiqués before an important convoy of troops and materiel sets sail. It is also suspected that a German undercover agent has infiltrated the Enigma project, and Wigram (Jeremy Northam) is determined to ferret them out. In the midst of all this, Jericho receives troubling news that Claire has gone missing -- and that a file of German messages waiting to be decoded was found at her home. As Jericho works against the clock to crack the new German code, he forms an initially uneasy alliance with Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet), Claire's roommate and a fellow member of the Enigma project, as they try to discover Claire's whereabouts. Enigma was co-produced by Mick Jagger, who has a keen interest in the history of the real-life Enigma project, and even owns one of the original Enigma decoding machines. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This neo-noir British crime drama, set at a decaying English beach resort, begins with a body dropped from a pier. Hairdresser Helen (Rachel Weisz) goes with local deejay Bob (Ben Daniels), but mute bicyclist Honda (Luka Petrusic), who secretly tapes people's conversations, meets Helen at the beachfront and begins sending her flowers. Honda's sad nympho sister Smokey (Macedonian-born Labina Mitevska) sings at a local club. A figure from Helen's past, the enigmatic, mysterious Martin (Alessandro Nivola) checks out Helen but keeps his distance. Irritated that Helen won't sleep with him, Honda plans a way to embarrass Bob with the secret tapes, while Martin and Helen renew their relationship. Polish cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, famed for his filtered filming for Krzysztof Kieslowski's (Blue), captures the dark, visual tone of obsessive love, while Elvis Costello's 1986 song I Want You is heard throughout. Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

In a drama that runs out of steam slowly, a small Cornish town is faced with the unwelcome news that nuclear weapons are stored in the nearby U.S. Marine base. This causes a great deal of commotion among the townspeople and adds a twist to the problems Geoff has in romancing Carol, who is already dating a Marine with pacifist leanings. Issues come to a head at the town meeting, when a Ministry representative explains that England would survive a nuclear war -- and almost sets off a war with that statement. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi