speccygeekgrrlList of questions
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
Enigma-1983
OK, so the Americans send Alex Holbeck (Martin Sheen), a defector, back into East Germany to steal the Enigma device so that they can intercept a list of other defectors that the Soviets are going to assassinate. And he goes about his business, methodically setting up his old girlfriend to seduce Sam Neill (nice work if you can get it) to help make the switch.
Awesome. Fun cold war stuff, including Derek Jacobi being a super-evil East German baddie.
Then, about half-way through the movie, there's a scene of two men in a car, talking, somewhere, and it turns out that the Americans ALREADY HAVE THE ENIGMA DEVICE. They've sent poor Martin in to get caught stealing it so that the Russians will think the American's don't have it. Then they'll send the list of defectors etc etc.
This is so convoluted that the entire audience basically spends about ten seconds collectively going WHAT THE FUCK?
The plot then proceeds, with the men in the car never being seen again, until things get even more convoluted and Sam Neill utters the immortal line: "He knew I expected him to plant her. He played me like a trained bear."
If you read my writing meme, you know my deep, bizarre relationship to this movie. One of the best things about it was staying in the theater to watch it AGAIN, waiting for that moment, and hear the HUH? WHAT? REALLY? OK? noises breaking around us after that scene and knowing how confused everybody else was until it sunk it.
May not be up there with The Crying Game or The Usual Suspects, but it's still my favorite twist.
