The new independent film The Red Machine is a World War II espionage thriller aimed at puzzlers. Five-time American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champ Tyler Hinman delves into what makes this film tick.
Puzzle fans and history buffs alike know of German cryptography during World War II and the Allies' attempts to break those codes. It has inspired Robert Harris's Enigma and the ensuing movie adaptation, as well as Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, and other works. In the new film The Red Machine, however, directors Stephanie Argy and Alec Boehm tell a tale based on what they describe as an "allegedly true rumor," taking viewers back to 1935 and the effort to crack the Japanese 91-shiki injiki cipher machine known to American cryptographers simply as "Red."
In the height of the Great Depression, Eddie Doyle (Donal Thoms-Cappello) is making his living stealing jewelry and other luxuries. His thieving might be small-time, but his skills aren't. He never gets caught... that is, until he gets caught. His stay in jail isn't long, as he is sprung by stiff, no-nonsense Navy Lt. F. Ellis Coburn (Lee Perkins). A confused Doyle is told that the United States government needs his help. Japan's new encryption technology has suddenly rendered American analysts blind to their transmissions. The new messages originate from the Washington DC apartment of Japanese military man Ichiro Shimada and his wife (Eddie Lee and Madoka Kasahara). To earn his freedom, Doyle must work with Coburn and use his finesse to steal the machine.
Unfortunately, it's not exactly a smash-and-grab job. If Shimada ever suspects that the device's security has been compromised, the technology will be changed again and the Americans will be right back where they started. Doyle and Coburn must learn everything they can about the machine while leaving no trace of their presence.
Though the film has plenty to keep casual moviegoers entertained, the big draw for puzzle aficionados will certainly be the cryptography aspect. The movie contains hidden nuggets for wordplay enthusiasts, which Argy calls "cryptographic sleeper cells, waiting to be activated when we need them."
How faithful is the movie's "red machine" to the real thing? Argy and Boehm strove for historical accuracy in every respect.
Unfortunately, this proved difficult with regard to the machine simply because pictures of and documentation for it were elusive, even to sources like the NSA and renowned cryptography historian David Kahn. Thus, a little improvisation was necessary. Argy explains: "We sat down with our propmaker, Clark Acton, and looked at all the other code machines of the era and talked about what we all liked from the different devices. Then Clark and his imagination took over, and he created the machine, using as a basis an old wire recorder that Alec had found in a pawn shop in Cleveland."
The Red Machine is currently making its way around the film festival circuit. Upcoming showings include Aug. 4 at the Woods Hole Film Festival in Woods Hole, MA; Aug. 6 at the Prescott Film Festival in Prescott, AZ; Aug. 20-26 at Facets Multi-Media in Chicago, IL; Sept. 4 at the Fountain Theatre in Las Cruces, NM; and Sept. 24-26 at the Port Townsend Film Festival in Port Townsend, WA.
