The Red Machine

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

279

YOUR RATING

Lee Perkins and Donal Thoms-Cappello in The Red Machine (2009)

Play trailer1:33

1 Video

9 Photos

Caper Adventure Crime Drama History Mystery War

Washington, DC, 1935: At the height of the Great Depression, a charming and irrepressible young thief is forced to help an icy and mysterious United States Navy spy steal a brand new device ... Read allWashington, DC, 1935: At the height of the Great Depression, a charming and irrepressible young thief is forced to help an icy and mysterious United States Navy spy steal a brand new device that the Japanese military is using to encode its top-secret messages. During the mission,... Read allWashington, DC, 1935: At the height of the Great Depression, a charming and irrepressible young thief is forced to help an icy and mysterious United States Navy spy steal a brand new device that the Japanese military is using to encode its top-secret messages. During the mission, which is complicated by the spy's dark past in Tokyo, the two discover that they are pawn... Read all

Directors
- Stephanie Argy
- Alec Boehm
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

279

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Stephanie Argy
- Alec Boehm
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins & 2 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 1:33

The Red Machine

Photos8

+ 4

User reviews3

6.0279

Featured reviews

8TheColonel1947

1935 Espionage Caper Buddy Movie

Highly recommended. A 1935 espionage 'caper'. Elements of humour but not enough, thank goodness, to distract from the essential drama. The Japanese suddenly start using new cryptography leaving the US Navy code-breakers with their pants down. A stoical lieutenant (why the hell he is still a lieutenant will keep you guessing) is brought out of his backwater job to recruit a local safe-cracking crook. They form a begrudging partnership based on mutual respect and it goes from there with some indistinct flashbacks to fill in the gaps without spelling it all out for you. Hard to believe it was made on a small budget. The period costumes and 'feel' are excellent. Look out for it. Brilliant.

7bobshankjr-2

Great 'caper' film, surprisingly well done

And I agree with Cameron McAllister in Atlanta - kudos to your review, sir. Thankfully-bereft of large-scale, multi-peopled-large-casts, loud noises, over-the-top music and up-scale 'city scenes', this quiet but interesting film depicts, on a mini-scale, some of the most cogent and intimate efforts by the US Guv what it took to capture the essence of the 'newer' Japanese code machine triggering WWII. It won't take a 5th of expensive Scotch (nod to the director for its inclusion, and how many of us knew, then, the Japanese also have a succor for this beverage?) to appreciate this little-known but seriously-considered effort. I was engrossed from the start. But you kind-of have to 'hang in there' for the Cracker Jack surprises.

7ReelGA

Completely self-aware and self-confident

"The Red Machine" has been juicing the festival circuit for years, after first going into production in 2009. The Depression-era caper has two solid leads in Lee Perkins and Donal Thoms- Cappello and an equally strong supporting cast, featuring the Thelma Ritter-like Mo Byrnes in a standout role. Perkins and Thoms-Cappello are perfect foils for one another and while there could have been a tad more development on their friendship, the chemistry is certainly there. Completely self-aware and self-confident, colorful edits go to show that no one is taking themselves too seriously along this quick, fun ride. "The Red Machine" is more of a period piece "White Collar" than it is "The Lives of Others," but that's totally fine with me.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Check out more reviews by Cameron McAllister at Reel Georgia - www.ReelGA.com

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
"A sin to err" is seen in two different places in the film - on a poster in the cryptanalysts' room and circled letters in the end titles. ASINTOER are the eight most used letters in the English language. This is used in frequency analysis to help break enciphered messages.

Goofs
As Eddie and the lieutenant arrive at the code breaking building, there is what looks like a modern air-conditioning unit mounted high on the outside wall.

Quotes
F. Ellis Coburn: It's a capital offense, you know.
Eddie Doyle: What?
F. Ellis Coburn: What we're doing. It's espionage. If they catch us, the Japanese have every right to ship us back to Tokyo and have us executed.
Eddie Doyle: You never told me that.
F. Ellis Coburn: Didn't I?
Eddie Doyle: No. I would have remembered that.
F. Ellis Coburn: It's true.
Eddie Doyle: You're just saying that to try and cheer me up.
F. Ellis Coburn: It might not make the Denver Post, but it's one hell of an accomplishment.