Directed by:
Morten TyldumScreenplay:
Graham MooreCinematography:
Oscar FauraComposer:
Alexandre DesplatCast:
Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, James Northcote, Tom Goodman-Hill (more)VOD (3)
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During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a reported burglary. They instead ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of 'gross indecency', an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offense of homosexuality - little did officials know, they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, The Imitation Game follows a genius who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, save millions of lives. (Roadshow Entertainment)
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Reviews (11)
An unenthusiastic 70%. The Imitation Game is the kind of film that every Oscar season must have, a well-executed real-life story about someone exceptional. This time we have Alan Turing, genius mathematician, rather asocial weirdo, and gay. Rather than the building of Turing’s machine and the breaking of the Enigma code, I was captivated by the moral dilemma related to the impossibility to use the broken code to save lives (they could have dedicated more time to that) and the way society treated a hero who happened to be different. Overall, it’s a good film, but I liked Tyldum’s previous thriller, Headhunters, a lot more.
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A drama tailor made for academics not intended to outrage or offend, but simply to tell us in the riveting story about part of the revealed mosaic of conspiracy that stood behind the victory of the Allies in the Second World War. Alan Turing is something like an idol in my field of study and maybe because I know a little more than made it into the movie, I can’t give it the highest rating. Even though this is a great and riveting picture. The finale is rather less interesting because it doesn’t show this star’s fall in full and reduces it to text explanations (what happened to Snow White and the cyanide apple?), it provokes some sad head shaking over the treatment of homosexuals in post-war Old England. I like the way the director Morten Tyldum, who I haven’t come across before, offers a slightly more in-depth insight into this lonely eccentric who only the wonderfully cute Keira Knightley could civilize. Cumberbatch is great, again in a slightly differently, giving a pleasant performance of an unpleasant... heh Dr. Spock of last century. We barely learn anything about the code and how it all worked. I suppose that’s what Wikipedia is for. That bothered me a bit. But as a drama about a strange person, The Imitation Game works wonderfully, due also to Desplat’s wonderful music (two nominations this year for the golden baldy speaks for itself).
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Although the story is shot according to a mostly traditional (not to be confused with average) biopic template, thanks to the fantastic actors, great production design, direction, music by Alexandre Desplat and atmosphere, it is easy to forgive a lot of things. The supremely convincing Benedict Cumberbatch should have been given some sort of patent for his oddball roles by now, as great as he is, but the charismatic Mark Strong and Charles Dance don't stay in his shadow and Keira Knightley is more than a mere decoration. It was successful.
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I cannot criticize anything significant about the film, and, in fact, I found it appealing from beginning to end and the writer and director managed to extract the maximum from the material offered. Let's face it, solving ciphers can be the basis for an exciting novel, but a gripping film needs more than just a view of a group of scientists pondering at a desk and solving complex equations. Benedict Cumberbatch handled the role of a quirky genius with homosexual tendencies very well, as expected. The film also doesn't shy away from the moral dilemmas associated with deciding what price is still worth paying to maintain a crucial secret for victory in the war. Overall impression: 85%.
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For this movie to be perfect, it would have to be less literal and with less Hollywood-like straightforward emotions (A Beautiful Mind), but with more British nobility and reason (Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy). If the main character were black, it would be the most formulaic movie with Academy Award ambitions ever made. Benedict Cumberbatch is, however, excellent.
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Gallery (57)
Photo © StudioCanal
![The Imitation Game - Photos - Keira Knightley, Matthew Beard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/636/158636466_789dfc.jpg)
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