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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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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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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An impressive piece of craftsmanship where weaknesses are hard to find. But that's probably because in a biopic of this calibre that from the beginning aspire to get golden statuettes, mistakes are not allowed. The film is admittedly a very cold, emotionally detached account of a significant period in the life of its equally cold, brilliant hero, who comes across as overly mechanical thanks to the performance of master Cumberbatch, who goes through the entire story with the unchanging expression of a "mathematical nerd", but at the same time it’s an extremely honest, sympathetically old-fashioned genre film that fulfils almost all the prescribed cinematic formulas, including that of Cumberbatch's speech, for there is probably no more believable portrayal of a mathematical nerd. But praise is also due to Alexandre Desplat, the set and costume designers, and especially Mr Turing himself, whose greatness, thanks to this film, I can no longer doubt. 80%
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A beautiful and properly crafted depiction of one rather fundamental event that took place in the middle of Britain during the desolate period of World War II. Practically everything is great about it... despite the fact that encryption and Enigma have never appeared in any major interesting films that would be worth remembering and would not be boring. But along came Morten Tyldum and changed everything, along with the absolutely amazing Benedict Cumberbatch, who once again proved how great an actor he is and that Britain should consider him its national treasure. In any case, Keira Knightley is also unusually beautiful here, and I was also pleased with Charles Dance, who definitely deserves more roles in big films in his old age. Anyway, I would divide the film itself into two parts. That is, before the deciphering and after it, as before the deciphering, the suspense is on a completely different level. In terms of duration, the second part is a bit shorter. On the other hand, it is much more intense and at that moment the real emotions come. At that moment, I also realize that Alexandre Desplat’s soundtrack is fantastic. If there are any flaws in this movie then I didn’t notice them. I’d wish for Alan to meet a better end, but unfortunately that’s life for you. Especially at those times…
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I'm not sure to what extent the film plays with facts and what it fabricates, but it doesn't really matter because the story is believable, and that's what counts. There are great characters here, and somewhat predictably, Benedict Cumberbatch stands out, establishing himself as one of the best British actors of today. Or is he already the best? I like that the film has a broader perspective beyond just the war theme.
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