Review of The Imitation Game (2014) by Patrick L — 19 Aug 2015

"The Imitation Game is a brilliant historical war movie that doesn't take place on the front lines".

Movie Review: The Imitation Game.

Date Viewed: January 9 2015.

Directed By Morten Tyldum (Fallen Angels and Headhunters).

Screenplay By Graham Moore, Based on the book by Andrew Hodges.

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Goode, Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, Matthew Beard, Allen Leech and Rory Kinnear.

"The Imitation Game" is one of the best thrillers of the year. It's a war movie that doesn't take place on the front lines. Like so many of this year's Oscar-caliber movies, "The Imitation Game" is based on a true story. It is about how Alan Turing cracked the Enigma code used by Nazi Germany during World War II. He might've saved hundreds of lives, but Turing was a reclusive and antisocial man. In the winter of 1952, Turing was arrested by British authorities on charges of 'gross indecency'. He was gay, which was illegal in the United Kingdom at the time.

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a terrific performance as Turing. He doesn't portray his character as likable or sympathetic, he portrays him as a smart, but cold man.

During World War II, a brilliant mathematician and cryptanalyst named Alan Turing (Cumberbatch) is assigned by the British government to break the German Enigma code in order to win the war. Turing and a small group of experts that included Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode), John Cairncross (Allen Leech), Peter Hilton (Matthew Beard) and Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) are sent to Bletchley Park and Turing wants to build a revolutionary machine that's capable of breaking 3,000 Enigma naval codes a day. He was served by two bosses, military commander Alastair Denniston (Charles Dance) and MI6 chief Stewart Menzies (Mark Strong).

"The Imitation Game" spans the key periods of Turing's life, from his conviction for gross indecency, to his work on his electro-mechanical machine to his early years as a bullied student. In the late 1920s, he was unhappy at boarding school because he was different from many of his students which lead to him being picked on by bullies. Even though he hated boarding school, he experienced his first male crush and began to recognize his sexuality.

The success of breaking the code provided the Allies full access to secret German war transmissions and shortening the war in Europe as much as two to four years. Director Morten Tyldum and screenwriter Graham Moore have made an intelligent thriller that's both well-acted and well-written. Cumberbatch will probably get an Oscar nomination as Turing but Keira Knightley is equally impressive as Turing's female friend and fellow code breaker.

"The Imitation Game" is the best of the three WWII movies I've seen this year. Sure, "Unbroken" and "Fury" were very good but this movie is fascinating, gripping and exciting.