Review of The Imitation Game (2014) by Louis S — 06 May 2015

Good historical drama.

The story of Alan Turing, the man who, in World War II, lead the team that cracked Germany's Enigma Code. His efforts went a long way to winning the war. The machine he developed to crack Engima was revolutionary, resulting in him being regarded as the father of computing.

However, it's not all about this feat. Turing was homosexual and we see how this affects his life, especially post-WW2.

Overall, a decent examination of the impact of this gifted man on society, with sub-plot on intolerance and injustice.

Good performance by Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role and by Keira Knightley. Both received Oscar nominations. Good support from Mark Strong, Charles Dance and Matthew Goode.

Not a perfect movie though. Many of the details feel over-simplified and Hollywoodized. The military side, especially, is very simplistically told. This leaves the movie feeling a bit superficial and a bit too neat. Plus, for something that is one of the main plot points, his personal life seems to only get a passing mention, and only really comes to the fore towards the end.

A longer movie, with a more detailed study of the man, was in order, I think.

This said, what we have is very good, and surely enough to spark the curiosity of anyone with even a mild interest in history.