Review of The Imitation Game (2014) by Patrick C — 11 Jun 2015

Norwegian director Morten Tyldum and screenwriter Graham Moore and virtual unknowns so clearly Harry Weinstein is out to add new stars to his war chest by giving The Imitation Game the full court Oscar press. Weinstein wants to make a little King's Speech magic happen but he may not have as easy a time with this competent but prosaic biopic.

Turing is a heroically tragic figure in the annals of WWII history. Socially awkward and almost accidentally elitist as he alienates his fellow code crackers, Turing was also a deeply closeted homosexual. British law at the time doled out prison sentences and chemical castration for such an offense. How far we've come, right? The film details Turing's interrogation by law enforcement hell bent on outing and incarcerating him while flashbacks show us his brilliant and beautiful mind solving the greatest puzzle of the 20th Century. By cracking the Nazi Enigma code with a new kind of machine, the Allies were able to bring WWII to an end. His achievement was kept secret for decades. In fact, the first computers were actually called "Turing machines". And yet a cruel fate still awaited Turing for who he was inside. A genius cast aside by morally superior men who owed him their very lives.

Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock fame, the voice of Smaug, star of countless prestige dramas (Atonement; Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy; 12 Years a Slave) and soon to be Marvel's Doctor Strange gives his best performance to date as Turing. He will try to hang on for a nomination in a packed Best Actor category. Keira Knightley's turn as his would-be beard is striking and refreshing. She is still given to little to do, and it's to her credit as an actress that she is standing out in the Supporting Actress race. The film should play well with the Academy - notorious of late for their middle-of-the-road tastes. The Imitation Game will be enjoyed by most fans of WWII and British dramas.