The Imitation Game, 2014.
Directed by Morten Tyldum.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Charles Dance, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Matthew Beard, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, and Allen Leech.
SYNOPSIS:
English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, helps crack the Enigma code during World War II.
Just when you think every possible battle, pivotal moment, and time period of World War II has been explored, something different comes along; a tale of a British mathematician and all-around super genius that played a crucial role in the Allies winning the war. His methods also paved the way for the creation of the computer, that thing some of you are probably reading this review on right now. Considering the importance of Alan Turing’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) contributions to history, my only question after the credits for The Imitation Game rolled was “Why has it taken so long for Hollywood to tell this fascinating and deeply tragic story”?
Starting with the strongest aspect of the film, instead of following the war ever so closely, The Imitation Game is essentially a character study of Alan Turing. Furthermore, he is such an introverted oddball that he’s almost as enigmatic as the German Enigma itself. I certainly didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did during the screening, but Alan adjusts to his unorthodox personality by coming across as an egomaniac smartass, which Cumberbatch is of course exceptional at playing as seen on Sherlock Holmes.
There is a perfect example: early on the film: Alan is attending a job interview with Commander Denniston (Charles Dance} for a position in the squad of Enigma breakers, but answers all the questions with a snarky attitude and admits he doesn’t even understand German. Commander Denniston is hilariously dumbfounded at how the whole interview has gone, asking if the entire thing is some sort of joke. What makes this scene so great though – outside of the chemistry between the actors – is that it establishes early on who Alan is; a weird person that was undoubtedly picked on in school, but is here to accomplish something amazing. He’s right when he tells Commander Denniston that they need him, more than Alan needs them. Before moving on from that excellently placed humor, I also want to mention that there is a fairly hilarious scene involving a letter and Winston Churchill.
The Imitation Game isn’t a comedy at all though obviously; it is a very dramatic piece about a man who saved millions of lives, but was vilified afterwords for being a homosexual. It’s also worth noting that the film doesn’t attempt to beat this in over your head to manipulate emotions as much as a story like this could have. Most of the film is again, a character study of this idiosyncratic man that was different from everyone else, and how his wacky methods, logistical statistics, and brainpower assisted in bringing about the downfall of the Nazis.
There are moments though in the film where we do see that Alan could be construed as a robot in a human body. Without spoiling it, he does come across as cruel occasionally, and a man distanced from humanity and society. Thanks to some childhood flashbacks though – which make for some sad and depressing scenes – we do get a better understanding of why Alan functions the way he does in life. Perhaps what is most surprising is that for a movie that hops around time periods all over the place, The Imitation Game is easy to follow and never once sits in one place for too long.
While Benedict Cumberbatch does give arguably the performance of his career and will likely get nominated for an Oscar based on the tragic final act alone, he is also surrounded by a fantastic ensemble cast including Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, and Mark Strong. It would also be criminal not to mention the outstanding score from Alexandre Desplat. The only real faults with The Imitation Game is that it ends leaving you wanting more, primarily because it feels the filmmakers could have went the extra mile and filmed some truly tear-jerking scenes instead of overlaying them in text before the credits roll. Then again, leaving the cinema wanting more of a good thing isn’t all that bad a complaint to have. Outside of that, there was one time in the film where it felt that the filmmakers hadn’t spent enough time in one spot, as Alan basically went from hating some characters to liking others in a span of roughly 10 minutes. That is only one area though in a movie that otherwise has perfect pacing.
Furthermore, while The Imitation Game is an exceptional piece of filmmaking, it really does seem to be missing that one sublime moment that defines Best Picture winning films. Maybe if they had explored the hell that Alan was given for being a homosexual in-depth a little more, including ending the film a very specific way, it would have gone from exceptional to flat-out masterpiece. As it stands though, The Imitation Game is an enthralling historical piece filled with real drama, laughs, and an earnest message that sometimes it is the unorthodox and odd people that go on to do astonishing things and make the world a better place. It’s just a shame society had its head up its ass during those times, shaming someone that saved millions of lives just because he was gay. Here’s a thought; the next time you want to make fun of someone for being homosexual, remember that you might not have computers and all of the fancy technology that we have been granted if not for British mathematician, cryptographer, logician, and homosexual Alan Turing.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. He currently writes for Flickering Myth, We Got This Covered, and Wrestle Enigma. Follow me on Twitter.
