The Imitation Game
Directed by: Morten Tyldum
Written by: Graham Moore - Based on the book by Andrew Hodges
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leach, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, Alex Lather
Biography/Drama/Thriller/War - 114 Minutes Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 5 Dec 2014
Written by: Graham Moore - Based on the book by Andrew Hodges
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leach, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, Alex Lather
Biography/Drama/Thriller/War - 114 Minutes Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 5 Dec 2014
Though folks will eventually file The Imitation Game under World War II films, it more precisely is a dramatized biopic of one man who greatly influenced the war’s outcome. Juggling two facets of Alan Turing’s life to tell his story, Norwegian director Morten Tyldum and screenwriter Graham Moore choose to show Turing building his infamous machine to break German codes and explore how his personal life affected his professional one. Displaying a convincing Bletchley Park and brief scenes of besieged London mid-blitz, The Imitation Game is an absorbing film comprised of superior acting, elements of wartime thriller, and an overall feeling of injustice concerning how the world chose to say thank you to a man widely credited with saving millions of lives and shortening the most brutal of wars by years.
Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch, 2013's August: Osage County) is not an instantly likeable fellow. When he deigns to speak to you at all, it will most likely contain a blunt truth about your lack of intellectual capacity. He is well past being considered just socially awkward and his co-workers are informed in no uncertain terms their mere presence will slow him down and they should best excuse themselves lest they hinder the war effort. The audience roots for him though. Turing comes across so fascinating we do not care how offensive or unintentionally insulting he is. We want to witness his genius and his groundbreaking methods of code breaking.
Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch, 2013's August: Osage County) is not an instantly likeable fellow. When he deigns to speak to you at all, it will most likely contain a blunt truth about your lack of intellectual capacity. He is well past being considered just socially awkward and his co-workers are informed in no uncertain terms their mere presence will slow him down and they should best excuse themselves lest they hinder the war effort. The audience roots for him though. Turing comes across so fascinating we do not care how offensive or unintentionally insulting he is. We want to witness his genius and his groundbreaking methods of code breaking.
The Imitation Game is not a fawning tribute to an overlooked prodigy. It is head-nodding recognition for an out of the box thinker’s contributions and eye-opening dismay at how his perceived homosexuality was considered gross indecency. Those in his sphere at the time were aware of Turing’s genius as are folks nowadays, but everyone else lacking that particular security clearance in the mid-40s only saw a stuttering man with what was most likely a severe case of Asperger’s Syndrome. Cumberbatch speaks in short, staccato words, stares inquisitively at people’s faces attempting to determine if they are happy or sad, and only shows love for his contraptions. Cumberbatch is the perfect Alan Turing because the audience already believes he is a genius, he plays the BBC’s Sherlock Holmes of course.
Moore’s script jumps around a bit chronologically checking in on Turing during a boarding school phase where he falls in love with a classmate, his time at Bletchley Park, and around 10 years later to show us some cruel and unusual punishment. The time shifts are effective and depart from the standard war thriller, which would have only taken place during the code breaking days ignoring all past and future events. Moore’s story is about Turing though, it just so happens he was able to accomplish such great things along the way.
Joining Turing at Bletchley Park are team lead Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode, 2013's Stoker) and Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley, 2014's Laggies). Alexander is the primary reactor to Turing’s obnoxious habits and Joan is the lady the lads sneak in to help break codes in her spare time away from the secretarial pool. The sexism of early 1940’s England is an undercurrent in the film and some of the more eyebrow raising scenes show Turing trying to persuade Joan’s parents or other chaperones how much her math skills are required. Who cares if she can aid the war effort, what if she ends up a spinster?
Production designer Maria Djurkovic created her own supporting character, Turing’s first computer. The myriad dials, plugs, and cables swish and churn and combine to form a remarkable analog machine. Watching it spin round and round failing to find the key to break the code becomes frustrating to the audience as well as to the sweating and nervous characters on screen. When the machine finally does clang with assured authority, the electric feeling running through the screen to us is noticeable.
This is the moment where the script runs into a rough patch. To amplify the operation's inherent drama and excitement, far too many coincidences are introduced to make cracking the German Enigma code and personal tragedy intersect. Everyone is well aware of the stakes, the longer the team takes to figure it out, the more military men die on land and at sea. Moore opted to create tension and a fistfight where there did not need to be one all to get our blood pumping a bit stronger.
The Imitation Game cheats a bit to make the art and science of cryptanalysis interesting to the audience. To bring the codes and numbers alive, the superb cast does a noteworthy job emphasizing the importance of the events happening at Bletchley Park. Turing became a tragic figure in the history of the British Empire and Benedict Cumberbatch elicits all the sympathy for him in the world. A cut above the average biopic, take the time to get to know Alan Turing. Without him, the machine you are reading this on would most likely be quite different.
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