THE IMITATION GAME (review)

Review by Elizabeth Robbins

Heartbreaking.

From start to finish, that is how I would describe The Imitation Game. 

Based on the book Alan Turning: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges, The Imitation Game is the story of Alan Turning (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) a brilliant but socially inept mathematician who invented the computer that cracked the enigma machine, the Nazi’s cipher machine; and after the war, was persecuted for being homosexual at a time when homosexuality was illegal in England.

Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum weaves a complex story.

The film follows three timelines; Turning as a precocious and isolated schoolboy, his time working secretly for the British Government in WWII, and his tragic and solitary life after the war. each timeline enhances the other, giving the viewer a living, breathing Turning.

The Imitation Game paints a picture of just how desperate life was in England during the early years of WWII. From the evacuation of the children from London during the Blitz, to the sinking of the food convoys from the United States to a starving Great Britain, Tyldum gives the modern audience access to how importance of breaking the enigma code.

It would be so easy for me to dismiss this film as just another December release vying for Oscar nominations. However, the ensemble cast makes it hard not to become engrossed in the story. Most of the time you are watching people standing around and talking or writing things down.

However, it is the performances of these masterful actors that create the energy and suspense
of a thriller.

Alan Turning’s story is a tragic one.

Alan Turning’s contributions to the war effort essentially turned the tide in the Allies favor and saved countless lives. Because his work was top secret, he was never seen as a war hero. Because of his sexual preferences, when his secret was revealed, he was arrested and treated like a criminal, taking everything that he had left that was important to him.

Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as Turning.

It would have been simple for Cumberbatch to have played Alan Turning as just another Sherlock. Instead, he moves past the superficial similarities (genius with no social skills) to deliver a unique performance that plays well with his fellow cast mates. It is heart wrenching to watch Cumberbatch’s Turning try to decipher people that way he deciphers codes, and not understanding how he is failing.

Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) takes another turn as the steely authoritative figure in the form of Commander Denniston, the navy commander that reluctantly hires Turning to the Enigma project. His stern delivery is the perfect foil to Cumberbatch’s naivety. Mark Strong (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) injects a bit of levity (and steals scenes) as the cool Mi6 operative. Matthew Goode and Allen Leech (both Downton Abbey alumni) round out the boy’s club of code breakers that flux between wanted to kill Turning to defending his genius back to wanting to kill him. The addition of Kiera Knightly’s (Pirates of the Caribbean) Joan, shows just how limited the opportunities were even for the most brilliant of women at that time.

The Imitation Game is a vindication of the life of a brilliant man who was almost remembered as a deviant instead of a British patriot and the genius who is the father of the modern computer.