Review by John Delia
Intriguing, suspenseful and compelling, the biography/drama The Imitation Game never allows a dull moment. The film takes some odd twists as it plays out taking its audience into the mind of Alan Turing, a brilliant man who shortened World War II and developed the forerunner of our modern day communications. Outstanding acting by leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley should get them attention for an Oscar.
It’s 1939 England and the country finds itself on the doorstep of a faceoff with Nazi Germany who have declared war on Europe. With everyday getting more dangerous, the British must come up with a way to obtain Hitler’s battle plans. Naval Commander Alastair Denniston (Charles Dance) has been given the job of heading up the top secret Government Code and Cypher School and is interviewing candidates for a position in his special unit. The unit’s main purpose is to break into Nazi Germany’s Military communications coding machine called Enigma. If they accomplish the impossible feat, the Allies will win the war.
An outstanding recruit looking to be a member of the special unit, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) a brilliant mathematician and cryptanalyst, offers his talent. But Denniston finds the man very aloof and therefore problematic. About to leave his interview Turing offers Denniston one last chance at getting him for the program. Both dismayed and surprised at his offer, Denniston takes a chance on the man. Grouped with an already set team, Turing finds the going rough with a lot of opposition from the others who can’t get a grip on his unorthodox ways. When Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) a very smart puzzle solver beats out competitors for a position on the team, Turing starts to change his attitude.
The film continues to intrigue as the ensemble cast inserts their interesting characters into the film. Director Morten Tyldum keeps the plot moving along at a fast pace working the plot into a multi-dimensional event. Tyldum turns the unit against each other at times, especially when it comes to a woman working on their team. He shows all sides of Turing including his sexual preferences that in Britain at the time were not acceptable. In addition Tydum works with his sets and cameras to take his audience back to World War II England and does it extremely well.
Benedict Cumberbatch gives a very good performance as the genius who’s determined to finish his project. Making his character strong willed and single-minded his Turing becomes an egotist with his powers to create a machine that will ultimately end the war. Cumberbatch has been able to capture many good characters in his long list of performances. He was been honored with a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Sherlock Holmes in the TV drama” Sherlock” in 2013 and won an Emmy for the same role in 2014. Lauded by critics for playing a plantation owner in 12 Years a Slave and Little Charles Aikin in the film August: Osage County, he has shown his range of acting. This role however, should garner him a Globe and a possible Oscar nomination.
The Imitation Game has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical smoking. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.
FINAL ANALYSIS: One of the better films released this year. (B)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance and Mark Strong
Directed by: Morten Tyldum
Genre: Biography, Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical smoking
Running Time: 1 hr 54 min
Release Date: December 6, 2014Â
Distributed by: The Weinstein Company