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| Title: | The Imitation Game |
| Director: | Morten Tyldum |
| Starring: | Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Charles Dance |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Runtime: | 1 Hours 54 mins |
| Music: | Alexandre Desplat |
| Studio: | Studio Canal |
| Certificate: | US: PG-13 UK: 12A |
| Release Date: | USA: November 28 2014 UK: November 14 2014 |
| See If You Like: | Sherlock, A Beautiful Mind. |
Telling the true story of one of the most influential, though little known, men to help the allied war effort during World War II, The Imitation Game is the new British-American thriller based on the life and times of Alan Turing; the man tasked with solving Enigma, and breaking the supposedly unbreakable Nazi code which held the key to the entire allied war effort.
Needless to say it was an extremely complex and multifaceted effort which eventually saw the cracking of the Enigma code (the code the Nazi’s used for all major communications, detailing everything from troop and ship movements to simple weather reports), and one which has had to be simplified greatly for the screen, but there’s no denying one man, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) was instrumental in the process, and The Imitation Game does a wonderful job of paying homage to his work, and him as a person, whilst not simply creating a visual mural, but an effective tale about a clearly brilliant individual.
Yet he wasn’t always considered as such, and managed to get on the wrong side of many of his co-workers during his time attempting to build the machine which would eventually help the allies crack the code; not only irking his male counterparts, but struggling to speak to women as well, and almost anyone he met (except for fellow code-breaker Joan Clarke, played by Pirates of the Caribbean actress Kiera Knightley); qualities Benedict manages to pull off with ease, and use to help inject a healthy, unexpected, and thankfully not disproportionate, amount of humour into the film.
There’s no denying Cumberbatch is fantastic here; he’s completely credible as the distant and distasteful Turing, appearing every bit the mathematical genius he’s supposed to be; with faultless delivery, body language, and a number of eccentricities transforming him into the brilliant, vulnerable and simultaneously powerful, enigma Turing must have been. Though once again playing a socially awkward genius does mean Benedict unfortunately has his feet planted firmly in Sherlock territory.
Supporting stars also fare well as, despite being criticised for potentially being too pretty, Kiera Knightley delivers a likeable, and perfectly apt, performance as cryptanalyst Joan Clarke, the members of Turing’s team (including Watchmen’s Matthew Goode, Downton Abbey’s Allen Leech, and One Day’s Matthew Beard) fulfil their roles well enough, and the always welcome Charles Dance (the Game of Thrones star last seen in Dracula Untold) and Mark Strong (Welcome to the Punch) are excellently placed as a Navy commander and MI-6 agent respectively.
Aided with an excellent score by Alexandre Desplat, solid direction from Morten Tyldum (Headhunters), excellent cinematography, and flawless production design, there’s no denying that the design and execution of The Imitation Game was fantastic (clearly making it a strong awards candidate at the next BAFTA ceremony), just like Turing’s work, but like Turing himself, it’s not without it’s problems.
There are a few details which are glossed over and not fully explained, as well as certain scenes which feel overly dramatised, and some which are wholly unnecessary altogether, even without mentioning the fact it seems to continue for some time after it’s reached a perfectly viable conclusion. A number of pointless statistics (granted they’re mixed in with some extremely interesting ones) also close the film by not educating, but rather insulting the viewers’ intelligence.
Yet, while it may not be a perfect film, there’s no denying The Imitation Game is not only well made, but brilliantly acted, and sheds light on a fantastic piece of history which is well worth knowing; thankfully not idolising, but painting a picture of a real man who deserves far more recognition than he received, and proved instrumental in winning the war. Cumberbatch is brilliant, and this is one piece of awards-bait which is actually worth watching, a historical biopic at it’s finest; gripping, laced with drama, and an excellent examination of obsession; The Imitation Game comes highly recommended.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
