The Imitation Game (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Imitation Game' (directed by Norway's Morten Tyldum & adapted from a book by Graham Moore) stars a superb Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the obsessive genius mathematician who was responsible for building a machine that cracked the Nazi Enigma code during WWII. 'TIG' recounts that experience/accomplishment (1939-45), examines his youth in school (1920s), while also taking a long, hard look at the nature of keeping secrets (what happens to him in 1952 is a doozy). The film begins with WWII in full swing & Adolf Hitler making terrifying advances. Germany has said device called the 'Enigma machine' which encrypts Nazi war correspondence with 159,000,000,000,000,000,000 settings. The British gov't & MI6 recruits a plethora of scientist/code experts, desperate to assemble a code-breaking team ... and Cambridge-educated cryptologist Alan Turing is one of them.
Eccentric & anti-social, Turing's condescending rudeness alienates Commander Alastair Denniston (an imperious Charles Dance) & his Bletchley Park colleagues played by Matthew Goode, Allen Leech (Branson on Downton Abbey), & Matthew Beard. Nevertheless, believing that machines have their own way of thinking, he painstakingly builds one (the 1st computer, really), names it "Christopher" (for a very specific reason that we find out about later), & hopes it will make sense of the Enigma code. Keira Knightley plays Joan Clarke, an attractive young woman with a razor-sharp skill for solving puzzles; so Turing brings her on to help (in a humorous, well-executed scene). As weeks & months drag on with no results, Turing struggles to get his machine to work, while Cmdr. Alastair Denniston (an imperious Charles Dance) & MI6's Major Gen. Stewart Menzies (a shadowy Mark Strong), stand by, knowing that allied soldiers & innocents are dying with every passing moment. Drama ensues.
'The Imitation Game' is deftly directed by Tyldum and quite multi-faceted; it's a fascinating history lesson, an exciting beat-the-clock thriller, as well as an in-depth character study of an enigmatic man who harbored a crippling secret. Cynics (though I haven't found too many) may scoff that this movie feels like some stodgy, impeccably adorned Masterpiece Theatre production. But in fact, this film feels fresh & contemporary; even in the war-weary WWII setting. While the film pays respect to Turing's accomplishments, it also mounts suspense as it goes. There are several moments of subtle humor and, the banter btwn. characters is frequently witty. Credit writer Graham Moore for ensuring that 'The Imitation Game' holds our interest by waiting to see how each passing Enigma/machine challenge was going to be met & tackled.
And of course, the other level to the story is that Turing was gay in a time when homosexuals in England were imprisoned or given hormonal castration treatment for being "grossly indecent". Turing's ability to keep this top-secret was aided by having to work on this mission that required great secrecy. The added tension (to an already tense situation: break the code, save millions) is that if his superiors were to find out he's gay, he'd be fired from the mission; hence, the code might never be figured out. So 'The Imitation Game' also delves quite deeply into the notion of both personal & national secrecy (the costs & gains of it). The film asks: When, if ever, is the 'right' time to reveal a secret? What repercussions are worth the revelation? That's true for both Turing's sexuality, as well as the mission -- when Turing cracks the code, how long should Enigma remain top-secret? Because if the Allies figure out too many of Germany's attacks, then the enemy will become suspicious & create another code. It's a fascinating conundrum.
Benedict Cumberbatch is simply outstanding as the complicated Turing, conveying a character who is brilliant, yet socially awkward when working with those in close proximity (he probably had a then-undiagnosed form of Aspergers). Cumberbatch perfectly exudes a compelling arrogance that subconsciously masks his self-imposed isolation, quiet despair, & wounded vulnerability. I also commend the young actor who plays Turing in his formative school years. He's very affecting & nails Cumberbatchs' likeness. And Keira Knightley is excellent as the reluctant code-breaker who then finds pride in being the only woman working in a field exclusive to men; all the while, falling into a platonic love with her colleague, Turing. They get engaged despite her assuming that he was gay, and a tender scene btwn. them near the end nearly brought me to tears with its humanity, sincerity, & sad foreboding.
Directed by Morten Tyldum, 'The Imitation Game' works as both a stimulating piece of biodrama & as a stirring entertainment. It intrigued me, engaged me, & stirred me. 'TIG' does a good job explaining the ideas behind cryptology. Having said that, if I have any complaints, they would be that the project's elaborateness felt condensed/truncated so as not to 'lose the viewer'. Also, Turing's sexual orientation would unjustly tarnish his reputation for decades and, I would have liked a little more insight into that; just for more narrative well-roundedness. But those are nitpicks. Without the efforts of Alan Turing (and co.), WWII may very well have had a different outcome. Alan Turing's hard work, unsung war heroics, & optimism in the face of adversity won my admiration & sympathy, making his ultimate fate all the more tragic. Excellent film.
Eccentric & anti-social, Turing's condescending rudeness alienates Commander Alastair Denniston (an imperious Charles Dance) & his Bletchley Park colleagues played by Matthew Goode, Allen Leech (Branson on Downton Abbey), & Matthew Beard. Nevertheless, believing that machines have their own way of thinking, he painstakingly builds one (the 1st computer, really), names it "Christopher" (for a very specific reason that we find out about later), & hopes it will make sense of the Enigma code. Keira Knightley plays Joan Clarke, an attractive young woman with a razor-sharp skill for solving puzzles; so Turing brings her on to help (in a humorous, well-executed scene). As weeks & months drag on with no results, Turing struggles to get his machine to work, while Cmdr. Alastair Denniston (an imperious Charles Dance) & MI6's Major Gen. Stewart Menzies (a shadowy Mark Strong), stand by, knowing that allied soldiers & innocents are dying with every passing moment. Drama ensues.
'The Imitation Game' is deftly directed by Tyldum and quite multi-faceted; it's a fascinating history lesson, an exciting beat-the-clock thriller, as well as an in-depth character study of an enigmatic man who harbored a crippling secret. Cynics (though I haven't found too many) may scoff that this movie feels like some stodgy, impeccably adorned Masterpiece Theatre production. But in fact, this film feels fresh & contemporary; even in the war-weary WWII setting. While the film pays respect to Turing's accomplishments, it also mounts suspense as it goes. There are several moments of subtle humor and, the banter btwn. characters is frequently witty. Credit writer Graham Moore for ensuring that 'The Imitation Game' holds our interest by waiting to see how each passing Enigma/machine challenge was going to be met & tackled.
And of course, the other level to the story is that Turing was gay in a time when homosexuals in England were imprisoned or given hormonal castration treatment for being "grossly indecent". Turing's ability to keep this top-secret was aided by having to work on this mission that required great secrecy. The added tension (to an already tense situation: break the code, save millions) is that if his superiors were to find out he's gay, he'd be fired from the mission; hence, the code might never be figured out. So 'The Imitation Game' also delves quite deeply into the notion of both personal & national secrecy (the costs & gains of it). The film asks: When, if ever, is the 'right' time to reveal a secret? What repercussions are worth the revelation? That's true for both Turing's sexuality, as well as the mission -- when Turing cracks the code, how long should Enigma remain top-secret? Because if the Allies figure out too many of Germany's attacks, then the enemy will become suspicious & create another code. It's a fascinating conundrum.
Benedict Cumberbatch is simply outstanding as the complicated Turing, conveying a character who is brilliant, yet socially awkward when working with those in close proximity (he probably had a then-undiagnosed form of Aspergers). Cumberbatch perfectly exudes a compelling arrogance that subconsciously masks his self-imposed isolation, quiet despair, & wounded vulnerability. I also commend the young actor who plays Turing in his formative school years. He's very affecting & nails Cumberbatchs' likeness. And Keira Knightley is excellent as the reluctant code-breaker who then finds pride in being the only woman working in a field exclusive to men; all the while, falling into a platonic love with her colleague, Turing. They get engaged despite her assuming that he was gay, and a tender scene btwn. them near the end nearly brought me to tears with its humanity, sincerity, & sad foreboding.
Directed by Morten Tyldum, 'The Imitation Game' works as both a stimulating piece of biodrama & as a stirring entertainment. It intrigued me, engaged me, & stirred me. 'TIG' does a good job explaining the ideas behind cryptology. Having said that, if I have any complaints, they would be that the project's elaborateness felt condensed/truncated so as not to 'lose the viewer'. Also, Turing's sexual orientation would unjustly tarnish his reputation for decades and, I would have liked a little more insight into that; just for more narrative well-roundedness. But those are nitpicks. Without the efforts of Alan Turing (and co.), WWII may very well have had a different outcome. Alan Turing's hard work, unsung war heroics, & optimism in the face of adversity won my admiration & sympathy, making his ultimate fate all the more tragic. Excellent film.