Review: The Imitation Game (2014)

Snap Judgment: A cinematic biopic that may rewrite history to deliver the story it wants (see Slate's excellent article on the movie's accuracy), but is forgiven because of its compelling storytelling. Benedict Cumberbatch is Alan Turing, a focused and eccentric genius lacking in people skills (in other words, a 21st century hero). Turing is part of a team seeking to crack Enigma, the Nazi encoding machine. If the Allies can break Enigma, they can read every secret message that the Nazis send out and save lives and win the war (spoiler alert: the Allies win the war). Cumberbatch is brilliant as Turing, unsurprising as the Turing character is basically Cumberbatchian typecasting. The rest of the cast is also strong, and will be full of a hey! it's that guy/gal! for anyone who watches any amount of British TV (hey! it's George Wickham from Death Comes to Pemberly! hey! it's Tom from Downton Abbey! hey! it's Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones!). Kiera Knightley is the lone skirt, a brilliant cryptanalyst who is briefly engaged to Alan Turing. Wait, what - wasn't Alan Turing gay? Yes, yes he was, and he still is in this film. He really was engaged to Kiera Knightley's character. The movie plays the Turing/Kiera Knightley dynamic not as a sweeping romance, but as a friendship between two people who enjoy each other's minds. Kiera Knightley gives a Kiera Knightleyish performance (she's still thrusting out her jaw to display emotion) and your appreciation of it depends on how you generally view her acting.

The tone of the movie is a general inspiring biopic - a misfit genius who is initially misunderstood but eventually is accepted and whose leap of brilliance pays off. The end is less feel-good, of course, as Turing is convicted of indecency and sentenced to chemical castration for being a homosexual. It's a sad end-note, but I'm glad the movie went further than the breaking of Enigma, as leaving the movie with an uplifting ending would ignore the tragedy and horror of criminalizing homosexuality.          

Grade: A

Final Verdict: A very Hollywood biopic with strong acting that hits all the right notes.

If You Like This, Watch: The King's Speech, The Duchess, The Queen, 42, The Young Victoria, A Single Man, Enigma