The Imitation Game

The first time I saw this movie, I loved it. It made me want to learn more about Alan Turing, but the more I learned, the more I realised how inaccurate this movie is. It is well acted, well produced, well cast, and I would still love it if not for the fact that it differs so much from what really happened that it would have been more appropriate to change all the names and portray it as purely historical fiction rather than pretending it has anything to do with the real Alan Turing.

Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic in this movie. I really dug this. Love movies set during WWII and this one encapsulates it brilliantly. Felt they did the story justice while also having an underlying message on acceptance.

Score: 90% Verdict: Excellent

Whilst I did enjoy this telling of the wartime efforts of the British code-breakers at Bletchley Park, I think I prefer Sir Derek Jacobi's 1996 interpretation of the achievements of Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who led a team of enigmatic individuals who broke the Nazi "Enigma" code. Benedict Cumberbatch is really just reprising his BBC "Sherlock" characterisation - even down to the pensive hand gestures. The story is told from quite an interesting retrospection after the pretty unlikeable Turing has been apprehended by the police for what I suppose we'd call "lewd behaviour" nowadays and is being questioned by Rory Kinnear ("Detective Nock"). Indeed, I found all the characterisations to be a bit shallow - Charles Dance, Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode just lacked oomph, I thought. Fascinating story , though - beautifully well presented.

'The Imitation Game' is fascinating stuff. I watched 2001's 'Enigma' almost five years ago and do remember liking it, though I found it a bit too pedestrian (at least early on). This 2014 release does a greater job at telling the story of Alan Turing & Co.

Firstly, this did a particularly great job in terms of casting. Benedict Cumberbatch (and Alex Lawther) are terrific as the aforementioned. Keira Knightley (fittingly with a character middle named Elisabeth), Matthew Goode, Charles Dance and Mark Strong are all excellent support.

The WWII-centric plot makes for engrossing viewing, even if I'm sure it takes liberties as movies tend to do; which I'm fully fine with, for what it's worth. The pacing is particularly spot on, at no point was I uninterested in what I was seeing. The cast, of course, are a big reason for that fact.