The Imitation Game is set over the course of World War II and follows the life of Alan Turing, a mathematician played by Benedict Cumberbatch, hired by British Intelligence to crack Nazi Codes. More specifically, the Enigma Code. A code referred to as uncrackable because of its daily algorithm changes which means they only have the one day to crack the code. Alan Turing assembles a secret team in MI6, including Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightley, amongst other top mathematicians in the country to crack Enigma. With millions of combinations out there, everyone tries to solve the cryptic with luck, Alan has other ideas of creating a machine to solve the code and every code; the first computer.
This movie is filled with non-boring drama. It jumps between three different times, not in a confusing way, but in a constructive way in revealing the personal story of Alan Turing. Showing his life when he was a child in a Boarding School, his struggles of building the computer during the war and a police investigation happening after the war. It didn’t feel segmented at all. It was quite an easy transition. It actually gave an ounce of fresh air from the drama of the Enigma code by making the focus less about the machine and more about the man behind the machine.
It was well balanced between an in-depth biography of Alan Turing and a historical war piece. That’s what’s great about this movie. Although it is a war piece, it didn’t feel too heavy because the story is revolved around Turing making it feel much more personal than a normal war movie. The movie created a panicky world, bringing up extreme moral matters in time-restricting circumstances. Especially in the last 30 minutes of the movie when they have to start thinking about the greater good which amplifies the drama and thrill.
I thought the casting was fantastic. Benedict Cumberbatch fit the role perfectly and Keira Knightley was right at home doing another time-piece. The pacing of the movie was quite constant and keeps you engaged to the end. It does slow down at times, but not for too long.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Imitation Game. I am not surprised it has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards. I loved the tone of this movie. I had moderate expectations going into the cinemas after watching Monuments Men and not liking it at all, but it is completely different. The Imitation Game has in-depth characters, time-pressing objectives that you care about and the exploration of the interesting life of Alan Turing. I highly recommend you watch this movie.
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Josh
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