Tuesday, 23 December 2014

The Imitation Game

****
UK Release Date: November 14th 2014

English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, helps crack the Enigma code during World War II.

Director: Morten Tyldum (Headhunters)

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Mark Strong

Benedict Cumberbatch has been a busy man the last couple of years. From a crazy sci-fi villian and a genius crime detective to an incestial lover or a frightening dragon, there's no-one/nothing he can't portray. The Imitation Game see's Cumberbatch at his best and most complex. His character, Alan Turing, is an exciting one. This film is just as much about the second world war as it is about his life.

Turing (Cumberbatch) is an unsung hero of WW2. His work on the Enigma code has been kept under wraps until recently because homosexuality was illegal at the time. Turing's superior intelligence and sexual preferences make him a complicated character; one that's hated by his fellow employees for his rudeness and bluntness and one that Cumberbatch hone's in on. Oscar worthy? Yes, very much so.

The Imitation Game is gripping to a fault. The story follows Turing before, during and after the War, from his early school years up to a year after cracking the code. It's clear from the start that he completes his objective. It's Turing himself that we find ourselves interested in. He's just as much an enigma as the German's machine is.

British talent has never been so flavoursome. Keira Knightley's crossword cracker helps Turing in more ways than one, giving her a nod as best support actress. Great support also come from Mark Strong as the government official Cumberbatch and fellow cracker Matthew Goode report to. Same goes with Game of Thrones' Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister), even if his character is similar to the fantasy epic's.

Verdict: TIG is a very insightful film, packed full of history and moral views. Cumberbatch and the other cast-members are an intriguing bunch. They are the heart of it.  

4/5

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