A gripping, smart and beautifully stylized film with amazing performances from the entire cast, all-adding up to a great start for 2015.

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2015)

"What am I? Machine, human? A war hero or a criminal?"
Human. War hero.
Alan Turing, pioneer in computer science, mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, marathon and ultra distance runner. A brilliant man with many extraordinary talents.
The Imitation Game follows Turing from his early years attending boarding school, his work during WWII, to the investigation, interrogation and ultimately his sentencing during the early 1950s.
Benedict Cumberbatch beautifully plays Alan Turing; bringing him to life and showcasing what an incredible mind this strange but undeniably lovable man had. Cumberbatch has built up an impressive resume throughout his career. Just in the last few years he's been in Oscar nominated films August: Osage County, 12 Years a Slave, The Hobbit Trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness, and has given superb performance in television series Parade's End and BBC's Sherlock. However, Cumberbatch gives his best performance to date.
He brings something to Turing that dissociates him from any other character he's played, raising the bar higher once again. It's the little things that Cumberbatch executes which make this performance resonate. His elongated breathes, his fixating distant eyes, his light-hearted giggles, and even just twitching his facial muscles, heightens his imitation of Turning.
Cumberbatch wasn't the only one that played his part remarkably. Keira Knightley's sweet, eager and increasingly independent, Joan Clarke, delivers an outstanding counterpart and companion for Turing. Knightley has a subtlety to her acting that doesn't leave her outshone by her fellow actors; it only pushes her further into the limelight, making her performance believable and relatable on many different levels.
However, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard and Rory Kinnear all give amazing performances that should not be forgotten or taken lightly. And with the recent Ensemble Performance Award win at Palm Springs International Film Festival, it may be harder to do so, especially if the awards keep coming.
Another aspect that stands out is the writing. First time feature film writer, Graham Moore, has developed a lyrical and yet mechanical story that ebbs and flows through four decades. It's beautifully haunting from start to finish and takes the audience on an emotional journey. The writing never felt rushed and everything shown felt connected and conclusive. It almost felt like a ticking clock, counting down the decades, years and moments of importance in Turing's life. The timeline and its portrayal is a favourite element of mine.
Moretn Tyldum's directing approach was perfect for this story. It comments on everything in a subtle way while pulling you into the complex emotion of the piece that both engrosses and disgusts you. It explores the horrors of war, the dilemmas and the ultimate sacrifices in a visually cinematic crowd pleaser.
Tyldum allowed his actors the freedom of expression by using medium to close up shots in dialogue driven scenes. He singles out the emotion and strain in characters during pivotal scenes without taking focus away from what's being said.
Oscar Faura's cinematography allows light, darkness, pain and hope to incandesce through the audience. Every single shot is dealt with such care and attention to detail. He creates an atheistically compelling semblance for the audience.
The editing of this film is another excellent example of The Imitation Game's charm. William Goldenberg won an Oscar for his work in Argo. He demonstrates time after time the importance of storytelling. He allows emotion to seep through in suspense building scenes, and can find it no matter how small or big the scene appears. He slows and quickens the pace when needed to build tension, suspense, drama and joy. Goldenberg knows how to make an audience scream with joy, ache with pain and cry in anguish.
Oscar nominated Alexandre Desplat composed an eerily beautiful score that's full of rich and raw emotion. What sets apart Desplat's score is the instrumentation of three pianos. Drama scores are usually orchestrated to rely heavily on the string section with piano in the background. Even though Desplat uses strings to push our emotions and forge movement, the clear star is his melodic piano phrases.
By using three pianos that intertwine, he creates melodic and rhythmic complexity that mirrors chaos and Turing's quick, fast paced brilliant mind. He composes a sense of mechanics turning and clicking away, heavily alluding to how Turing himself is a machine. Some of my favourite tracks are: The Imitation Game, U-Boats, Alone With Numbers, The Machine Christopher, Decrypting, A Different Equation and Alan Turing's Legacy.
What is also remarkable about The Imitation Game is how it underlines the view of homosexuality and femininity in today's society. It comments on many relevant assumptions, opinions and beliefs that surround being gay or trying to prove yourself. But what it distinguishes best is the prejudices against anyone who is different.
Cumberbatch has stated in interviews that he hopes this film acts as a celebration of Turing's life. Since I was unaware of whom this man was I believe it will not only act as a celebration, but also an education for many generations to come.