Imitate This Filmmaking.

Rating: 10/10 (11 September 2015)

The Imitation Game (2014): Dir: Morten Tyldum / Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Mark Strong: Brilliant true account telling of mind over matter. Set during World War 2 and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, a brilliant mathematician brought in to crack the Enigma to decode German messages. Turing manufactures a machine for which he calls "Christopher," named after a childhood friend. He suffers as a team player and alienates himself from others brought in to assist. He eventually sends out a crossword puzzle urging a meeting with anyone who can solve it under a specific time. Enter Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, bright young woman whom ends up engaged to Turing until he admits his homosexuality. This plagues him in his relationships until it leads to his suicide when it is deemed indecent by government and they place him on chemical castration. Clarke seems determined to accomplish her mission despite obvious disappointments in him. Strong supporting work by Matthew Goode, Charles Dance and Mark Strong either working with Turing or overseeing the project and threatening to halt it when results fail. Director Morten Tyldum details the project and its failings, frustrations and eventually its triumph when the war is shortened by about two years thanks to this decoding machine. While historians will appreciate this film most, it does present a tense time in our history where trials are conquered through a group of brilliant minds and one clever mathematician who ultimately brought victory and found heart break. Score: 10 / 10