159 Million With 18 Zeros

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2015)

You always think of war heroes as the ones who fight with guns and tanks. They even had a holiday named after them. But truly the word hero is much broader than that. There are so many heroes that go unnoticed for years until there is a movie made about them. I really had no idea the type of effort that people went through in order to crack the unbreakable code. Benedict Cumberbatch gives an extraordinary performance as, Alan Turing, the leader of the mathematicians who absolutely changed the war for the better.
Cumberbatch is a revelation as Turing. We all know he is capable of grabbing our attention in whatever role he's in, but I did question his ability to lead an entire Oscar bait film. Well, I think that question can be put to rest. There is so much range to his performance that will surely make him a great Doctor Strange. But the supporting cast is also terrific. Charles Dance brought an undeniable presence to one of Turing's bosses. Matthew Goode won me over, as I was never a huge fan of his. But Keira Knightley gave what was probably her best performance of her career. It takes two charismatic leads to tackle the roles of Alan and Joan. These people were unbelievably intelligent, but I also appreciate the film touching on some of their flaws.
I had no idea the amount of odds that were stacked up against them to crack the enigma code. The film said that it's worth 20 million years worth of data settings, and they have to crack it in 20 minutes. They only had a certain amount of time before the Germans would change the code and then all of their work goes to waste. Not only do they have to be intelligent but they have to be mentally stable under these pressures. I guess it really is the people you don't imagine doing the unimaginable things. I may have botched that quote, but the premise is the same.
Alexandre Desplat had a terrific score, that is probably the only score this year that I wouldn't argue winning over Interstellar. I'm still humming the beautiful theme hours later. It contributed to the heartbreaking reality that was illegal to be homosexual during this time. Much like Selma, this film opened my eyes to the unimaginable things that humans did, and are capable of. I cant believe that he was given drugs in order to treat his "illness". The only real problem with the movie is that tries to give several special effects scenes that are a little too ambitious for a lower budget film. But Alan Turing is one of the true heroes of the war and saved over 14 million lives and shortened the war over 2 years. It's an inconceivable story that is worth everyone's time.
+Cumberbatch's range
+Supporting cast
+Beautiful theme by Desplat
+Unbelievable story
-Special effects
8.9/10