An Incredible Story!

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2015)

I was bitterly disappointed at the BAFTA's and Oscars that this film didn't receive as many awards as it deserved, although The Theory of Everything is just as good a film. Personally, it's difficult to choose between the two because both are emotional stories about two real people who have done extraordinary things in the face of adversity.
What's the cake? The story follows Alan Turing, who due to his incredible knowledge in the field of cryptography and mathematics, is assigned to the Top Secret facility at Bletchley Park to work with a team of experts in cracking the German Enigma machine during World War II. At the same time the film follows his life after the end of the War, where he is persecuted for his homosexuality in a world where acts of same-sex relationships and romances are punishable by a prison sentence or social shame, even though the outcome of the War can largely be owed to his actions and genius.
The film is just amazing in every way, with a line up of fantastic actors and actresses who perform their parts brilliantly. Each and every moment of this movie you can take seriously because it is treated as such. The story, although I know very little about it myself, appears to follow the life of Turing to a Tee, and is filled with many emotional moments, both detrimental and uplifting. The film strongly follows his personal struggle, both in perfecting his machine, but also at hiding his true romantic feelings.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the role of an obsessed genius perfectly, his emotions wavering with each new thought without a word being said, which keeps the film's pace fast and exciting whilst still maintaining a sense of subtly. Keira Knightley was a bit of an odd choice, although she plays her part well she does seem rather out of place, perhaps looking a bit too 90's rather than 40's to my mind. The other characters hold up strongly too, with particular praise from myself to Charles Dance, a sadly underrated actor who carries off the performance of the stern Commander Alastair Denniston absolutely perfectly!
Overall, this isn't a film, it's an experience, you get a true feeling for the world they're in, the struggles they face and genuinely feel happy when they do overcome their obstacles. Indeed the story of Alan Turing is not a happy one due to his eventual suicide in 1954, but the film has no illusion as to there being a happy ending. I won't spoil too much but I will say that the ending is both rather tragic and at the same time satisfying.
Personally, I have no complaints with this magnificent film, a true masterpiece if ever there was one, and I'd recommend it absolutely!