Fascinating history and an excellent performance by Cumberbatch, despite otherwise being a traditional biopic

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2015)

THE IMITATION GAME tells the story of how Alan Turing helped to break the Nazi Enigma code during WWII, turning the tide in favor of the Allies. It also provides some insight into his troubled personal life. I suppose the biggest theme in the film is that of secrets, be they government/military or personal. While I thought that the parallels drawn between Turing's work and life were a bit broad and obvious, it still made for a compelling story, and certainly one that needed to be told. Far and away, Benedict Cumberbatch is the best reason (among many) to see this film. His performance was extraordinary, and certainly his best work outside of SHERLOCK. Even though Turing was probably somewhere on the autism spectrum, there was considerable emotional weight to this portrayal, particularly in the final scenes which go into the terrible thing which happens to him as a consequence of his homosexuality. As far as prestige biopics go, nothing in the film's content or construction goes out of its way to stand out. The plot structure, which hops back and forth to different periods in Turing's life was a bit passé, although nothing felt superfluous or out of place. And of course, the main part of the story which focuses on Turing's work breaking the Enigma code was fascinating to watch, not just for the dramatic tension that came from trying to win the war, but also through the personal relationships that formed as Turing and his team spend more and more time together. And for once, I didn't dislike Keira Knightley in her native accent. From a technical standpoint, the film is well put-together with good, if unspectacular, cinematography and editing. The score by Alexandre Desplat was also well-done and noninvasive. The only issue I feel detracts from the film in the slightest is the on-the-nose screenplay by Graham Moore, which almost oversells Alan Turing's importance and draws some rather obvious parallels between his secret government work and secret life. Still, the story told here is a very important one nonetheless and allows an enigmatic historical figure some due respect. While this isn't a revolutionary step forward as far as biopics go, it sheds some light on recently declassified history that will prove interesting to most.