the mind of a genius.

Rating: 7/10 (4 April 2015)

This film takes the viewer inside the mind of a genius. In this case the genius is in the area of mathematical probability and a fascination with codes and patterns. Alan Turing has been hailed as the father of modern computer science. This film tells his story, and that of a major allied victory during WWII, that victory being the dismantling of the German Enigma code system, considered unbreakable.
As a whole, the film works well. Benedict Cumberbatch does an outstanding job in taking the viewer into the mind of Alan Turing. Very Spocklike in his devotion to the job at hand, his portrayal of the eccentricities and oddities which put Turing at odds with his colleagues was excellent. Very much the loner in the middle of these geeks, Turing sets about solving the problem with the very efficiency of the machine he creates.
**spoiler alert**
I had a couple of problems historically. After the ENIGMA code is cracked, Turing advises not to tell anyone of the impending danger to a British cargo convoy directly in the path of German U boats because it would be a tipoff to the Germans that the code had been broken. This has been alleged, but NEVER Proved. The film implies that this incident was true. IN reality, the alleged decision not to go with critical information at the outset was Winston Churchill's. I am not sure why this movie put that incident in, but it did provide some drama as one of Turing's colleagues has a brother serving on one of the convoy ships.
Secondly, the Poles actually had broken the enigma code, but it was a comparatively crude setup, Turing's machine made the process more efficient.
The film was a nail biter all the way though. We see the typical set up of genius versus the system with the system going by the book, and in so doing trying to handcuff Turing all the way. Such was the way in part with Oppenheimer and the powers that be in developing the atomic bomb across the pond in America.
By all accounts, Cumberbatch perfectly portrayed all the parts of this troubled genius, even to his personal life.
Well worth seeing along with Fat Man and Little Boy for an accurate portrayal of genius on both sides of the Atlantic.