More than just a film about breaking the Enigma code

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2014)

The Imitation Game (2014) was directed by Morten Tyldum. The film is about a remarkable achievement--the breaking of the German naval Enigma code, considered by everyone to be unbreakable.
Most of the events depicted in the film are historical facts--as I learned from Wikipedia after seeing the movie. (However, don't read the Wikipedia article first, because it may ruin the film if you do.)
A mathematical genius named Alan Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, broke the Enigma code by essentially inventing the computer. There was a woman named Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) to whom Turing proposed. Social prejudice kept her from being a formal part of the code-breaking team, but she worked on the code with Turing informally.)
We learn early in the movie that Turing was gay, and it appears obvious-- although not stated--that he had a condition somewhere along the autism spectrum.
The film begins in media res--in 1951, when the police are investigating a break-in in Turing's home. That means that most of the scenes--Turing at school, and Turing working to break the code--are shown in flashback. This technique works, especially because the young actor playing Turing as a boy is excellent.
How the break-in relates to the eventual outcome of the film wasn't at all clear to me. There was, indeed, a causal relationship, but if it was spelled out, I missed it. That's another matter that the Wikipedia article will clarify.
I thought the acting in the movie was excellent, and the tension about breaking the Enigma code was almost palpable, even though we know that the code was broken. Sometimes director Tyldum is a little heavy-hand in telling us how important it was to intercept German messages. We see the code-breaking team staring glumly at another failed attempt, and then we see German tanks, or planes, or ships on the attack. Not exactly subtle.
This isn't a great film, but I think it's definitely worth seeing. We saw it at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY, but it will work well on DVD.