Fascinating war story from a different perspective

Rating: 8/10 (11 January 2015)

I wouldn't have rushed out to see this if it wasn't getting Oscar buzz. I am not a huge fan of Benedict Cumberbatch but I saw a trailer for it and was actually impressed that it intrigued me. The film is fascinating, a terrific story and very entertaining. In a weekend where I ended up inundating myself with "Based on True Story" films inadvertently and this was by far the best of them. However, the film is as good as it is solely because of the amazing, outstanding performance by Cumberbatch. He has proved to me that he can really be astounding. But more on him in a moment. World War 2 stories are a dime a dozen but usually they do end up being very, very good. We are fascinated by stories of war for whatever reason. This is a different side of things as we never actually see the World War 2 front but Alan Turing and his team do more for the war than any other operation if the story is even partially accurate. Despite the fact that the story of the code breaking is the driving plot of the film, there is a far more important and fascinating story about a man who struggles to understand human interaction and fit in and find his place in the world when he is up against so many walls. It is a really great character study defined by an amazing performance.
The film itself is good but the star Benedict Cumberbatch is mesmerizing. He is well deserved in getting an Oscar nomination which seems to be the popular opinion. He just captures this character and draws you into his eccentric personality. Matthew Goode is decent in his role as Turing's colleague and eventual friend Hugh Alexander. Goode's biggest hurdle is that he has to stand up to Cumberbatch so he doesn't quite get as noticed. I am not a Keira Knightley fan, I know she's been in a lot of great movies but I usually find her very irritating. However, she actually does alright in this film. Her role is mostly small and she has the proper chemistry with Cumberbatch which is this awkward friendship that seems to work. Matthew Beard, Allen Leech, James Northcote and Mark Strong all round out the main supporting cast in decent but not spectacular roles. Its a small cast but ultimately this is the Cumberbatch show and he shines in it so this is definitely a vehicle for him.
Director Morten Tyldum has a great story on his hands here and he got very lucky with such a strong leading performance. The Imitation Game is a very interesting story but really its just a good movie. Not an amazing one. The single reason why this is getting so much intense recognition and Oscar buzz is because of Cumberbatch. Have I said that enough? Remember that I am not a huge fan of his so for me to constantly gush about him is an even bigger deal. This is definitely a great bio pic and drama and a fascinating film for anyone who loves a character study or a World War 2 film that is completely different than others out there like it. I can't see this film taking home any nominations outside of Best Actor but it is still a great movie to check out. 8/10