A film full of brilliance, emotion and great storytelling- A Must See!

Rating: 10/10 (25 November 2016)

Going into this film, I knew nothing about Alan Turing, but as an avid World War historian, this frustrates me beyond belief! In school we are taught the basics of world wars, who started it, why conflicts arose, some major key players, and how it all ended; however I do not recall learning a thing about this man, this hero; Alan Turing.
Onto the film itself, while after much research, I can say it is not totally, completely 100% accurate. Yes, the Polish did crack Enigma in 1932. No, it was not just Alan Turing who cracked the code and no, Hut 8 were not solely responsible for deciding who was to live or die in the war, and so on. However, this movie regardless of some historical inaccuracies, is brilliant.
The choice of Benedict Cumberbatch as the man himself; Alan Turing, was the best choice ever made in casting. He proves to be an emotional, sympathetic, and able to connect with audience members, portraying a perfect sense of who Alan Turing was. Keira Knightley, is also fantastic as Joan Clarke, despite other critics of her being too pretty, what do you expect, its Hollywood, and Keira portrays an energized, honest, strong-willed and intelligent woman, who soon becomes one of Turing's closet friend. Other cast members also perfectly chosen range from the talented Mark Strong, to wonderful Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and a spectacular performance from breakout actor Alex Lawther as younger Turing.
The story of this film is moving, and hits all the right places, with beautiful music to transcend the narrative, this movie proves poetic and wonderfully written with much thought and care. Personally, I have viewed this movie 4 times and every time it conveys the same strength at its core; portraying the emotional and tragic story of a man who was not accepted by his peers, and was 'different' all his life, but stuck to his wits and his knowledge and created a machine that not only ended the war early by 2 years, but saved countless lives. Most tragically, doing this all in secret, at the time the only thing the British gov't concerned themselves with was the focus on his sexuality. I could go on with unlimited words about how wrong Turing's persecution was, but ultimately; he deserved a metal instead of the treatment he received. The Imitation Game is a wonderful, yet tragic film about Britain's unsung hero, Alan Turing and should is a MUST SEE FILM!