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Film Review of 'The Imitation Game'
SPOILER ALERT!
This fantastic film follows the story of Alan Turing, the
man who broke the enigma code that the Germans used in WW2 to communicate.
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Can you imagine the most heart-wrenching, mind-blowing,
tear-jerking, eye-popping, head-shatteringly explosive film? If you can, forget
it. Nothing will compare to “The Imitation Game”.
Wow. Just wow.
I went to see “The Imitation Game” last night starring
Benedict Cumberbatch, Kiera Knightly and Mark Strong and was blown away by this
ingeniously crafted example of excellent storytelling, directing
and acting. This brilliant film sheds a glorious spot light on one of the most
under-celebrated heroes of British history – Alan Turing (that bloke who broke
the enigma code for those of you who have sadly never heard of him).
The enigma code was the code the Germans used in WW2
to encrypt messages to one another. The British could intercept the codes but
not understand them, even when hiring the country’s top linguists,
mathematicians and problem solvers. To solve enigma, you needed a person but,
as the film reminds us that “Sometimes it’s the people no one expects anything
from who do the things no one expects” - Turing was someone that no one could
have seen coming.
This already timeless classic will stand testament to the
struggle of the war and the battle of intelligence that helped to win it.
Cumberbatch delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as he plays the socially inept
but brilliant minded Turing. He performs with such clipped clarity and literal
bluntness that it’s hard to even remember what the ‘normal’ Cumberbatch even
sounds like. Even his mouth positioning, walk and hand movements are jilted and
jarred. Yet somehow, he still provides us with a relatable, humorous and brave
hero that we can all root for, love and commemorate proudly.
The film also displays other superb acting talents – Kiera
Knightly creates a heart wrenching Joan Clark as she overcomes her female stereotypes
and becomes one of the most important women in history. Mark Strong plays Stewart Menzies, a
stealthy, strict MI6 agent whose undertone throughout the film relays the
sacrifices each character must take in this ‘game’ of life and death in calculating
how to win the war. The whole plot is entwined with twists and secrets that
keep you on your toes to the point where you begin to doubt yourself if they’ll
ever crack the impossible code (despite knowing the truth ourselves already).
One such secret is Turing’s death and personal background
which the film delicately sheds light onto. He killed himself after taking
government prescribed chemical castration drugs after being convicted of
homosexuality. He died aged just 41 for a crime that he couldn’t help and drove
him to his suicide despite (according to historians) saving over 14 million lives by helping to stop the
war 2 years earlier than what it
would have done without his invention of Christopher – the lifesaving, enigma-cracking
machine.
However, I must conclude on the fact that this, heart
stopping true story, directed by Morten Tyldum drives home a single idea – that
these nightmarish acts really did happened. Mixing scenes from Bletchley with
front line shots, eerie submarine fighters and blitz bomb raids, Tyldum thrusts
the brutality and loss of the war into our faces whilst maintaining Turing’s
powerful story. At a time when we are commemorating 100 years since the first
world war, thoughts of the fighting are already at the for-front of our minds
but watching this film has truly enlightened me of the hardship, pain,
sacrifice and intelligence that went into winning this inhumane part of
history.
Overall: 5 Stars.
This is without a doubt the best film of the year. I’m
waiting to hear of its countless Oscars that it’s bound to win. It is a MUST
SEE! The acting is incomparable and the story is an impossible true miracle.
R.I.P. Alan Turing – one of Britain’s finest heroes.
Picture: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084970/ + Own editing on Paint
