Director: Morten Tyldum
By Alex Watson
Alan Turing was a man who undoubtedly played a key role in the outcome of World War 2 and his risky but legendary code cracking machine, not only broke the notorious Enigma machine, but saved over 14 millions lives. Sadly his recognition was marred by his conviction for being homosexual (still a crime in the 1950's) which led to his suicide in 1954! This year, after his stunning movie Headhunters, Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum bring us a stirring portrayal of a unique mind in The Imitation Game.
As the German's march across Europe, the cryptologists of Bletchley Park have struggled to crack their remarkably tough code machine, Enigma. Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a team of other code breakers however have an idea that may just win the war, but it will test the patience of the Allies.
Winner of the Viewers Choice Award at this year's Toronto Internation Film Festival, The Imitation Game is a spectacular and well paced film by Morten Tyldum. The most impressive element to this movie, is how Tyldum is able to recreate the sheer tension and against the clock feel of Turing's idea. His superiors at Bletchley want nothing more than to get him off the grounds, but despite some missteps, eventually this man's standoffish personality and continually ticking mind will strike gold and sway the direction of the war.
Aided by an excellent script from first time writer, Graham Moore, Tyldum effortlessly enraptures his audience with a multilayer puzzle throughout the movie. Interweaving between four periods including Turing's arrest in 1951 for his offense, his time serving at Hut 8 in Bletchley Park during the war and his tough upbringing at public school which saw him routinely bullied and experience a forbidden love. These stories contribute to the mystery of Turing himself and we find ourselves asking what makes him such "an odd duck".
Turing as a man is not an easy one to like and his rather bizarre and introverted persona immediately cause friction. Early on we see him in what is perhaps one of most hilarious and raw job interviews you will ever see. Instantly he dismisses his capable co-workers including Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode) as inconsequential, leading Commander Dennison (Charles Dance) to remark "Popular at school were you?" But in between the numerous crosswords and unbreakable codes is a man of sheer genius and his steadfastness to his speculative idea hooks us throughout.
The platonic relationship between Alan and his real life co-worker Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) is one that adds that a real human feel to this man. His real sexual preference is also one that increases the pressure and as he stills in the police station recounting his story to a detective (Rory Kinnear), he asks him how he wishes to judge him, a hero or a criminal? Turing was not pardoned for his crime until 2013, which to this day still feels unjust.
Behind the success of The Imitation Game is the man himself, Benedict Cumberbatch who is finally given the role of a lifetime, and delivers on a big scale. Expertly mirroring Turing's burning desire to prove this theory correct, Cumberbatch proves that is a big contender for awards through his continually troubled and intense gaze that projects not only his current sufferings but the ones from his past as well. After years of people waiting for the man to hit mainstream success, Benedict Cumberbatch has finally arrived and it is magnificent to see!
I am saddened that The Imitation Game was not released in time for my top 10 for 2014, because it would have placed highly. Morten Tyldum demonstrates that the hype surrounding him and star Cumberbatch is to be believed. Alan Turing was a man of his time because as we are reminded "Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."
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