The British actor’s portrayal of the cryptanalyst would have made Turing proud.
Director: Morten Tyldum
Producers: Teddy Schwarzman, Ido Ostrowsky, Nora Grossman
Writer: Graham Moore
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Allen Leech and Matthew Beard
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 113 mins
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“Sometimes it’s the people who no one imagines anything of that can do the things that no one can imagine.” These wise words came from a young Christopher to a dejected and lonely adolescent, Alan Turing at school – and what a poignant, lingering philosophical effect they had on the future mathematical genius. These stirring words helped to shape him for the rest of his life.
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As THE IMITATION GAME begins, we are asked “Are you listening carefully? Or you will miss important things.” Indeed, Sir. How very true. In fact, the film was so captivating that it would be hard not to absorb the wonderment of the tragically brilliant story on screen.
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The film starts in 1951 in Manchester, during the aftermath of a suspicious robbery in Turing’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) home.
From the onset a trio of cleverly entwined narratives sweep the audience from one time frame to another: His early school years during the 1920’s where the rather ‘odd duck’ (as described by his mother) struggles to blend in with his peers and becomes the unfortunate victim of bullying, but he is invigorated by his relationship with another pupil. Whilst weaving around his youth, we are also taken to 1939 and his arrival at Hut 8 in Bletchley Park where he spends all of his days obsessing over his Enigma machine called Christopher, in the hope of cracking the illusive, unbreakable German code. Then, rather sadly, the audience delves into the impending misery that lies ahead in 1951, during Turing’s interrogation for his homosexuality. Â
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From the onset we delve into the complex world of Alan Turing, where we are exposed to his endearing innocence and discover he was a loveable recluse – and definitely not an entertainer, as the logical boy struggles to grasp the point of jokes or even deliver one successfully. This personality trait remains with him, even in his twenties during his life changing interview at Bletchley with Commander Alastair Denniston (Charles Dance).
Turing doesn’t have the easiest professional relationship with his military superiors, but Stewart Menzies, played by the brilliant Mark Strong, could see the potential in the young candidate and was more patient towards him.
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As an adult, Turing is obstinate, brilliant and very different to others, especially compared to his colleagues who he is recruited alongside in order to crack the code. Preferring solitude, he refuses to interact with his team in order to concentrate on building his own machine, making him very much the oddball outcast once again.
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His fellow code-crackers Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode), Scotsman John Cairncross (Allen Leech) and the young, eager Peter Hilton (Matthew Beard) soon discover that Turing is indeed onto something.Â
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Despite having a formidable team, the mathematical genius decides more people are needed at Bletchley, so after completing a code test in less than six minutes, we are introduced to Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), who agrees to help the team in their Nazi-thwarting enterprise.  So commences the platonic love story, which deals with Turing’s real life relationship with his fellow cryptanalyst, which is based largely on mutual respect for each other and his need to have her in his life.Â
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As they become engaged for her parent’s approval and to ensure she remains at Bletchley as a respectful woman, it is the first time that Turing admits he is a homosexual to his colleague, John Cairncross during their engagement celebrations.  As shown in the 1928 school scene, played by the excellent Alex Lawther,  we get glimpses of his same-sex desire with his best friend and classmate Christopher (Jack Bannon), who introduces him to the world of cryptography and becomes the object of his desire. Â
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In the midst of his personal struggles and endeavours, the team have got a job to do – crack the illusive German Enigma code. Recognising that Turing’s machine madness is actually a viable method of cracking the unfathomable code, christened ‘Christopher’ after his school love interest, the recruits invested interests remain in deciphering the main puzzle of the code.
To add more pressure to the arduous task, their stern Commander has given them only 4 weeks to prove victorious and to make matters even more worse, the solution is not easy knowing that they must succeed before the Nazis change it up. Their job becomes a desperate, matter-of-life-and-death race against the clock and whilst doing so, they discover there is a Soviet spy among Hut 8’s workers…
The delivery of Alan Turing by Benedict Cumberbatch is beyond exemplary. Too often stereotyped for his role as Sherlock Holmes, which almost detracts from some of the brilliant performances he has portrayed over the years, in this film, the British actor certainly excels in his best big-screen performance to date. He shone as the bristling Khan in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, he vocally enticed the audience as Smaug the Stupendous in THE HOBBIT and he effortlessly evoked empathy in 12 YEARS A SLAVE, but here he depicts Turing in a utilitarian way, completing embodying the role as the comical, unwittingly funny and endearing Alan Turing.
Cumberbatch’s portrait of another withdrawn, irascible maths genius no one understood is memorable and he excels as codebreaker-turned-pariah-turned-national-hero, whom has brought so much deserved attention to the intriguing story of the human calculator who helped to end the war.
Despite the outstanding performance, the scripting of the movie seems to be what has grated many the most. Turing was homosexual and got convicted for gross indecency in 1952 and as a result, he committed suicide because of his unjust persecution and loneliness. In fact Turing’s relationship with Joan Clarke is given more prominence than his homosexual relationships, which ultimately led to his death and this has caused disapproving disputes.
Overall, THE IMITATION GAME is intelligent, gripping and provides the dramatic twists required to keep the story engaging, all whilst exploring one of the most infamous code breakers of all time – a superb balancing act.
Full admiration and respect must go to Benedict Cumberbatch, who delivers the performance of his career in the biopic – Â a performance that has done justice for Alan Turing and no doubt it would have made a truly great cryptanalyst and Briton extremely proud.Â
Verdict
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[…] attention from the get go, Cumberbatch truly gives the performance of his career. Take look at our review on The Imitation Game to dive deep into Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Alan Turing. Why not take a look at the trailer […]
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