The Imitation Game (2014) Reviews

• Annoyingly inaccurate

  johnmcc1502014-11-15

  As the film announces at the start, it based on a true story. The essentials are true, and to get so much history into a film things have to be condensed. Unfortunately unnecessarily inaccurate things were portrayed which didn't save any time. For example, Turing mutters under his breath so most audiences will not notice, that the Poles made the first crucial breakthrough. By the start of the war, the Poles led by Marian Rejewski had been breaking Enigma for over six years and built the first machine, called a "bomba" in 1938. In July 1939 the Poles passed on all the information to the French and British including details of the bomba and their successes at a meeting which included Denniston. The problem started to mount for the Poles and later the British when other rotors could be swapped in and the indicator method was changed by the Germans. The film is correct in showing that Turing's genius was using known words from the coded messages to reduce the myriad of possibilities. This idea happened in 1939 and so he started from the outset to design the British "bombes" to use this method, not after they had been running for months. Four senior code-breakers, not just Alan Turing, but also Gordon Welchman, Stuart Milner-Barry and Hugh Alexander wrote to Churchill in 1941 over Denniston's head about the shortage of staff and praising Edward Travis. In February 1942, Denniston was demoted and transferred elsewhere. His successor, Edward Travis, transformed the procedures. Cairncross, played by Downton's ex-chauffeur, never appeared at Bletchley until 1942 and the alleged blackmail is an unnecessary red-herring. The idea that there would be a chart on the wall in Hut 8 showing the latest positions of all Atlantic convoys is laughable. This chart was in a secure bunker in Liverpool that was as closely guarded as Bletchley Park. Turing's team had no input into how the information was to be used, but it is true that Ultra intelligence had to be supported by other information and so patrols were sent out to find what was known to be already there. Lastly Turing would never, ever, have disclosed even the existence of Bletchley Park to a detective he had just met. The performance of Benedict Comberbatch is exceptional, and the rest of the cast good. Keira Knightley is pretty enough to have turned even Turing, but, despite the lines that told us, she never gave the impression she had a double first in mathematics from Cambridge. Good film, though it could have be closer to reality without making it longer or more complex.

• Compelling and Enthralling from start to finish.

  fruitbat002014-10-16

  Truly excellent film and definitely Ocsar worthy material for both the film and the actors. The entire cast are amazing. As Cumberbatch says near the start of the film "are you paying attention". You should pay attention, Alan Turing deserves your attention, his story deserves to be told. I went to see this at the London Film Festival last week and I am going to be one of the first ones in the cue to see it when it comes out next month. It is an excellently paced and executed script that has you gripped from beginning to end. The whole audience were laughing and applauding and crying in places, including the man next to me who had to borrow a hankie from his wife. The film switches between the drive of the team of code breakers to solve the Enigma code, young Alan Turing and the events after the war that destroyed his life. It is truly heartbreaking in places, and Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Alan Turing is outstanding. He really deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance. It has been a very, VERY long time since I enjoyed a film so much, that when I came out of the Cinema I wanted to turn right round and go back in and watch it again. A lovely script that had you switching back and forwards between tears and laughter. I know some wanted a more in depth and in detail look at Alan Turing's life and have commented frequently that this does no focus enough on his sexuality or the events after the war. In this case I think less is more, this film highlights the man and the mind. It shows us the genius that was destroyed by a society that was seriously homophobic. It brings to life the man behind the facts and we laugh at his interactions with his fellow code breakers and cheer as he proves his theories and our hearts break as we watch him try to cope after his court case. One of the best films I have seen in a long time. Go and see judge for yourself.

• An Eminently Well-Made Biopic

  CalRhys2014-12-04

  Brilliant adaptation of the story of Bletchley Park and the cryptanalysis team, ran by Alan Turing, that cracked the code of the German Enigma Machine during World War II. Featuring an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as war hero Turning and supporting acts from a brilliant cast including Keira Knightley, Charles Dance and Mark Strong, 'The Imitation Game' is a powerful and eminently well-made biopic that illuminates the facts whilst respecting the story it is based upon. The English-language debut of 'Headhunters' director Morten Tyldum, this British World War II thriller is a highly conventional story about humanity that creates a fascinating character, anchored by a hypnotically complex performance.

• Morten Tyldum's espionage thriller about Alan Turing is purely sensational with a performance for the ages by Benedict Cumberbatch...

  ClaytonDavis2014-09-10

  It took a little over 24 hours before I weighed in on my official thoughts on Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game from The Weinstein Company. My initial reaction upon leaving the screening room was it was astonishing, a magnificent achievement that stands tall as one of the year's best movies. As the film continues to settle within my cinematic soul, this very well could be the best film of the year, anchored by a career best performance from the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch. Full disclosure, I'm fairly oblivious to European history and the heroes that had a hand in one of the deadliest wars in history. I've heard the name Alan Turing from high school and college but either didn't care enough to learn or have no recollection of his contributions. Minutes following the screening, Amazon.com got $15.82 from my bank account in order to read "Alan Turing: The Enigma," the book in which screenwriter Graham Moore based the story upon. Telling the story of Alan Turing, a mathematician who in 1939 led a pioneer in cracking one of the most difficult codes in history. His contributions paved the way for essentially the way we exist now. However, Turing, who is a homosexual, has to wrestle with his secret in order to keep his status and his work years later. Masterfully told and encompassing an emotional complexity, Tyldum's film is both engrossing and disturbing. It has genius aspirations in which it wants to exist in the cinematic world. It's an impeccable thriller, taut and brilliant, exploring the horrors of war along with the choices that doom mankind for all eternity. Tyldum is methodical and precise in which he decides to unravel the story, Turing is one of the fallen heroes of our history and his story stands as one of the most tragic. Screenwriter Moore crafts a murky, dark, yet totally enjoyable spy film that stands taller than any James Bond film ever released. It's a sure-fire Oscar contender for several Academy Awards including Best Picture. They should feel so lucky to have the gumption to choose something this methodical and majestic. Benedict Cumberbatch continues to climb the ladder as one of the best actors working today. After impressive performances August: Osage County, 12 Years a Slave, and TV's "Sherlock," this is the role that will make him a bonafide movie star. Oscar-winner or not, this will be looked upon like the greats such as Gene Hackman in The French Connection or any legendary 70's movie that you love today. Cumberbatch hones in on all of Turing's character flaws and good qualities that make him a real person. He constructs him from the toes up, inflicting mannerisms and behaviors that all ring true. He stimulates all the sensual beats that keep us fixated on a performance. I can't help but go back to someone like Joaquin Phoenix in The Master, who delivered a construction of epic proportions. Though based on a real person, the talented Cumberbatch ignites his own masterpiece performance. He follows the demons of Turing down to his bones. Unsure, arrogant, and dismissive to the world around him, Turing shows only what he must, what he chooses, and every once in a while, we get a front seat to his soul. Thank you Cumberbatch. The rest of the cast is completely on their game. It's probably a contender for the SAG Ensemble prize. Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley, as the feisty and fiery Joan Clark, is as loose and comfortable as I've ever seen her. She wears Joan like an old coat from the back of the closet. Remembering it fondly and seeing that it fits just perfect. She has all the things that make up an Oscar nominee; a scene that will likely bring you to tears, plenty of scenes that play as the comic relief in a dark tale, and being simply charming in every part of the film. I don't know when it's going to happen but the world needs to make Matthew Goode a mega-star. In his brief time on-screen, Goode makes his mark, becoming essentially a co-anchor with Knightley of the supporting players, showcasing a reason to give this guy his own leading role sooner rather than later. As our resident sleazy authority figure, Charles Dance shows that he's still got it. Mark Strong and Allen Leech also deliver memorable, fascinating scenes, both getting an opportunity to shine. Technical merits are no shortage of excellence on display. Oscar- winning Editor William Goldenberg (Argo) shows that tension is his second language. Cutting the film to perfection, and forcing your heart into throat, this espionage thriller succeeds for general audiences because of Goldenberg's efforts. It's something that anyone can seek out and get fully immersed into. Alexandre Desplat tacks another impressive composition to his already thick resume. With films like The Grand Budapest Hotel already in his arsenal, I assume this to be another Oscar citation in his future. Shot by the talented Oscar Faura, responsible for painting the canvas that was J.A. Bayona's The Impossible, he utilizes the standard brilliance of capturing a moment. Knows when to pull back and get close. Let's not forget the Production and Costume Design by Maria Djurkovic and Sammy Sheldon Differ. Those two will surely be mentioned for the rest of the film year. The Imitation Game is assertive and makes a serious claim as one of the best spy thrillers ever made. There are sub plots that all resonate and never feel forced. This will not only keep your tension level at a fever pitch but could leave you in tears to walk home with. It's a complete realistic view at the spy game that stands as one of the best films of the year and a performance for the ages from Benedict Cumberbatch. A captivating achievement that I'll likely remember for some time.

• A gross distortion of people and events.

  RichardvonLust2015-01-20

  Although well crafted and paced by good professionals in almost every sphere of film making, The Imitation Game is sadly reduced to a piece of populist pulp by the dominance of formulaic 'Hollywood' principles that entirely distort the key events and personnel involved. Alan Turing did not alone invent the code breaking machine seen in the film. He worked in a team headed by Dilly Knox, not even depicted in the film, who succeeded in breaking the code on 23 January 1940. Gordon Welchman, again not depicted in the film, later headed the military section that developed the 'Bombe' machine (called 'Christopher' in the film) albeit with Turing's help but not under his total dominance as suggested in this fiction. Moreover the 'Bombe' was not a computer as the film states. It was a mere calculator rather than a programmable digital machine. The first computer at Bletchly was developed years later under Max Newman when Tommy Flowers designed 'Collossus'. This film intensely distorts these events and is a disgraceful insult to those who actually did the work. Worse still the film completely misrepresents Joan Clarke who is depicted as a rather attractive crossword enthusiast recruited by Turing because she can solve puzzles faster than him. This was utter rubbish. Clarke, a 'plain Jane' type mathematician, was already employed at Bletchly when Turing arrived. Even Alan Turing himself is misrepresented in character. Eccentric he certainly was but the arrogance shown in the film has no real foundation. Moreover he was not uncomfortable with his sexuality or even the hormonal treatment he received as depicted at the end of the film. His friends report that he laughed about developing breasts that would increase his attractiveness to other men. But the film, funded by the powers that are today, cannot even suggest the dreadful possibility that Turing's death was not the suicide so adamantly stated at the end. Turing was devoted to his mother (also never depicted in the film) and the concept of his suicide without leaving her a letter is inconceivable. He had been warned by MI6 only months before his death not to continue his homosexual lifestyle (they were paranoid after the Burgess-Maclean saga) but he continued to visit Greece where he openly took up with gay men. Entirely happy only a few days before we are told that he then took his own life whilst eating an apple. His family and friends maintain the real chance that he was expediently removed by MI6 as a security risk. And poisoning food with cyanide was then a well used technique in security circles for such requirements. When a film depicts a Cambridge Professor of Mathematics attacking a machine with a heavy spanner because it is not working fast enough, when a film repeats the single memorable line about unimaginable people doing the unimaginable three times in 30 minutes, when a film states that the central character had the power to decide 'who was to live and who was to die' (again a total nonsense because how the code was used was decided at top Cabinet level and not by the code breakers at all) when such rubbish is presented alongside a string of historical distortions you will know that is essentially rubbish and a waste of time to watch. And Benedict Cumberbatch's performance, though competent, was too reminiscent of Derek Jacobi's famous BBC2 portrayal in places to be thought of as original. Timothy Spall as Mr. Turner was not even Oscar nominated for his excellent portrayal but Cumberbatch has been included to expand the Turing myth. Thank God Eddy Redmayne is there to take the prize for his staggering performance as Steven Hawking.