THE IMITATION GAME Review

In September 1933, General George S. Patton told
the Calvary Journal , “Wars may be fought with
weapons, but they are won by men.”
Mathematician Alan Turning proved Patton’s
statement was only half true when it came to
World War II. It was won by men and a machine.
Turing and his team used a computer to
decipher the Germans’ “Enigma” code, which
turned the tide of the war and was one of the key
contributions to the Allies’ victory. Morten
Tyldum ’s The Imitation Game is a compelling
look at a man treated inhumanely and the
creation of his machine that helped saved
humanity from evil. The film isn’t hard to crack,
but led by Benedict Cumberbatch ’s outstanding
performance and Tyldum’s strong direction, it’s a
compelling tale of secrets, lies, and sacrifice.
In 1951, there’s been a break-in at Alan Turing’s
(Cumberbatch) home, but nothing has been
stolen, so Inspector Nock ( Rory Kinnear ) starts
digging to find out why. We then cut back to
1939 and learn about Turing joining the military
so he can solve the toughest puzzle in the world,
Enigma, which encrypts Germany’s
communications. Brilliant but arrogant, Turing
believes the only way to break the code is to
build a machine, and he reluctantly works with
cryptologists Hugh Alexander ( Matthew Goode),
John Cairncross ( Allen Leech ), and Peter Hilton
( Matthew Beard ) to accomplish their mission.
However, Turing does take a liking to Joan Clarke
( Keira Knightley ), a brilliant woman who’s
underestimated by others because of her gender.
In between the plotlines in 1951 and 1939, we
also occasionally turn back to 1928 where we see
a teenage Turing fall for one of his male
classmates.
One of the best aspects of The Imitation Game is
how it makes Turing’s homosexuality a key part
of his story, but not the only part of his identity.
He had to remain closeted in order to continue
his work , but we’re not constantly being
reminded of his sexuality as if it were an
obstacle. He is not solely defined by his sexual
orientation. It is part of a fully formed character
who has other interests, goals, traits, and quite a
few shortcomings when it comes to social
interactions.
Early in the film, it feels like we’re about to get a
variation of Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. But
Cumberbatch’s Alan Turing is Holmes if he were
a real person instead of someone who, for all
intents and purposes, is a superhero. Holmes is a
very entertaining character, but for Turing,
there has to be a serious, emotional underpinning.
The reason he rejects others needs to be more
interesting than simply being the smartest person
in the room. He must develop real relationships,
not just for historical accuracy, but because it
would be somewhat uninteresting if he built the
machine singlehandedly. And that’s not to
mention paying honor to the memory of Turing by
remembering that if you want to show someone
as a great person, you must first depict him or
her as a real person.
Watching Cumberbatch’s career explode over
the past several years, I’ve felt that when it
comes to his performances outside of Sherlock,
he had a great one in him, but we hadn’t seen it
yet. He was still good in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ,
The Fifth Estate, August: Osage County , and 12
Years a Slave, but it seemed like he could do
more. In The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch finally
delivers on that promise. He could have coasted
on doing Sherlock Holmes under a different
character name, but he finds the layers in Turing.
He embraces the vulnerability beneath the ego
and the intellect. Turing isn’t a god or a saint.
He’s a man, and one who’s uncertain of his own
humanity.
There isn’t much depth to The Imitation Game;
it’s a well-executed, populist drama where
characters occasionally talk in taglines. It’s a
movie your parents will enjoy if they’re casual
filmgoers. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a
frontrunner in the Oscar race. But it does have
some subtext when it comes to Turing wrestling
with his computational mind and desire for
human connection. The title, “The Imitation
Game”, comes from Turing’s paper about whether
it’s possible for a human to discern “a machine’s
ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to,
or indistinguishable from, that of a human.”
The question of what it means to be human
certainly isn’t a light one, but it’s also not the
focus of the movie. At its core, The Imitation
Game is an exciting war drama with plenty of
twists and turns, a terrific lead performance, and
strong supporting work from the rest of the cast.
It’s also an earnest tribute to a man who
changed the course of history with his machine.
Rating: B+