Many historic events sometimes have, without us being aware, had a big impact on our daily lives. The device you are using at the moment to read this review is a good example of that. The man who was one of the pioneers when it comes to the development of computers is Alan Turing, the main character in this movie about breaking the German Enigma code.
When the second world war started the Germans seemed to be unstoppable. An important reason for their success was the fact that their communication, which anyone could intercept, was encrypted and seemed unbreakable. Every days the messages were intercepted and it was tried to decipher them, but because the device which was used to encrypt them changed codes everyday, the British couldn’t find out what the German plans were. This resulted in big losses for the British army and they decided to start looking for experts on cryptography in the hope to reach a breakthrough.
One of those experts is Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch). He isn’t very capable socially, but extremely confident and therefore doesn’t receive much sympathy from others. Still he is hired by the army and he decides to design a machine which could try deciphering the messages quicker than any man or woman could.
Besides a story about breaking a code, The Imitation Game is mainly a movie about Alan Turing. Exceptionally edited three stories about him, as a boy, his work during the war and his life after the war are intertwined, without ever losing focus. All these stories add a complexity to the main story and it makes Alan Turing a man you care for. Of course this is also because the acting by Cumberbatch who shows him as someone who puts everything into his work, but is also struggling with his secrets and those who don’t understand his work.
Keira Knightley is Joan Clarke, another member of the code breaking team. Even though her roles aren’t always convincing to me, she is very good here in a very held back, but important role. The movie manages to create a feeling of shame when watching it because it is almost unbelievable to see how a man like Turing was treated during his life. His role in history initially seemed to be forgotten, underappreciated. This would only change many decades after his death. The Imitation Game is another way to make sure that his story is not forgotten.
Excellent review. I loved this one too. Cumberbatch and Knightley were so wonderful.
Hear hear!
Yep. I thought this film was excellent. I didn’t think Knightley’s role was as solid or well fleshed out as it should have been, and I felt Turing’s homosexual arc was underplayed to the detriment of the film, but otherwise, Blanderkirk Crumblesnitch did a fantastic job.
Hahaha, so funny how people make fun of his name 🙂
Loved this one!
Happy to hear that!