I'll own up to my ignorance and admit that I did not know very much about Alan Turing. I knew what the Turing Test was, but beyond that, I wasn't aware of contributions to the war effort during World War II, nor was I aware of his treatment after that. His efforts to try to crack the German's Enigma Machine, a machine that was a cypher for the German's cryptic messages during the war that reset it's code every 24 hours, was nothing short of amazing.
Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a 27-year-old mathematics genius, who has the propensity to rub people the wrong way because of his high intelligence and lack of understanding concerning human interaction. When Turing is brought in to help crack the Enigma Machine, he has to work alongside John Cairncross (Allen Leech), Peter Hilton (Matthew Beard), and Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode), and under the supervision of Commander Dennison (Charles Dance) and MI6 operative Stewart Menzies (Mark Strong). Together, the initial team of four work towards solving the unsolvable Enigma Machine. But while three of them work together, Turing works alone to figure out his own way to solve it. This is until he meets Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), a woman mathematician every bit as smart as him. And from here the story continues to unfold.
Cumberbatch is flat out amazing as Turing, not so much portraying him as embodying him. He gets little things so right, and makes you understand that Turing's genius is as much a gift as it is a curse to him. For much of the film, Turing is closed off, or does not know how to express what he feels, yet when the layers are finally peeled back, we get a true sense of what motivated the man, and what impact it had on his life. Cumberbatch is so aptly game for this, as he nails every beat. Yes, I know he's made a career out of playing characters smarter than the rest, but this is his best performance to date.
Equally as good are the supporting cast. I was never a huge fan of Keira Knightley, feeling like she got undue praise, but god damn if 2014 didn't change my opinion. Knightley is wonderful as Joan, Turing's best friend, who is always there for him, yet proves she is willing to prove him wrong when need be. Leech, Beard and, particularly, Goode* are all strong as the team working to solve the Enigma. Charles Dance and Mark Strong are their reliable selves in smaller roles, and Rory Kinnear, who is Britain's go to character actor it seems, does a fine job as a Detective investigating Turing. Also Alex Lawther as young Alan Turing is good as well.
Director Morten Tyldum creates a biopic that never bores you, and constantly keeps you along during the ride. Along with writer Graham Moore, they tell a story about love, loss, secrets and sacrifice that is bolstered by Cumberbatch and company. The score by Alexandre Desplat is just another notch is his belt.
Ultimately, The Imitation Game is among the years best films. It never feels too smart, keeps you hooked and applies pressure at the right times. Normally I don't care for biopics, but this is one of the best in recent years, and will be a big player come Oscar time.
Grade: A
*I know everyone is talking about Idris Elba for the next Bond, but Matthew Goode is the perfect candidate for the next James Bond
