The Imitation Game (2014) Review

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

Fury (2014) Movie Review

The Justice League

War movies often have the tendency to glorify the brutality of war, or to patrioitize whoever is being depicted. And in most cases, it is justified. I can't imagine the courage that those people had, and still do have, and it makes me admire what they have done for freedom. The thing that Fury did that I admired was that it made me feel these things for these men, while also allowing me to understand them, sympathize with them, and even hate and pity them. 

It is April, 1945 and in a last ditch effort to win the war, Hitler has militarized all men, women and children in Germany, while the Allied forces continue to press deeper into the country. Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Brad Pitt) is the leader of the tank named Fury, and the leader of the operators of that tank. Those men are Boyd "Bible" Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Trini "Gordo" Garcia(Michael Pena), and Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis (Jon Bernthal). When their assistant gunner is killed, they receive Norman Ellis (Logan Lerman), a typist who is assigned to Fury. He is afraid, and does not fit in with these hardened men, and fears constantly for his life as they embark on a mission to take a neighbouring town, and, simply, hold the line.

What writer/director David Ayer crafts with Fury is very much akin to what he did with End of Watch, delivering a powerful character drama with real human moments. The men who sit and operate inside Fury are as close as brothers, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make it out alive. What I really enjoyed about it was that it was never about winning the war to these men, it was simply about survival. It shows you the side of these men, where they are busting each others balls, having a meal together, fighting each other, or fighting beside each other. It allows into the minds of each man, and Ayer does a good job fleshing out each character. He makes you feel the bond between these men without ever having to explicitly state it.

He also does well to balance the action once the plot begins to move. The trailers make it seem as though it is non-stop tank action, which is not true. The action comes in waves, with each wave becoming more overpowering than the last, but it is still a film about the characters, and the effect this has on them. It's a character study taking place in World War II. Ayers eye to realism really pays off in this sense.

The entire cast is outstanding. Brad Pitt is his usual outstanding self, playing Wardaddy as a man who has seem some shit. He's angry, bitter and tired about the war, and you see it from the way that Pitt simply looks at another character, or his posture or the way he clenches his  jaw. It's a performance of subtly, but it's something Pitt is used to. He's a man who is functioning on the mantra of kill or be killed, and he refuses to die.

Michael Pena, who was also in End of Watch, plays the driver, and brings the right amount of intensity, passion and drunkenness to the role. He's a character, you can sense, feels lost in the war, but at home in Fury. Jon Bernthal plays a bull of a man, playing Coon-Ass like the classic loose cannon assholes that made DeNiro a star. It's another reliable turn from the actor. And LaBeouf, who seems to be the topic of so much hate, is also excellent as Bible, the operator of the cannon. LaBeouf may get shit about being somewhat crazy, but he can act. And does he. Something about having a southern accent makes his performances all the more believable and genuinely better (see Lawless for proof of this). Also the silly moustache actually works. Don't ask me how.

The performance I most enjoyed, however, was the performance of Logan Lerman. After The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I've been excited to see what he can do, because that was a fucking brilliant performance. And he's aptly game here, often going toe-to-toe with each member of the cast and deliver another very strong performance. You believe Norman goes through a change in the movie, and while it feels a tad fast, you feel the emotion he feels. It's the kind of performance that made Joseph Gordon Levitt an A-list star.

Honestly, I simply enjoyed the hell out of this movie. It's not perfect. Not by a long shot. It suffers from some pretty bad pacing at times (mainly the beginning), and often simply lingers too long. But it's a movie that makes you appreciate the calm before the storm, because the storm is pure hell. It made me genuinely afraid of the situations these men were in. And, while it's no Saving Private Ryan, it will have your stomach in your throat and your balls in a vice (we all have balls in this scenario, I don't write for gender). It also suffers from some lackluster cinematography at times, as it doesn't quite do the tank battles or destruction justice.

Ultimately, Fury is a story about men who want the war to be over, but continue to fight because it's what they have to do. It's not about winning the war for their country, or to kill Hitler. It's about fighting because it's all they can do.

Grade: B+