Film Review: The Imitation Game

Rating:

Directed by Morten Tyldum and based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges, The Imitation Game tells the true story of British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing, Benedict Cumberbatch, a key figure in cracking Nazi Germany’s Enigma code that helped the Allies win World War II, only to later be criminally prosecuted by the UK government in 1952 for his homosexuality which the country deemed illegal.

The Imitation Game does what every film should – it tells an exceptional story. It’s one that not many people know about or know very little about, and one that has only over the last couple of decades been fully told. But it is a story that everybody should know; not just because of its historical impact, but because of what this one man did for Britain to help bring an end to World War 2.

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a phenomenal lead. His emotional performance is powerful and engaging, with fantastic support from Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode.

I feel that certain points about Turing’s life, such as his chemical castration, could have been given more of a focus, because as tragic as these parts of his life were, it’s shocking to think that this is how people lived back then. It’s a shocking and heartbreaking story as to how Turing was treated when he did so much for his country, and whilst the story is excellently told, it could have been one that reduced its audiences to tears. However, it does still show the importance of Turing and his work without depressing its audience too much.