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If you’re looking for a film to fill up a spare afternoon, this is the one for you.
It is not action packed, nor is there a dramatic love triangle, but it is as charming and funny as it is heart-wrenchingly tragic.
The Imitation Game stars recently engaged actor, Benedict Cumberbatch and the beautiful Keira Knightly, who were last seen on screen together back in 2007 in another World War II film, Atonement.
The two actors both give top class performances, but Cumberbatch really shines as the autistic mathematician, Alan Turing.
Turing is now known as the godfather of the coding and cryptology, but he wasn’t always as highly regarded.
The film depicts the rise and fall of Turing in both his professional and personal life by the means of poignant flashbacks to his childhood and pitiful glimpses of his life, post-World War II.
The bulk of the film however is set during the first two years of the war while Turing and other genius’ are trying to break the German Enigma code, which contains the details to every German attack on the British and their allies, but frustratingly changes every day at midnight.
While there is understandable office tension, there are also other factors that contribute to the working environment such as the rivalry between Turing and Hugh Alexander (played by Matthew Goode); Turing’s struggle with social interaction sure to his severe autism; but also the blossoming friendship between Turing and Keira Knightley’s Joan Clarke.
The Imitation Game not only tells the remarkable story of Alan Turing’s life and what he did for the British war effort, but it also deals with much bigger social issues of the time such as people’s attitude towards homosexuals, sexism towards women in the workplace and distrust towards other countries.
Apart from the attitudes towards homosexuality that affect Turing directly, the film does not make a big deal out of these social issues; it merely depicts these social conventions of the time accurately and tastefully.
This adds to the richness of the film and makes it a pleasure to watch.
Benedict Cumberbatch once again proves why he is one of the most sought after actors in the world right now, by giving a performance that well and truly tugs on your heart strings.
Cumberbatch has the amazing ability to completely transform into his character and make you forget that you’ve ever seen him on screen before by stealing the show.
I was reminded however, that Cumberbatch has played this type of autistic genius before in Steven Moffat’s BBC adaptation of Sherlock.
The complete lack of tact and the audience of frustrated onlookers seemed all too familiar to me, but Cumberbatch soon brought it back by his truly unique performance.
The Imitation Game has all of the ingredients to be an instant classic of the historical bio-pic genre.
You do not need to be a mathematical genius or a World War II buff to understand or enjoy it either.
There are moments where you want to reach out and hug the characters in both sorrow and jubilation, along with moments that nobody sees coming.
This is a highly enjoyable film, but what really turns it into the contender for film of the year are the performances by the all-star cast.