SPOILERS DOWN THE PATH; THE DISCUSSION BELOW WILL NOT BE COMPREHENSIVE WITHOUT IT.
TREAD CAREFULLY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
The Imitation Game is a personal invitation for an exclusive look into the life and tide of one prodigy named Alan Turing, a revolutionary mathematician cum cryptanalyst who cracked The Enigma and helped Britain win the Second World War!
Right off the bat, the script is brilliant! Rather than churning out a biography in factory model format where we see the age travel of the subject, The Imitation Game narrates the tale of Alan Turing by utilizing the essence who he really was and what defined him. Often times when it comes to historical fictions, the preconceived idea associated with it would be 'it's gonna be slow'… But Morten Tyldum's Hollywood debut feature is far from that! Each and every scene is intriguing and fast-paced, from start to finish. The stakes, the danger, the impossibility of the task at hand and the goal the characters are trying to achieve are crystal clear!
There are a lot of layers you could peel back and realize about the protagonist as you walk along the runtime. You'd never know how significant the machine named Christopher is to him until you discover how heavily dependent it is to his heartbreaking past. The dedication and drive he has to complete this machine at the expense of anything, even if it requires him to fake-propose a woman whom he's well aware he'll never be able to live with as the intended husband due to his different sexual preference… prompts you to think about this figure differently after the show is over. Knowing that he has a paper written about the machine way back as a thesis and him seeking for the opportunity himself to crack the Enigma which would then provide him the funds he need to create the machine, is it fair to say Alan Turing was a selfish person? We never really see him truly caring for the repercussions of the ongoing war as his only concern was to ensure the machine function and continue to work fine at all times. Anyhow, this is undeniably a very interesting discussion to have!
While most of the sequences are captivating, the point where the team finally breaks the Enigma is genuinely emotional, since we've witnessed their painstaking efforts beforehand. It's a pity that the estrogen treatment has damaged Alan's intelligence during his last days. Epilogue in text form is awakening to say the least, especially when it's revealed that Turing Machines have evolved into the computers we use in everyday life today! Benedict Cumberbatch's award-winning performance displays the different dimensions of his acting capability. The climactic moment where he cries for Christopher easily makes us sympathize for the relationship he once shared with the person and how that tremendous loss has affected his life ever since. Alex Lawther as the young Alan Turing is skillful, together with Matthew Goode as the rival-turned-friend Hugh Alexander. Charles Dance may have been the real Cdr. Alastair Denniston in his previous birth, for his look and posture presentations convince big time! Keira Knightley made a fair presence as Joan Clarke.
One could narrate a World War II story to you, but to give it a life onscreen is not simple at all. The art directors did an immaculate job transporting you to this universe! Cinematographer Óscar Faura who canned the moments amidst the big flood in The Impossible, completely switched lens to a classic, vintage visualist here. Alexandre Desplat's score was transcendent and William Goldenberg's editing, slick!