The Imitation Game

Alan Turing is one of the truly heroic figures of the last century and few people have ever even heard of the man. Turing should be studied in schools alongside all the other important and pertinent game-changing icons of the 20th century whose names are memorized and whose stories are celebrated. Yet his remarkable achievements were only known by a select few in high-ranking positions.

Winston Churchill credited Turing with making the "single biggest contribution" to the allied victory against the Nazis. He was the head of a team of British mathematicians who cracked the unbreakable "Enigma" code.

Alan Turing also happened to be a gay man at a time in history when homosexuality in the UK was still considered a crime. The fate of this man is heartbreaking. In 1952, he was charged with gross indecency (same as Oscar Wilde half a century earlier), convicted of homosexual acts and given the option of either going to prison or allowing chemical castration injections. He chose the latter so he could continue work on his 'Turing machine.' Turing committed suicide within a year.

Norwegian director Mortem Tyldum, along with screenwriter Graham Moore, has given us a film that celebrates the achievements of this truly extraordinary man, embodied brilliantly by Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as provide a riveting and engrossing account of how Turing led a handful of math geeks toward developing a digital contraption (that no one initially believed in) that would give the allies a huge advantage, helping to shorten WW2 by two years and saving millions of lives in the process.

Turing's stubborn and arrogant steadfastness is depicted immediately at the beginning of "The Imitation Game," when he interviews with the naval commander in charge of the top-secret mission (the always intimidating Charles Dance). Turing pisses him off by stating that the government needs him more than he needs the job. "I like solving problems," Turing explains, seeing Enigma, initially, as no more than a puzzle to be solved.

The non-linear narrative cleverly bounces back and forth and further back in time, slowly revealing the psychology behind Turing's legion of foibles and idiosyncrasies. The film's framing device is the investigation into the break-in of Turing's apartment in 1951 that leads a detective (Rory Kinnear) to suspect that he might be a Soviet spy after discovering his past work for the government was classified. The interrogation that follows leads to the story proper which takes place at Bletchley Park in England, beginning in 1939, where Turing and his gaggle of genius cryptanalysts begin work on the mammoth task. Chief among the group is chess champ, ladies' man and original leader, Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode, always impressive), who initially dismisses Turing's electro-mechanical machine solution. They're given 18 hours a day to crack the uncrackable before the code resets itself and they have to start from scratch.

?Dissatisfied with his team and their contempt for his ideas, Turing audaciously writes Churchill to voice his complaint and is immediately put in charge. He fires two of the less competent workers and finds replacements via a crossword-puzzle-solving challenge he places in the newspapers. One of the braniac contest-winners happens to be a young woman, Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), who takes an instant liking to the otherwise shunned Turing.

As our social pariah protagonist toils away at his "digital computer" which he names Christopher (for deeply personal reasons that are revealed as the movie unfolds), it becomes clear that his idea is the only one that can potentially break the code.

Moore has penned an intelligent, sharp script, based on a bio by Andrew Hodges, that is illuminating and thought provoking. Of course, the real story is much more complex, but Moore does an admirable job sifting out the most potent elements.

Tyldum, with very little experience, directs with an expert hand, creating a deeply satisfying thriller that is also a devastating character study.

Deceptively old-fashioned in look and tone, "The Imitation Game," has an air of self-importance to it, but that's because Turing's story lends itself to demanding recognition and apology.

These people helped to save the world (not hyperbole, truth). They were later placed in the untenable position of making impossible moral and ethical decisions. And they were never acknowledged for their notable contributions. Turing was, instead, destroyed both mentally and physically because of his sexual orientation. That's part of what makes "The Imitation Game" such a substantive and vital film for the LGBT community. In addition, the narrative skillfully and cleverly challenges notions of normalcy and expectation that have been insidiously woven into the fabric of western culture via religious and social teachings.

Bullied at boarding school, Turing is made to feel like a loser mostly because of his unique perspective on the world (so it isn't only about his being gay). He's audaciously confident, and doesn't understand why that isn't enough for attention to be paid to his work and ideas.

Benedict Cumberbatch is this year's Cate Blanchett, miraculously managing a fully immersive, daring-to-be-disliked portrayal that is revelatory from an actor who has given us nothing but revelations. His Turing is at once pained, confused, cocky and wise. His perpetually frowned-face appears to be forever wondering why everyone else can't see the world the way he does. Cumberbatch should be the man to beat for the Best Actor Oscar.

Keira Knightley has been consistently amazing in films like, "A Dangerous Method," "Never Let Me Go" and "Begin Again." In this film, she delivers another powerhouse performance playing a gal considered sub-intellectual because of her sex. That she happens to be smarter than anyone else in the room (except, perhaps, Turing) is the rub. "I'm a woman in a man's job," she explains to a detached Turing. "I don't have the luxury of being an ass."

Oscar Faura's cinematography is gorgeously classy-lavish yet dark and bleak. The production design, by Maria Djurkovic, sometimes feels like a peek into Turing's math-addled head. Alexander Desplat's score is intense, anxiety-ridden and rousing where it should be. William Goldenberg's editing weaves the filmic pieces together like one of Turing's puzzles slowly being deciphered.

To nitpick, there is a thrice-repeated phrase that wears out its welcome after we hear it the first time. Also, the newsreel moments of air attacks have a B-movie effect. Finally, it would have been nice to actually see how Turing related to another man on a romantic level. Nitpicking over.

"Are you paying attention?" are the first ominous words heard in the film. It's Turing messing with the mind of his interrogator but it also feels like a warning to viewers about how frightening and dangerous life was for gay men just a few decades ago and how, if we do not heed the lessons history has to teach, oppression could rear its ugly head. Take a look at what's going on in Russia.

"The Imitation Game" is the one of the most significant and best films of 2014.