Best Picture Nominee: The Imitation Game

Cast:
Benedict Cumberbatch
Kiera Knightley
Mark Strong
Matthew Goode
Allen Leech

I must confess, prior to hearing about Benedict Cumberbatch being cast in this film I honestly knew next to nothing about Alan Turing, which is a shame considering we have him to thank for much of our digital technology. I still know little about him, so I really cannot comment on the historical accuracy of this film. I also must admit that I may be a little biased, as I am a big Cumberbatch fan, but I really thought this was a brilliant film. The entire cast was wonderful and I’m excited it’s been nominated for so many awards. I have a feeling it’s chances of taking home many of them are slim considering the competition, but it definitely deserved it’s nominations.

The Imitation Game is the story of how Alan Turing created a machine that could crack the Enigma code the Germans were using during World War II. Thanks to his efforts – and those of his team – the war probably ended much earlier than it otherwise would have. Instead of becoming a hero however, Turing was eventually arrested for being homosexual and forced to undergo chemical castration. He died two years later and only recently has the British Government given him pardon.

The film spends most of its time on Turing’s contributions to the war effort and Cumberbatch’s performance was excellent. At first I was concerned that Turing’s apparent confidence and arrogance would make him just another version of Cumberbatch’s more famous role, but soon the differences between them emerged and I completely forgot about Sherlock. Turing’s confidence wasn’t arrogant so much as he simply had trouble with social interaction. There was a lot going on under the surface of this character, and Cumberbatch played that well.

The supporting cast was terrific as well. Kiera Knightly and Cumberbatch stood out of course, but I enjoyed all the performances in this film. I was pleasantly surprised to recognized Allen Leech among the cast – I hadn’t realized he was in the film, but I really enjoyed his performance as well. And Matthew Goode is great at making you hate or love a character and in this film he does both.

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Moment: I wasn’t thinking about my review when I watched, so I didn’t specifically choose a favorite moment although I loved Knightley’s first scene, where she practically has to fight her way into the examination hall because she is a woman. Knightley and Cumberbatch had great chemistry on screen and I enjoyed nearly every scene they had together.

Nominee Ranking:

1. The Imitation Game