'The Imitation Game' Review: Critics Highlight Benedict Cumberbatch Performance
"The Imitation Game" features fine performance from Benedict Cumberbatch who plays the role of Alan Turing, the brilliant British mathematician and computer scientist who is often called the father of modern computing.
The film covers important periods in Turing's life starting with his stay in boarding school, his work that led to the breaking of the Enigma code during the Second World War, and finally his decline and conviction for "gross indecency." According to wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Turing shortened World War II by breaking the code for the German Enigma machine, a device for sending coded messages to units of the German forces.
The film was initially released in several film festivals earlier in the year. Last week it was released in four cinemas in the U.S. and went on to collect $120,500 from each theater.
Variety reviewed the film after it premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, saying it featured a "masterful performance" from Cumberbatch. It said overall the film is a well-told piece that was inspired by the theater, adding that its plot was skillfully manipulated to captivate the audience. Compared to the 2001 film "Enigma," Variety says "The Imitation Game" is much better.
However, Variety said the film was not able to fully capture the messy and complex nature of Turing's life.
Another glowing review was provided by Time which stated that the film revolves around Cumberbatch's acting, which it describes as "magnetic."
The New York Times, meanwhile, noted that "the film might have been groundbreaking a few years ago but currently it conveys a sense that it is too perfect and stale."
The Hollywood Reporter, in its review, noted that the film is both "textured and tragic" as the eventual arrest and conviction of Turing provided a backdrop to the entire film. Otherwise it says the film does not go into details of how exactly Turing broke the Enigma code and his achievement in pioneering the development of computers.
Most industry sources and reviews agree that Cumberbatch is a strong contender in the Best Actor category at the upcoming Oscars.
The film also stars Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, Charles Dance as Commander Denniston, and Matthew Goode as Hugh Alexander. It is directed by Morten Tyldum.
