“Sometimes, it is the very people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.”
This phrase was repeated three times in “The Imitation Game,” and the words resonate true in the case of the film’s subject. Directed by Morten Tyldum and adapted by Graham Moore from Andrew Hodge’s book, “Alan Turing: The Enigma,” the film closely follows the life of Turing, the British mathematician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist. Yes, last month I spoke to you of one genius with a life-changing struggle, and now I present to you another.
It isn’t a surprise that the story made it to the big screen. Turing’s life was predestined to become a movie. He was the man behind the bombe, a code-breaking machine that cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code in World War II and contributed to the idea of the modern computer. And, even beyond his professional work, he was an incredibly interesting man. He hid his homosexuality at a time when it was illegal in the United Kingdom, and there is speculation that he was on the autistic spectrum. And the end of his life—well, talk about tragedy.
The plot weaves three different segments of Turing’s life together: the beginning, in his childhood, when his only friend is Christopher Morcom; the end, in the days of his conviction for “indecency” (read: homosexuality); and the middle, which holds the most focus—his wartime endeavors as a cryptanalyst.
Played by Benedict Cumberbatch (and Alex Lawther as young Turing), Turing comes across as an odd, brilliant man who doesn’t quite grasp the concept of jokes and colloquialisms. He begins his work at Bletchley Park, immediately isolating himself from his colleagues and claiming that he will be the one to crack the Enigma, a machine the British stole from the Germans that decodes messages—when used properly.
The problem is, every day at midnight, the Germans scrap the code and come up with a new one, which means that the team of cryptanalysts has fewer than 24 hours to decipher the code before they have to start all over again. Turing, however, claims that he will create a machine (which he poetically names Christopher) that can decipher the code for them—a machine to beat a machine.
At first, his colleagues complain that he is wasting precious time (and precious lives) by drawing diagrams and refusing to work on the actual codes. But then Turing riles the group even further by taking charge and firing two people. To fill the hole in manpower, he puts a crossword puzzle in the newspaper, claiming that whoever can solve it in fewer than 10 minutes will qualify as a candidate for one of the open positions. A woman, Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), qualifies, and, soon after, joins Turing in his work at Bletchley (though in secret, because how could an unmarried young woman do such work?).
Joan serves as a conflicting love interest, as her closeness with Turing has everyone convinced—except Turing—that they are a couple. The plot takes several sharp turns as it continues, which I will not reveal here, but, basically, Turing’s odd behavior does not go unnoticed. His life’s work and vitality hinge on the effectiveness of his machine, and the number of secrets he has to keep to protect himself begins to grow.
The plot seems a bit crowded, especially in the second half. Events start to unfold that could have been made into another film entirely, causing this two-hour story to feel bloated with plot points. Perhaps the writer got carried away with the idea of piling secrets onto Turing’s plate. But the film certainly conveys the psychological impact that this forced privacy has on him. There is a scene toward the end that especially reveals his inner conflict, in which Turing challenges an investigator to judge whether he is a person or a machine. From the perspective of this film, every one of Turing’s passions and dispositions forces him into secrecy, to avoid the worse option—his life being compromised or threatened.
This culminates in a bittersweet ending, as we learn the fate of a man who helped end the war. It is upsetting to see him torn up by a society that he gave so much to, and yet this is what happened. Perhaps the film could have gone more in-depth with the injustices that were served upon him. Instead, it is explained in five minutes at the end of the film. Not to say it wasn’t impactful, but it turns a tragedy into a fable.
Cumberbatch and Knightley give amazing performances, and this is hardly a surprise, especially for Cumberbatch, who never seems to fail when given a character of high intelligence. I can see him getting an Oscar nomination for this role, though I can’t see him beating out the rest of the year’s competition. The rest of the cast gives some strong supporting performances, especially Matthew Goode, Mark Strong and Charles Dance.
Overall, this is a film that you want to see about a man that you probably didn’t know too much about. “The Imitation Game” will be playing at the Midtown Cinema soon.
Sammi Leigh Melville is a staff member and film reviewer at Midtown Cinema.
Midtown Cinema January Events
Digital Classic Theatre Presents
“Great Expectations” from London’s West End
Sunday, Jan. 1, 4pm & Tuesday, Jan. 6, 7pm
Down in Front!
Improv crew skewers “Monster a Go-Go”
Friday, Jan. 9, 9:30ish
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Classic cartoons on the big screen
Saturday, Jan. 10, 9:30-11:30am
Mommy & Me Matinees
Early matinees every second Saturday!
Saturday, Jan. 10
Foreign & Classic Series
Charlie Chaplin’s “Gold Rush”
Sunday, Jan. 11, 6pm
3rd in The Burg $3 Movie
“The Muppet Movie”
Friday, Jan. 16, 9:30ish
Family Film Series
“The Muppets Take Manhattan”
Saturday, Jan. 17, 12pm; Sunday, Jan. 18, 2pm; & Tuesday, Jan. 20, 7pm
National Theatre Live Presents
DV8 Physical Theatre’s “John”
Sunday, Jan. 18, 4pm & Tuesday, Jan. 20, 7pm
Friends of Midtown Presents
1970 documentary “King: A Filmed Record . . . Montgomery to Memphis”
Sunday, Jan. 18 & Monday, Jan. 19, 5pm
Moviate Film Series
Sunday, Jan. 25, 7:30pm
