 "Imitation game,")
Are you paying attention?” Mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing begins the narrative by demanding a commitment from the viewer to listen and not judge him till he has finished his story. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Turing comes off as an eccentric, arrogant and bright mathematician at the start of the film. The actor, as in his powerhouse performances in August: Osage County, 10 Years a Slave and the Sherlock series, never fails to entertain.
The Imitation Game revolves around the struggle of Turing and his mates to crack the Enigma coding machine, using which the German army communicated with its forces in World War II. In the quest to decipher the messages emanating from the machine, the story fleshes out other interesting characters too. British Commander Denniston, played by Charles Dance of Game of Thrones fame, makes quite an entry as he recruits young Turing for the mission, codenamed Hut 8. Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode) essays the role of a flamboyant chess champion who is also on board for the project. Then there’s charming Keira Knightley who dons the role of Joan Clarke, a precocious woman who loves tackling puzzles. She becomes the heart of the story and because of her, Turing is able to mingle better with teammates and make the mission fruitful. But above all, her relationship with Turing gives depth to the emotional aspect of the movie. Knightley has done justice to her role, giving another angle to the pair’s complex relationship.
The storyline flits across Turing’s school days, the period during the war and the time when he is being investigated by policemen who believe that he might be a spy. It starts with a young Turing being bullied by classmates for his eccentric ways. It moves on to depict his arrogant nature while dealing with mates in Hut 8. Then we come to Detective Robert Nock (Rory Kinnear) questioning him, even as he tries to explain the concept that machines can ‘think’ differently from humans. It is during the investigation that the police find out Turing is homosexual. They file a case of indecency against him. It took Queen Elizabeth years after his death in 1954 to pardon him in 2013.
Between his struggle to deconstruct the workings of Enigma and his sexuality, the story switches back and forth and keeps you involved. The movie, with its eclectic cast, is a perfect example of emotionally engaging cinema. This story of a brilliant, if quirky, mathematician is now a contender for the Oscars. Adapted from Alan Turing: The Enigma, a novel by Andrew Hodges, the film is a must-watch for everyone, not just Cumberbatch fans. Of course, every stutter and every funny quip of Cumberbatch is bonus.
