Those of you who like your war movies American and full of explosions, give “The Imitation Game” a try as an alternative to the usual bombs-and-brooding fare. “Imitation” stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, who, as much as any guy holding a rifle or grenade, won World War II for the Allies by decrypting the supposedly unbreakable German Enigma code.
“Imitation” is equal parts spy thriller and “A Beautiful Mind,” with a touch of political drama thrown in. Benedict Cumberbatch certainly plays Turing as a flawed genius, flirting with the autism spectrum while he woos Keira Knightley (platonically, as plot developments will hash out) and alienates those with whom he is supposed to work.
While Turing invents something that changes not only the war, but the entire world–a device whose grandchildren will be called “personal computers”–he struggles with a secret that could take him down completely and, potentially, lost the war and the world to Hitler.
A subplot involving a member of the team being a spy is a fun game-within-the-movie for someone without the knowledge to have history spoil a good film, and the mistrust and distrust seeing Turing in action, even if they downplay the contributions of his compatriots, is a tremendous good time.
“The Imitation Game” is one of the year’s best movies, one that offers a stark message and warning to us. The best part is we don’t even realize it until almost half way through the movie.
