The Imitation Game, Review: Every spectator is a winner

Before the publication of Oxford mathematician Andrew Hodges’ ground-breaking 1983 biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma, the British mathematician who played a crucial role in breaking the Nazis’ Enigma ciphers during World War II and laid the groundwork for modern notions of artificial intelligence, was little known outside of scientific circles. Hodges’ revelatory account detailed how a man who should have been a national hero (if much of his work hadn’t remained classified) became reviled because of his homosexuality, and added another layer of complexity to a chronicle of a life that had been unjustly forgotten. The 500-page biography has been re-issued now, with a new preface and a foreword by Douglas Hofstadter, timed to coincide with the new British-American film, released in India this week. Besides this film version, Alan Turing: the Enigma was the basis for the 1986 play, Breaking the Code, by Hugh Whitemore, and starring Derek Jacobi, who later reprised the role on British television in 1996.

During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war-hero Alan Turing (picture above) to investigate a reported burglary. They, instead, ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of “gross indecency,” an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offence of homosexuality. Little did officials know that they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany’s World War II Enigma machine, used to convey strategic moves and attacks on the Allied forces. After the war, he and his team were sworn to secrecy about the entire project. Pursuant to being found guilty of the offence of “gross indecency” and sentenced by a judge to inhumane “chemical castration,” Turing committed suicide, in 1954. National shame over his fate is reflected in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s apology for Turing’s sentence in 2009, and Queen Elizabeth’s posthumous 2013 “pardon.”

Screenwriter Graham Moore makes his debut with this film as his first produced feature film screenplay. “I was a huge computer nerd. Among computer science people, Turing is like a legend. He’s this legend passed around among computer people for generations, from the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the world on down to 15 year old me. He’s the guy who secretly invented the computer, but no-one knew, and he was chemically castrated by the government. Nora [Grossman] and Ido [Ostrowsky], our producers, had first heard about the story when Gordon Brown apologised, and they were like, ‘Who is this person? That’s a really interesting story.’ They researched it and optioned the biography, and then I got the opportunity to come on, through them. It was this dream opportunity, the once-in-a-lifetime chance to write this story.”

Yes, there is a well-researched book to base your screenplay on, and the hero of your story is a real person whose life is now well-documented. But, like the say in cricket, you still got to play the ball and place it in the right direction to score a sixer. It’s a fabulous debut, and we look forward to Moore sixers, Graham.

Norwegian director Morten Tyldum who enjoyed international recognition for his critically acclaimed thriller Headhunters, didn’t know anything about Turing until he read Moore’s script. “I was reading all these scripts for action thrillers and superhero movies, and then somebody said, ‘You have to read this beautiful little script.’ I read it, and I was just blown away.” We wanted to make a layered movie. This could have been so many things: it’s a war story, a spy thriller, two love stories, a human rights element. We talked about how to seamlessly bring all these threads together. To me, the movie is a mystery, and you unravel it and put it together. Turing was obsessed with puzzles, so we wanted the movie to become a puzzle. I made an action thriller, and then came to Hollywood.”

The Imitation Game gives you what you look for: war story, a spy thriller, two love stories, a human rights element (victimisation of homosexuals in the Britain of the1940s and 50s). And at all these levels, it works wonderfully. The homosexual angle is carefully downplayed, and allowed to dominate the narrative only when it really matters. Turing’s personality has obviously been carefully crafted along with Cumberbatch, right down from his arrogant acerbic humour to his egotistic arrogance.

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate, August: Osage County, 12 Years a Slave , Star Trek sequel, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey/There and Back Again, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and TV’s Sherlock Holmes) was Morten Tyldum's first choice to play Turing because, "It’s not every actor who can play a genius." He’s turned out be the genius playing a genius. Hardly an expression in the whole film, a blank, deadpan face, unattractive costumes and strange facial make-up and hairdo—all of these add to the consummate skills of the actor. Turing’s screen incarnation is a beneficiary of Benedict’s benediction.

Keira Knightley (Begin Again, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Anna Karenina, King Arthur, Love Actually, Bend it Like Beckham) says about her role as Turing’s friend and collaborator Joan Clarke, “You know, we only had eight weeks to film, so you really had to come in being completely prepared and ready to go because you didn’t have the time to make any mistakes.” One cannot find many mistakes in her delivery. Yet, it would help if she did not let her expression jump-cut from a serious interested look into an indulgent smile.

Allen Leech (Tom of Downtown Abbey), plays the Russian sympathiser in the project, John Cairncross, who passes on secrets to his contacts there. His naiveté is well conveyed by Leech. Matthew Goode (Finn Polmar on CBS’s The Good Wife), is cast as Hugh Alexander, the chess champion who initially spars with Turing, but becomes a life-long friend, even rooting for him when there are moves to evict him from his position. It is small role, well essayed. Charles Dance as Turing’s detractor and Mark Strong as an MI6 agent contribute powerful performances.

The Imitation Game is one game you must watch. Every spectator is a winner.

Rating: ***1/2

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CjKEFb-sM