The Imitation Game

Name: The Imitation Game
Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller, War
Released: November 28, 2014
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Allen Leech, Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 887 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 887 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: November 28, 2014 | PG-13

Starring: Allen Leech, Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode

Summary: During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) 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 criminalDuring the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) 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 offense of homosexuality – little did officials know, 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. [The Weinstein Company]… Expand

Director: Morten Tyldum

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Thriller, War

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 114 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Lawrence Toppman

Feb 2, 2015

This suspenseful drama reveals pieces of its puzzle steadily and slowly, until the final heartrending picture can be seen at last. Remarkably, it comes from a screenwriter who had never had a feature film produced and a director who had never made one in English. Read full review

Joe Williams

Dec 27, 2014

Many of the people reading this review are doing it on a computer. And all of them are reading it in English. It’s not much of stretch to say that you could credit both of those things to a man named Alan Turing. Read full review

Jeff Baker

Dec 27, 2014

Cumberbatch's scenes with Knightley are a model of how a buttoned-up character can open and reveal himself. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Dec 11, 2014

The Imitation Game is the one film that might have been better off longer. Starting the story in 1938 and just going through Turing’s life chronologically might have taken an extra 20 or 30 minutes, but it would have been worth it. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Nov 26, 2014

The constant in The Imitation Game is Benedict Cumberbatch’s terrific performance as Turing, which has much in common with his delightfully mercurial Sherlock Holmes, but with an underpinning of repressed emotion and quiet despair. Read full review

Geoff Pevere

Dec 11, 2014

Although sturdy enough in the middlebrow entertainment department, and handsomely mounted in a stiff upper-lip, prestige period-piece sort of way, The Imitation Game is ultimately a frightfully ordinary sort of seasonal ritual. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Nov 27, 2014

This could have been a story of immense heroism, tragic sacrifice and agonizing historical irony, and it hints in that direction, in its stiff-upper-lip fashion, before retreating into a vain search for a happy ending and an effort to turn itself into “The King’s Speech.” Read full review

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User Reviews

foxgrove

Nov 28, 2014

This true story of the breaking of the enigma code, which effectively ended World War 2, could so easily have turned out to be one of those overly clichéd and conventional bio-pics. However, in the hands of director Morten Tyldum it has, surprisingly, become so much more. Starting with aThis true story of the breaking of the enigma code, which effectively ended World War 2, could so easily have turned out to be one of those overly clichéd and conventional bio-pics. However, in the hands of director Morten Tyldum it has, surprisingly, become so much more. Starting with a smart and dense screenplay, which hones in on three different periods of time in the life of code breaker Alan Turing, the story is utterly compelling. Wisely, it has also been told in a straightforward and un complicated manner and after about 10 minutes one gets a dizzying sense that the film is going to be an absolute gem, a feeling that reaches fulfilment 2 hours later as the credits roll.
The recreation of time and place has been lovingly captured via excellent production design. In fact, the film is rich in detail. There are breathtaking vistas of war torn Britain which includes shots of bombers wreaking devastation over London and submarines firing rockets, as well as more ordinary depictions of rubble strewn streets and houses. It is also good to see the appropriate use of historic Bletchley Park as a backdrop to where all these events actually unfolded over 70 years ago. The editing seamlessly takes us from year to year without confusion or jarring transitions and the scenes leading up to, and immediately following, the breaking of the code are just thrilling. The music is another plus and whilst not particularly melodic it underscores what is happening on screen brilliantly.
Criticism has been levelled at the film for not focusing more on Turing’s sexuality which is as untrue as it is unfair. Beyond seeing him actually bonking we have more than enough information as to the effect his sexuality had on his life and, ultimately his death. Scenes of his childhood also give insight into the man he would become. End titles, unlike the recent ‘Foxcatcher’ are also helpful and informative.
Ultimately, the film belongs to its powerful cast. Benedict Cumberbatch is a revelation and he brings real humanity to the tortured Turing. Some of his moments, particularly near the end, are almost unbearably moving. Keira Knightley is almost his equal in a smaller but crucial role. She has real power here as Turing’s one time fiancé, the lone woman breaker who as it turns out is better than the men. Supporting actors Charles Dance, Rory Kinnear and Mark Strong all contribute characters that are more than mere ciphers. Also, it is to the credit of the boy playing Turing as a young man that we believe in the subsequent actions and performance of Cumberbatch.
Rarely is a film as all encompassing and engrossing as this one. It is a triumph on every level and a cinematic treat.… Expand

16 of 23 users found this helpful167

AvmOn

Oct 22, 2022

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Despite the atrocities caused by the war, it still contributed to the development of some revolutionary technologies that still shape the world we live in today: the computer, the Internet, JPL, etc. A film about a fascinating story. As I did not know much about the subject, I hadRZCDWZWZD

Despite the atrocities caused by the war, it still contributed to the development of some revolutionary technologies that still shape the world we live in today: the computer, the Internet, JPL, etc.
A film about a fascinating story. As I did not know much about the subject, I had the opportunity to discover with pleasure some new, fascinating information.
And one of Benedict best performances.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bmaster4616

Feb 11, 2015

Very good movie. It's a smart tale about a guy who is one of them smartest people to every exist on this planet. It tells the true story of Allen Turing, who is almost like Sheldon from the Big Bang theory. Socially awarded but a genius (also ironically that the actor and the character isVery good movie. It's a smart tale about a guy who is one of them smartest people to every exist on this planet. It tells the true story of Allen Turing, who is almost like Sheldon from the Big Bang theory. Socially awarded but a genius (also ironically that the actor and the character is this movie are both gay). The movies really only weakness is that it's slow and has parts that shouldn't be in the movie. There's also parts that seem Hollywoodized because of the original story maybe being "too boring". Though that is does hinder the movie, the movie is still one of the best movies in 2014. Like I stated before, it's smart and it knows it. Overall I'm satisfied with this great tragic tale of a man just trying to help people. 9.4… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

dinojay2

May 22, 2015

Cumberbatch is amazing as always, and overall this movie does a great job of turning a fairly bland subject into an intense and compelling story line. There seems to be considerable disagreement on the truth of the details, but looking at it strictly as a movie it certainly works.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

netflic

Dec 22, 2014

When I saw a preview for this movie, I was struck how unreal it looked. Clothes were spotless clean, hairstyles flawless. The same impression I had while watching a movie. In London during air raids people sat in bomb shelters and they looked as if they came straight from a barber shop.When I saw a preview for this movie, I was struck how unreal it looked. Clothes were spotless clean, hairstyles flawless. The same impression I had while watching a movie. In London during air raids people sat in bomb shelters and they looked as if they came straight from a barber shop. Computer graphics were not realistic either: torpedoes, bombings, etc. That put aside, the movie is just great. What a story! Maybe even too much for one movie. It's about one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20-th century, Alan Turing, who built the first computer to break the German cipher machine "Enigma" code, considered absolutely invulnerable, against all odds. And the horrible way Great Britain treated him, same as it treated all other homosexuals at that time. A Russian spy line is very interesting in itself. I admired both leads performance. Definitely Oscar material!… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

marklaing1

Jul 25, 2016

Dang, I wanted to like this movie so badly. And I did - up to a point.

My wife and I visited Bletchley Park a few years back and I've read a lot of the history of the codebreakers but I'm certainly not an expert. Or even a pedant (I hope). Trouble with these kinda historical biopicsDang, I wanted to like this movie so badly. And I did - up to a point.

My wife and I visited Bletchley Park a few years back and I've read a lot of the history of the codebreakers but I'm certainly not an expert. Or even a pedant (I hope).

Trouble with these kinda historical biopics is that they become the received version for history. Does that matter? Maybe. Even the author of the book from which it is based had some significant quibbles with the storyline. Does Turing have to be such as ass in this version? Was he really so painful in real life?

No mention of Tommy Flowers - the man who really built the Colossus machine?

It should make a great mini series - or just add another 20 minutes to fill in the details. Like one professional critic said: a good movie that should have been great.

One of the howlers - The real Alan Turing was not investigated for being a possible Soviet spy. The real story of breaking the Enigma code and Ultra, the keeping of the secret, is interesting enough without rewriting history. Sure I get it, take some liberties to make it filmatic but c'mon guys. This doesn't feel RIGHT.

Why call it "Christopher" when in real life it was the "bombe". From HistoryVSHollywood: "Turing didn't come up with the design for the improved Bombe machine on his own. Gordon Welchman, a mathematician who is not mentioned in the film, collaborated with Turing. -Alan Turing: The Enigma"… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Dostoyevsky3

May 31, 2022

The film’s disjointed plot is further burdened by rushed character relationships that aren’t properly concluded, key plot conflicts that are introduced after an hour into the movie and have no consequences on the end result other than to move the film into unnecessary directions thatThe film’s disjointed plot is further burdened by rushed character relationships that aren’t properly concluded, key plot conflicts that are introduced after an hour into the movie and have no consequences on the end result other than to move the film into unnecessary directions that thematically fill the mind with a void of emptiness. Imitation Game is a textbook definition of a worthless waste of your life.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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30	#30 Most Discussed Movie of 2014
18	#18 Most Shared Movie of 2014