The Imitation Game

Nerdy and uptight, neurotic and secretive, Alan Turing isn’t the typical war hero. But as The Imitation Game exemplifies, sometimes the most compelling portraits of heroism come from the most unlikely places.

Even if some of the details are embellished or glossed over, a committed and intense performance by Benedict Cumberbatch drives this true-life historical drama about the wimpy, stammering leader of a group of brainiacs whose code-breaking abilities became a vital component to the British effort during World War II far away from the front lines.

The bulk of the story is told in flashbacks, after British police arrest Turing several years after the war for being a homosexual – gross indecency, they called it – unaware of his technological contributions not only during the war but also as a computer pioneer of sorts.

He was recruited out of desperation during the war – along with other experts in statistics, cryptoanalysis and logistics – to help solve the Enigma codes used by the Nazis to communicate strategy and battle plans. While the others collaborate, Turing works alone, and his condescending personality leads to skepticism when he unveils his complex and bulky machine that becomes both a ray of hope and a source of frustration. Indeed, every day provides a new puzzle and a ticking clock for Turing and his cohorts as they face a series of intriguing emotional and mathematical dilemmas.

Cumberbatch captures the unique mannerisms and speech patterns of his subject while also conveying the conflicted emotions underneath – how his social awkwardness is interpreted as smug arrogance, for example.

Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) and rookie screenwriter Graham Moore, whose script is based on a book by Andrew Hodges, smartly take the time to explain the basic science behind Turing’s process without allowing the film to become too calculated about his calculations.

Keira Knightley, playing a colleague who becomes Turing’s primary confidante, is portrayed as a more generic sidekick and romantic interest of sorts, and the structure tends to feel manipulative as it clusters several twists into its final hour.

Yet the final act really crackles, and The Imitation Game becomes a more complicated character portrait than it first appears. The film is meant to pay tribute to Turing but also isn’t afraid to expose his struggles and flaws, and manages to enlighten whether or not you’re already familiar with his name and accomplishments.

Rated PG-13, 114 minutes.