The Imitation Game (2014)

During WWII, a British mathematician (Benedict Cumberbatch), with very limited social skills, is selected by the government to be part of a team to break the Nazi's "unbreakable" Enigma code which is costing thousands of lives and prolonging the war. Soon, he becomes not only the head of the program but its only hope. Based on the true story of Alan Turing, the key leader who broke the Enigma code which very likely shortened the war by two years, this is more than just a WWII thriller. Turing was a homosexual when it was still a crime in England and what happened to him after the war is the stuff horror stories are made of. I'm not familiar with the work of the Norwegian director Morten Tyldum but based on this film, he has the assured hand of a crackerjack storyteller. I'm not particularly a fan of Cumberbatch but his work here blew me away. It's not easy playing an essentially unlikable character but Cumberbatch totally commits himself to the part, never once winking to the audience to give Turing some charm. It's not what I'd call a work of "Art" in the cinematic sense but it's the kind of movie that makes you appreciate how superb movies can be when all the elements fall into place for a good solid piece of craftsmanship. The excellent (all the way down the line) cast includes Keira Knightley (a lovely performance), Matthew Goode (so memorable in STOKER), Charles Dance, Mark Strong and Rory Kinnear.