The Imitation Game: Directed by Morten Tyldum, Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, and Kiera Knightly1/10/2015 I posted my top ten list too early! The reason? The Imitation Game. This is a film that elevates itself over any conventional idea through fantastic performances and a script that allows it to fall into a category all its own. I find it amazing just how good this film is. From the trailers I was expecting something like The Theory of Everything: a good, but not great biopic. Instead, I was surprised with much more. On the surface, The Imitation Game is about the men and women who figured out how to read the Nazi's enigma device. Really,it's much more. It's about hiding who you are. Alan Turing, played by the ever-powerful Benedict Cumberbatch,, was in fact gay. As he was living in a society wherever that was inappropriate and even illegal, the movie was surprisingly smart,and heartfelt. That's a lot to go on in one movie. The thing that fascinates me about the performance is that Cumberbatch captures even the slightest subtle expressions of the character and projects them effectively. Turing (as played off in the film) is not that warm of a person, and Cumberbatch does wonders with the role, making him that sympathetic asshole of a genius you just know something horrible has happened to. Unfortunately, something did -- that's the real heart of the film. I can openly admit the fact that the film is wildly good at manipulating you into being sad, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A film should be good at manipulating the audience, and The Imitation Game has that power. This gives the film quite a large heart to it and makes it really emotional. Cumberbatch wasn’t the only phenomenal actor in The Imitation Game.The entire cast does something good with their roles. Keira Knightley is surprisingly good as Joan Clarke, the only women on the team. Her relationship with Turing is one of the other things that drives the movie. The fact that she can keep up with Cumberbatch is an astonishing feat. The skill level of the actors makes the entire film work on a surprising level. The script also helps this. The dialogue is like Tarantino dialogue. Not in his typical vulgar way, but in a way that the dialogue just melts into the background of the film. These things, including some flashbacks that really hit you, make this film just great. All of this was so manipulative that I actually can't find a problem. I know that doesn't sound professional, but the film truly sucked me in. This is a master class of direction, and the acting made something I had little faith in turn out to be one of the best movies of the year. I give The Imitation Game a 10 out of 10. Review by Stephen Tronicek. Edited (and thankfully) by Holly Clemons.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |