2014 appears to be a year that’s going to test my idea of what it means for a film to be the “best” of the year. The Imitation Game, in my estimation, is certainly one of the best the year has had to offer, but it’s by no means to the level of Birdman or Boyhood, though to compare those two is futile.
Of course, with the Oscars around the corner the idea of what makes something the “best” will get a whole new definition, something some outlets are making painfully obvious on the heels of mixed reviews for Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar.
That being said, in my review of The Imitation Game I called it a “conventionally told story without the convention”. Make no mistake, this is a biopic, but it’s a biopic with subtlety and nuance. It will probably find detractors as the Oscar race heats up saying it’s basically this year’s The King’s Speech. It’s a biopic and it isn’t brimming with artistic invention as much as it is a competently told story with a wonderful lead performance. This is true, but the negativity aimed at it as people will hope it doesn’t win Best Picture will be perceived as a complete dismissal. Hopefully you won’t pay that much mind as this is not a film to be dismissed.
Today the first clip from the movie finds Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing during his first meeting with Charles Dance as naval Commander Alastair Denniston. Here’s a snippet from my review where I allude to the scene below as well as one major aspect of the film I liked most:
The Imitation Game may be largely successful due to the fact it has all the signs of a conventionally told story, though without the convention. Turing is brash and unafraid to declare himself the best. It’s his confidence that lands him a job attempting break Nazi codes, but his need to hide his sexuality is in complete conflict with this aspect of his personality. Even still, the movie doesn’t necessarily focus on his sexuality, at least not openly, until it is absolutely crucial to the story. Turing’s persecution is largely internal for much of the running time, though even that is never seen on screen except in small fits and bursts, making it all the more powerful.
You can read my full review here, watch the clip below and look for The Imitation Game in theaters on November 21.
