The Imitation Game

Theatrical Release Date: 2014 11 28 (USA)

UPC: 013132622507

Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:null

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actress – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Producer – Producers Guild of America Best Producer – Producers Guild of America Best Producer – Producers Guild of America Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Production Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Production Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Production Design – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Production Design – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Editing – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actor – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Supporting Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Adapted Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Adapted Screenplay – Writers Guild of America

Features: Feature commentary with director Morten Tyldum and screenwriter Graham Moore
The making of The Imitation Game
Deleted scenes

The Imitation Game

Format: DVD

Release Date: 03/31/2015

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 114 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Imitation Game
1. Chapter 1 [7:37]
2. Chapter 2 [7:05]
3. Chapter 3 [5:15]
4. Chapter 4 [6:04]
5. Chapter 5 [7:35]
6. Chapter 6 [7:16]
7. Chapter 7 [5:41]
8. Chapter 8 [6:34]
9. Chapter 9 [5:47]
10. Chapter 10 [5:42]
11. Chapter 11 [:02]
12. Chapter 12 [5:22]
13. Chapter 13 [8:14]
14. Chapter 14 [7:24]
15. Chapter 15 [6:05]
16. Chapter 16 [4:51]
17. Chapter 17 [4:30]
18. Chapter 18 [8:28]
19. Chapter 19 [4:06]

Perry Seibert

If you watch Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game without any knowledge of who pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing was, the odds are good that you'll never forget his name when it's over. A deft mix of spy-film tension and a sensitive portrait of the mind of a social misfit, the movie is a thoroughly engaging experience -- thanks in large part to first-time feature scribe Graham Moore's ingeniously tight script and a charismatic lead performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The film juggles three different timelines in Turing's life. In the earliest, he's a teenager at boarding school, where he's cruelly bullied by classmates and finds solace in his close relationship with his only friend. In the furthest timeline, he raises the suspicion of police detectives after his home is burgled and he has no interest in pressing charges. A determined inspector starts digging, thinking that Turing is hiding something and is possibly a spy. However, most of the movie is spent in the middle timeline, in which Turing works on building a machine that will crack the German Enigma code, arguably doing more to help the Allied Forces win WWII than any other single individual.

The Imitation Game covers a great deal of material, but never bogs down thanks to the superb script. Moore's dialogue and structure allow Tyldum to touch on military history, the birth of computer science, and the legal persecution that homosexuals faced in mid-20th century Britain without the movie ever feeling self-important or preachy. At heart, it's an old-fashioned spy thriller, and it works perfectly in that manner while also presenting a three-dimensional profile of the complicated man at its center.

Cumberbatch fills the role perfectly. He's basically playing a more repressed version of his Sherlock Holmes, the TV part that made him a star; the scenes in which Turing's social cluelessness and smug superiority alienate his fellow code-breakers feel like they could have been lifted from that series. But Turing is a far more complex figure than the famed fictional detective. He hides so much from so many people, and suffered so greatly as a boy for his otherness, that he stammers when he's flustered. Turing is forced to quash his sexual urges, and if you pay attention to when Cumberbatch makes his stammer more pronounced, you'll appreciate how a first-rate actor can seize on a particular tic to reveal someone's inner life. It's a wonderful piece of technical acting that Cumberbatch makes completely natural -- and makes the film worthy of repeated viewings.

The entire cast are spot-on. Keira Knightley plays a fellow code-breaker who faces constant prejudice because she's a woman, and that social stigma allows her character and Turing to form a deep bond (and even become engaged). Matthew Goode warms up the film as Hugh Alexander, who becomes the closest thing to a male friend Turing has during his years in intelligence work; Hugh's charm stands in stark contrast to Alan's prickliness. Mark Strong plays the code-breaking group's MI6 contact, and his typical menace is used to great effect: You have no problem believing that he knows more horrible truths than anyone else onscreen.

Accusing The Imitation Game of being "Oscar bait" misses the point. Yes, it's obviously a film designed to get good reviews and to serve up the kind of history and moral lessons that usually click with Academy voters, but it never does this at the expense of being a terrific thriller. Even if you are familiar with Turing and the breaking of Enigma, the movie still enthralls due to the rich performances, snappy dialogue, and economical script. It's a genuinely entertaining film that doesn't announce its significance, but instead allows viewers to learn for themselves how important Turing was to modern society. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Alexandre Desplat  Composer (Music Score) 
Graham Moore  Executive Producer 
Graham Moore  Screenwriter 
Morten Tyldum  Director 
Teddy Schwarzman  Producer 
Nora Grossman  Producer 
Ido Ostrowsky  Producer 
Benedict Cumberbatch  Actor 
Keira Knightley  Actor 
Allen Leech  Actor 
Rory Kinnear  Actor 
Mark Strong  Actor 
Matthew Beard  Actor 
Matthew Goode  Actor 
Charles Dance  Actor 
James Northcote  Actor 
Tom Goodman-Hill  Actor 
Steven Waddington  Actor 
Jack Tarlton  Actor 
Alex Lawther  Actor 
Jack Bannon  Actor 
Tuppence Middleton  Actor 
Dominic Charman  Actor 
Charlie Manton  Actor 
Victoria Wicks  Actor 
Andrew Havill  Actor 
Laurence Kennedy  Actor 
Tim Van Eyken  Actor 
Miranda Bell  Actor 
Tim Steed  Actor 

Country: USA