No other present Best Picture nominee had a higher priority for me or either of my parents. I suppose the basis on a true, important story had something to do with it. In my review of The Theory of Everything, I mentioned the lack of clarity regarding Stephen Hawking's contributions to the world; Alan Turing is much clearer, not just in his thoughts but in his impact on the lives of others -- even if you put aside the main focus of this film, his WWII tide-turning work to decode Enigma.
From his portrayal herein, I get the impression that Turing would've been diagnosed with Asperger's in this day and age. He has so much trouble picking up on subtext (rather comically early in the film) that when introduced to cryptography in childhood, he asks, "How is that different from talking?" His own speech is by turns too blunt and too slow to explain himself, making him only slightly more sufferable to fellow characters than Benedict Cumberbatch's other well-known genius role on "Sherlock." (I can't picture Cumberbatch ever playing a complete idiot.) As a result, much of the conflict has nothing to do with Enigma per se; it's his bosses and co-workers, including at times the one woman with a special interest in him, doubting that he has anything to offer but strife. Fortunately, we viewers can almost always appreciate him, between his adorkable flubs and our preexisting assurance that his efforts paid off.
Some of our fun comes from the secrecy of the mission. Government agents often see fit to hide things even from others on their side, which can require a difficult moral compromise. Thankfully, it never gets nearly as confusing as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or other John le Carré fare. And Turing has his own personal secret that only a handful of associates guess or learn directly from him.
Unfortunately, both for him and for audience members who'd rather not hear about this, his secret reaches the wrong ears several years after the main chunk of events in the movie. The remainder deals with Turing and his partner getting charged with "gross indecency," as if they did it in public (not in evidence in the sources I perused), and an aftermath that you might find more depressing than anything in TToE. My dad wondered why the UK government finally stopped sitting on the truth of how much Turing did to deserve better.
In terms of direction, I'm not thrilled at the proclivity to unmarked time jumps. For example, only in later research did I learn that the first scene takes place shortly before Turing's trial, not right before he applies to MI6. Were there more hints early on that he would face persecution for his sexual behavior, I would have had an easier time accepting glimpses of the future. The school flashbacks aren't so bad; you can immediately tell when they start and end.
IMDb lists quite a few goofs, the plurality of which are anachronisms. It looks like none of them change the essential story, so I don't really mind.
Overall, I like TIG a bit better than TToE. In addition to the sense of greater importance, it has a broader scope, with a few more major characters to mix things up. Cumberbatch may not steal scenes to the same extent as Eddie Redmayne, but he has a shot at the Oscar.
One more thing: So much for my theory that every new British movie needs at least one Harry Potter alum. A couple from "Downtown Abbey," tho.
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