“Sometimes it’s the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one imagines,” said Alan Turning (played by Benedict Cumberbatch).

The Imitation Game is an inspiring World War II thriller about a group of mathematicians who are hired by the British intelligence to crack Nazi codes. Alan Turing, the main hero of the film played by Cumberbatch, is essentially making the first computer in history. But the film also shows his tragic life.

Although Turing is a genius and can solve problems fast, he is oblivious to the people around him. Jokes fly over his head, sarcasm never registers, and when his coworkers say “We’re going out to eat” he hears it as a fact not an invitation. He is also a gay man hiding deep in his closet. Cumberbatch played this role perfectly. He was able to keep the intensity of a genius working against the clock but still gave his character a sense of vulnerability and sadness.

Another actor who did a phenomenal job in this film was Keira Knightly, who played Joan Clarke. In a time where women weren’t seen as intelligent, she entered the film with spunk after being confused for a secretary instead of one the genius sent to save the world. Knightly brought the much needed warmth and humor that the film needed.

The film is a puzzle to show how to solve a puzzle but you will be fully invested to see how the geniuses solve the codes. It has enough science to explain what is at stake while still keeping the pressure of fighting against the clock. At the end Turing and his team bring victory to the allies with the new technology that they create.

Turning helped save the world and thousands of innocent people by helping stop the war early but the film doesn’t end with just their victory. Turning was later horribly punished for engaging in homosexual activities, which was a crime in England at the time. He was punished by chemical induced castration that would slowly lead him to his death. Audience will be devastated to see him at the end of his life where he can barely focus on crossword puzzles.

The film is currently nominated for the Academy Award for best picture film. It’s a history film that does an amazing job at not only focusing on Turing’s life but showing the progress that him and his team went through to solve the codes and threw us into the technology era.