Dove Review

“The Imitation Game” features strong performances from the two leads: Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, a genius mathematician, and Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, another genius who finishes a difficult crossword puzzle in less than six minutes and wins a place on Turing’s code team. It took Turing eight minutes to do the same puzzle. His team is created to crack Enigma, the German code that is used to transmit their messages during World War ll.

The story is intelligently written and witty. During banter at the beginning of the movie between Commander Denniston (Charles Dance) and Turing, we get some humorous exchanges. Denniston: “Your background?” Turing: “I’m a mathematician.” Denniston: “How could I have guessed?” Turing: “You didn’t. You just read it in the report.”

The plot deals with historically accurate incidents and chronicles the aloofness of Turing and yet his brilliant attempts to create a machine that would crack the German transmission codes. Knightley is also powerful in her role as Joan Clarke, the woman who helps him in this quest and is engaged to him for a time. The lives that were saved due to his creative genius and—without plot-spoiling too much—the fact that the war was shortened by at least two years, are impressive. The film states that his machine was the forerunner of today’s computers. Regrettably, the movie contains strong language and we are unable to award it our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

0

Integrity

Sounds of bombs exploding and bombs are seen dropped from planes; an unpopular boy in school has a plate of vegetables poured over his head; boy is nailed under a floor before another boy frees him; man is punched; man is seen with missing leg from the war; woman slaps man; it's stated that many people have died at the hands of the Germans during the war.

2

Sex

Man admits to having affairs with other men; oral sex innuendo; a "taking her to bed" comment; comment about man wanting a boy to touch his male organ.

4

Language

Ch*ist-1; JC-1; G/OMG-8; For G's Sake-1; Good G-1; For the love of G-1; Good Lord-1; D**n You-1; Go To H-1; H-2; Bloody-10; D-5; B-3; A-2; Term for the male organ-1; Idiots-1; "Insufferable sod"-1.

2

Violence

Sounds of bombs exploding and bombs are seen dropped from planes; an unpopular boy in school has a plate of vegetables poured over his head; boy is nailed under a floor before another boy frees him; man is punched; man is seen with missing leg from the war; woman slaps man; it's stated that many people have died at the hands of the Germans during the war.

2

Drugs

Cigarette smoking in several scenes; lit cigarette seen in ash tray; drinking and bar scenes in several scenes.

0

Nudity

None

2

Other

Kids seen wearing gas masks during the war; character is gay and this was considered scandalous during that time and man's career is in jeopardy; the terms "poofter" and "poof" are used referring to gays; in a clip a woman is seen eating from garbage can during the war; tension and disagreements between characters; a few comments that some viewers won't like such as "God didn't end the war, we did," and in a room where men attempt to crack German code God is mentioned and man says, "I don't think even He has the power we do in this room right now!"