OFFICIAL SECRETS : Tuesday 10th December 2019.

'OFFICIAL SECRETS' which I finally got around to seeing this week, is an MA15+ Rated British and American Co-Produced documentary drama offering Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Gavin Hood, whose previous film making credits include 'Tsotsi', 'Rendition', 'X-Men Origins : Wolverine', 'Ender's Game' and 'Eye in the Sky' more recently. Based on the 2008 book 'The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War' by Marcia and Thomas Mitchell, the film saw its World Premier screening at Sundance back in January this year, had its US release at the end of August, its UK release in mid-October and it finally arrived into Australian cinemas at the back end of November. Having garnered generally average Reviews en route, although Keira Knightley, as the lead Actress, has been praised for her performance, the film has so far taken close to US$6M.

In this true story, here Katherine Teresa Gun (Keira Knightley) is a British translator who worked for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a British intelligence agency, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, who's job it was to translate Mandarin Chinese into English. At the end of January 2003, while at work at GCHQ Gun read an email from a Frank Koza, the Chief of Staff at the 'regional targets' division of the American National Security Agency, a US intelligence agency. The email requested aid in a secret operation to bug the United Nations offices of six nations, those being Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, and Pakistan. These were the six 'swing nations' on the UN Security Council that could determine whether the UN approved the invasion of Iraq, or not, and to overthrow its President Saddam Hussein.

Gun was so outraged by the email, that she secretly downloaded a copy of the email to a disc, printed off a copy and took it home with her. After contemplating the email over the weekend, Gun gave the email to a friend, Yvonne Ridley (Hattie Morahan) who was acquainted with several journalists, but most notably Martin Bright (Matt Smith) who worked at The Observer newspaper. At first Bright doubted the authenticity of the email and was ordered by his Editor Roger Alton (Conleth Hill) to do some further investigative work to uncover the facts behind the mystery email, before going to print.

Gun heard no more of the email, and had all but forgotten about it until early in March, when she saw it reproduced on the front page of The Observer newspaper. The next day, with the story leaked to the worlds press and media centres; Bright's telephone ringing hot; and the GCHQ going into lockdown with everyone a suspect and everyone in Gun's department being interviewed to find the suspect and the culprit who dared to contravene the Official Secrets Act. However, soon after this worldwide breaking news, the American media channels get on the phone and claim that the leaked document is a fake, because  of spelling errors in the text that are written in English rather than American. Upon checking the original transcript with his reported text, it is revealed that the press office assistant Nicole Mowbray (Hanako Footman) had corrected Bright's written text using spell checker, therefore casting doubt over the validity that the email is genuine.  

Less than a week after the Observer story, Gun, who was so wracked with guilt over what she had done, and wanting to protect the integrity and wellbeing of her work colleagues, confessed to her line manager at GCHQ that she had leaked the email, and was promptly arrested, subject to questioning, and is released pending a decision to prosecute in three months hence. In the meantime, her house is turned upside down, and her husband Yasar Gun (Adam Bakri) who coincidentally is an Iraq foreign national and a Muslim, who only has residency status because of his marriage to Katherine, is about to have his life turned inside out too by less than supportive authorities. Meanwhile, Guns court appointed lawyer states to her upon her release from Police custody that this case is way to far above her head, and that she should contact the team at 'Liberty' who are more versed in the field of work that she clearly needs.

Bright enlists the support of fellow Observer investigative journalist Ed Vulliamy (Rhys Ifans) who is furious at censorship by his own paper of a story he filed during October-December 2002 from an inside CIA source, affirming that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, while intelligence was being 'cooked up' by a special office in the Pentagon - and then locating the NSA secret agent, Frank Koza, who ordered the illegal bugging, and was the originator of Gun's leaked email. In addition, Peter Beaumont (Matthew Goode) who is the foreign affairs editor at The Observer, is posted to Iraq to report on the success, or not, of the US Army's search for Iraq's alleged stash of weapons of mass destruction, which at the time was drawing a big fat hairy blank!

In the meantime, Gun takes the advice of her former state chosen lawyer and visits the offices of Liberty which is headed up by Director Shami Chakrabarti (Indira Varma). Liberty is an advocacy group which promotes civil liberties and human rights, and often offers its expert services for free, as they did in Gun's case, utilising the input of Ben Emmerson (Ralph Fiennes) a prominent British barrister, specialising in public international law, human rights and humanitarian law, and international criminal law.

Gun has some decisions to make if she is to be prosecuted, and in the meantime is told in no uncertain terms that when she signed her contract of employment with the GCHQ she was also signing the Official Secrets Act which strictly forbids her to reveal any details at all about her work at GCHQ to her defending counsel, or to anyone else for that matter, and if it is found that she has, then additional charges will be brought against her. All this is pending on whether GCHQ and indeed the Government of the UK wish to prosecute, and so Gun has to playing the waiting game, bide her time, and sit idly at home for six months awaiting next steps. When Emmerson calls her one morning with the good news that she is now able to discuss freely her case with him, he counters this with the not so good news that the prosecution is going ahead.

With the appointed date of Gun's court hearing approaching, her decision rests with to plead guilty or not guilty, with the latter resting upon proving that the 2003 War in Iraq was in fact illegal under international law. The day before the trial, Gun's defence team had asks the Government for any records of legal advice about the lawfulness of the war that it had received during the run-up to the war. Gun planned to plead 'not guilty', saying in her defence that she acted to prevent imminent loss of life in a war she considered illegal. On her day in court before taking the stand she meets Bright for the first time, and he gives her reassurances that what she did was brave and courageous, and that he will be in court watching the proceedings and sends her his support.

The case came to court on 24th February 2004. Within half an hour, the case was dropped because the prosecution declined to offer any evidence. A full trial might have exposed any such documents, sought from the Government the day before by Emmerson, to public scrutiny, as the defence was expected to argue that trying to stop an unlawful war of aggression overcame Gun's obligations under the Official Secrets Act, and in revealing that both powers on either side of the Atlantic were complicit in an illegal war would have exposed them both to a whole world of scrutiny and hurt that neither wanted. And so the Judge announces to Katherine Gun, that she is free to go. 

In a mid-credits scene we see Emmerson sea fishing at a beach close by to his holiday home, when Ken Macdonald (Jeremy Northam) the Director of Public Prosecutions siddles up to his long time buddy with his own tackle box and rod. They had previously crossed swords over the Gun case when Macdonald as the newly appointed DPP announced that he would be prosecuting the case which Emmerson would be defending. In the final analysis Macdonald tries to justify his position for keeping Gun hanging for almost a year in limbo, at which point Emmerson replies with go find another spot to fish that is not close to me!

I have to say that I enjoyed 'Official Secrets' more than I expected. It's a slow burn of a movie, especially the second act when the storyline starts to meander a little, particularly after the intensity and emotion of the first act when the principled Katherine Gun, who has nothing to gain and everything to lose puts everything on the line - herself, her husband and her work colleagues for a cause she truly believes in and is deeply committed to, and before the gripping third act which sees the tables turned unexpectedly in her favour and the big pay off. This is Keira Knightley's show for sure, aided by a fine turn from Ralph Fiennes in the little screen time he does have, all pulled together by Director Gavin Hood, who has demonstrated before his finesse with crafting a thought provoking true life human drama of a serious subject matter that resonates in today's world as much as it did back in 2003, and even though this political scandal with all its legal and journalistic intrigue may have faded from memory, it is a story that needed to be told.

'Official Secrets' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

EVEREST : Wednesday 23rd September 2015.

EVEREST, which I saw earlier this week is based on the real life events that unfolded on Mount Everest on May 10th 1996 as two commercial climbing expeditions reach for the summit of the highest place on Earth only to be confronted by a blizzard that came out of nowhere and engulfed the climbers in both parties with such a severe snow and ice storm rarely before seen by man. This story Directed by Icelandic Balthasar Kormakur was made for US$55M and filmed in the Italian Alps, in Iceland and in Nepal at Everest Base Camp amongst other mountainous locations. At the time of writing the film has made so far US$43M and has received generally positive reviews.

As this film opens we learn that climbing this famed mountain is no longer the domain of hardened determined adventurers who first set out to conquer its peak - Mallory in the 1920's tried three times and died 800 metres from the peak in the process, and Hillary got there with Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Since then though and in more recent decades Everest has become the domain of commercial organisations seeking to satisfy the ever increasing hunger of the mountain climbing tourist wanting to cross Everest off their bucket list. As a result a whole industry has sprung up around it, and Kathmandu has become the burgeoning epicentre for those setting out on the adventure of a lifetime.

We are quickly introduced therefore to Adventure Consultants leader Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) as he flies out to take a group of climbers to the summit - each of them having paid US$65K for the privilege. He bids farewell to his wife Jan (Keira Knightly) at the airport - heavily pregnant with their first child and off he goes. saying he'll be back in time for the birth. Arriving in Kathmandu he meets up with his clients - Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), journalist John Krakauer (Michael Kelly) and Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori) and others.

The first night they attend a briefing with Hall and he informs them that 'Human beings are not designed to function at the cruising altitude of a 747. Your bodies will be literally dying'. He tells them that they are entering a formidable, dangerous place where conditions can change almost instantly and many others have perished before them, but, he will look after them, be their guide every step of the way, and if they do as he says they'll all return safe & sound.

The next day they ascend to Base Camp after making a beautiful trek through lower mountain forest, over sweeping ravines and fast flowing rivers, with the park of Everest looking down on them. At base camp their are welcomed to the Adventure Consultants 'Office' a large tent where they have equipment and supplies stored, their communications, maps, guides and the wherewithal to get up, and back. Helen Wilton (Emily Watson) meets & greets them all - she is the Office Manager, Administrator and all round Girl Friday and she is there with Doctor Caroline Mackenzie (Elizabeth Debicki). After settling in, more briefings follow. It is the end of March and Hall announces their plan is to 'summit' on 10th May - the forecast is good, but there will be a limited 'window' of opportunity on that day. In the meantime they will exercise and make various familiarisation treks to the other camps to get acclimatized, used to the frozen terrain, and what they will have to endure as they rise.

At Base Camp Hall catches up with 'The Mayor of Base Camp' Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) from Mountain Madness - another similar outfit to Halls Adventure Consultants. They laugh & joke, share drinks together but they are rivals in business, and in this particular climbing season competing with a raft of other tourist climbers wanting to make the ascent at the same time. Base Camp is overrun, and so into their preparations Hall seeks to partner with Fischer to make the climb together, to look out for each other, to provide safety in numbers and to speed their climb during the limited time they have. Fischer agrees.

As the day approaches and their preparations and training is complete, they set out climbing through Camps II, III and IV. At Camp IV Hall rallies his team at about midnight, and stepping outside their tents on a beautiful clear night they gaze up at the last leg of their journey as the peak of Mount Everest stands proud in all its glory, with only a whisper of a breeze visible at the summit from where they stand. Hall gives the order that they leave in 30 minutes and that they will need to have reached the peak by no later than 2:00pm that afternoon to ensure their return to Camp IV before nightfall.

Along the way they are delayed when they discover that guide ropes have perished and need to be replaced, or have not yet been installed, and so need to be before they can proceed. Beck experiences problems with his vision, and so sits to rest and is ordered back to Camp if things don't improve within half an hour. At the Hilary Steps they encounter a bottleneck of other climbers causing further delays. Namba reaches the top with Hall, and plants her Japanese flag. Behind them Beck still sits below on The Balcony still having vision trouble, Hansen is short of breath but determined to touch the peak having tried and failed twice before and 2:00pm has now been and gone. Hansen pleads with Hall to allow him to continue and against his better judgement Hall agrees and they climb together. By now it is past 3:00pm, and the weather is closing in, snow is falling, the wind has picked up and dark menacing clouds loom ever closer.

Fischer meanwhile is still heading towards them suffering from high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) - by now it is 3:45pm and blizzard conditions surround them all. What follows is ever worsening weather that engulfs the mountain and rips through Base Camp leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. With a lack of supplementary oxygen a number of the climbers from both expeditions perish from the harshest of conditions that disorientate them, effect their judgement, impair their vision, and hamper their descent. Rob is left on the mountain side cowering into a rock overhang seeking some shelter from the gathering storm - he falls in and out of consciousness as night falls and the blizzard takes further hold. By now Namba, Hansen, Fischer, Andy Harris (Martin Henderson) another Adventure Consultant guide and Beck have all perished. Wilton and Mackenzie meanwhile monitor the situation by satellite radio from Base Camp maintaining contact with Hall on the mountain whose health is deteriorating rapidly. Guy Cotter (Sam Worthington) is with them and tries to take a rescue party to recover Hall and the others but is beaten back by the weather and sits it out until conditions improve.

The next morning as the sun comes up and the blizzard subsides, Beck miraculously awakens from his tomb of snow & ice and is able to hobble into Camp IV where he is attended to - learning this news that he is still alive his wife Peach (Robin Wright) contacts the American Embassy in Kathmandu and orders a chopper flight to rescue him. Later we see him arrive home and we learn that severe frost bite cost him both his hands and his nose. Hall died on the mountain having said his farewell to Jan through radio and satellite phone via Base Camp.

This is a visually stunning film as you would expect given the mountain terrain that we see from the top as well as from the bottom. The characters you can relate to given that we are provided with a sufficient enough back story to understand what motivates them and what their strengths and weaknesses are, and as a result we care for them because we know this is a real story that occurred not so long ago (within the last 20 years). Then there is the harsh unforgiving environment with all its power, its energy, its beauty and its unpredictability that has cost so many climbers their lives but still keeps many coming back or wanting to cross it off their bucket list.

Certainly worth the price of a ticket and whilst I only saw this in 2D, I would think that the 3D experience will only add to the spectacle, the emotion and the power of this film.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th September 2015.

Last week I mentioned the fact that Adelaide had come through its coldest Winter in 17 years and the prospect of warmer days and a return to Summer was just around the corner. With that two days later came glorious sunshine, clear blue skies and a mass exodus to the beach for the weekend and temperatures in the late 20's . . . for two whole days, before it all came plummeting down back to the bad old days of Winter. This is perhaps a fitting segwey therefore to the often harsh  and changing climatic conditions atop a mountain peak where it all goes pear shaped for a bunch of explorers, adventurers and go-getters, and the subject of our main feature Preview this week. Read on for more.

This week there are just three new releases appearing at your local movie theatre that offer a true story of action, (mis)adventure, and high level disaster at the top of the world; then a story of mans best friend becoming the four legged unsuspecting saviour of a colony of two legged flightless birds; and finally for the kids an animated feature of an Aussie icon of the cuddly furry kind on a voyage of discovery across the daunting dangerous outback.

As we come into school holiday season we can expect a raft of kids and family big screen entertainment to come our way, and it kicks off in the week ahead. Those wanting more fulfilling adult fare though there is plenty to choose from still doing the rounds and out on general release. When you have seen your movie of choice, be sure to record your opinion and your own critique in the Comments section below this or any other Post and share with your like minded friends at Odeon Online. Meanwhile, enjoy your movie!

EVEREST (Rated M) - Based on the real life events that unfolded on Mount Everest on May 10th 1996 when two expeditions reach for the summit of the highest place on Earth only to be confronted by a blizzard that came out of nowhere and engulfed the climbers in both parties with such a severe snowstorm as rarely encountered by man. This story Directed by Icelandic Balthasar Kormakur was made for US$65M and filmed in the Italian Alps, in Iceland and in Nepal at Everest Base Camp amongst other mountainous locations.

With an all star cast that comprises Jake Gyllenhaal - straight off 'Southpaw' as an expedition group leader; Jason Clarke - straight off 'Terminator : Genisys' as the other expedition group leader; with Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington (another 'Terminator' alumni), Robin Wright, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, Elizabeth Debicki - straight off 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.', and various others, their fate rests in their will to survive the harshest of conditions of fierce freezing winds, driving snow, sub-zero temperatures and adversity writ large at 29,000 feet. One for the big screen and whilst you may know how this ends for those that perished and those that survived, this film pays tribute in stunning ways to the power of nature and mans determination.

ODDBALL (Rated G) - For Ocker Aussie family entertainment these school holidays you may want to consider this true story of 'Oddball', a Mareema farm sheep dog belonging to Allan 'Swampy' Marsh (Shane Jacobson). Living at Warrnambool on Victoria's south-west coastline, Middle Island is just a short distance away and is home to a colony of 200 or so endangered Penguins. Swampy hit upon the idea that these penguins needed protecting from wild foxes who would make the short trek to the island at low tide, and attack the little creatures. With a Maremma sheepdog in tow, trained and stationed on the island the penguin population started to increase as pesky fox activity went into decline back at the turn of this century. Proving that this breed of dog can be trusted to protect other animals, Oddball held a candle for Maremma dogs everywhere to go into active service to protect Australian animals in danger wherever they may be. Directed by Stuart McDonald and starring Sarah Snook, Deborah Mailman, and Alan Tudyk.

BLINKY BILL : THE MOVIE (Rated PG) - The Australian iconic 'Blinky Bill' character turns 82 this year having first appeared in 1933 as a children's book series created by Dorothy Wall. The lovable albeit cheeky and perhaps mischievous Koala Bear now gets the 2015 CG animation treatment with a full feature length offering, as the young Bear (looking nothing like his 82 years!!) sets off on the trail of his long lost Dad having found a clue or two that takes him across the deadly, dangerous and distressing Great Aussie outback. Along the way he picks up various friends, but must thwart too a feral cat who has its own agenda for wanting to dispense with Blinky Bill once and for all. Learning the power of friendship, the need to work together, a will to survive and a belief in their quest, the intrepid band of adventurers soon discover what it means to be a hero. Directed by Deane Taylor with three Co-Directors, this film features the voice talents of Ryan Kwanten (as BB), Toni Collette, Rufus Sewell, David Wenham, Richard Roxburgh, Barry Humphries, Barry Otto and Deborah Mailman, so there is no reason why this film should succeed . . . in the eyes of the littlees at least!

That's it for the week ahead, and although only three films this week when you add these to all the others still doing the rounds, there is no excuse not to see a film in the next seven days. Do yourself a favour, and catch a film, and then tell us all bout it.

See you at the Odeon!

-Steven, at Odeon Online-

NEVER LET ME GO : archive from 16th April 2011.

I saw 'NEVER LET ME GO' this week not knowing exactly what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised by this English set Sci-Fi drama weepie! This is a thought provoking story written for the screen by Alex Garland based on the popular 2005 novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, and Directed by Mark Romanek. Made for US$15M it grossed just US$10M in global Box Office receipts and a further US$2M or so in DVD sales, as well as seven awards wins and a further 25 nominations from around the traps.

The film is set over three time lines - the first tells us that in the early 50's a medical breakthrough meant that the human life span could be extended beyond one hundred years. As the film opens the narrator is standing behind a glass partition looking at a man being operated on in hospital. The woman is 28 year old Kathy (Carey Mulligan) and she is looking at Tommy (Andrew Garfield). She thinks about her early childhood at the seemingly idyllic English Boarding School, Hailsham, in the 70's and her more recent adult life since leaving there. Hailsham however, was no ordinary school - the traditional subjects taught were secondary to artistic expression - drawing, painting and such like - the best of which were hung on display in The Gallery, overseen by a mystery woman known only as Madame (Nathalie Richard).

A new teacher arrives, Miss Lucy (Sally Hawkins) who one day secretly advises the children that they exist only as 'donors' for their organs to be transplanted into those they were cloned from originally, or others that have the means to do so. The harsh reality that the children will therefore 'complete', or die at a relatively young age is then realised. Miss Lucy is promptly dismissed from the school by the Headmistress (Charlotte Rampling). As time passes and the children resign themselves to their fate Kathy and Tommy develop feelings for one another, but Tommy then falls for Ruth (Keira Knightley) another student at the school. Despite this the three friends form a strong bond.

Now aged 18 the three friends are rehoused into cottages on a farm and allowed out on occasional day trips. They learn from others at the farm of a 'deferral' programme whereby donors who are in love, and that this can be proven, can gain a temporary reprieve from organ donorship. Tommy believes that the artwork hung back in The Gallery at Hailsham was so that the authorities could determine if the young students had a soul and could truly feel emotion. Tommy and Ruth's relationship becomes stronger and so Kathy needing to distance herself leaves, having secured a role as a 'carer' for those clones going through the process of organ donorship. For her this is a temporary reprieve from the fate that she knows awaits her too.

Fast forward, and it is now ten years hence and Kathy has not seen Tommy or Ruth in those intervening years. By chance one day Kathy still working as a carer meets Ruth who by now is frail having made two organ donations already. They find Tommy who is also weakened from his own donorship, and the three of them drive to the seaside to relive some former memories and get reacquainted. Ruth admits that she knew that Tommy & Kathy should always have been together and she seeks their forgiveness, and also announces that she believes she can make amends, and having located Madame they can seek a 'deferral' for Tommy and Kathy to be together. Soon after this Ruth dies on the operating table during a further organ removal.

Tommy and Kathy meet with Madame who advises that there never was a 'deferral' programme, and the purpose of the artwork was to determine if the children had souls at all, and that Hailsham was the last school of its kind to examine the ethical implications of the donor programme. As they leave to return home in the car, Tommy asks for Kathy to pull over and in a fit of rage breaks down. The two embrace knowing that their fate is sealed. In the closing sequence we return to where it all began - with Kathy looking down at Tommy on the operating table, and as he smiles to her, and she smiles back knowing too that her time is now limited.

This is a surprising thought provoking film that is well crafted, well acted and considered in its approach to the subject matter. Domhnall Gleeson and Andrea Riseborough also star, and for a small little British film it punches above its weight, and is well worth searching out now on DVD or download.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE IMITATION GAME : Tuesday 6th January 2015.

2015 has arrived and with it a cracker of a film as one of the first new releases of the new year. I sat in a  three-quarter full theatre last night at the Cremorne Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace to watch 'THE IMITATION GAME' and was wowed by the story line, the history lesson, the manner in which this film unfolds and pulls you in, and by the performances of the principle cast led by Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role as the fractured, emotionally scarred real-life anti-hero Alan Turing. Cumberbatch gives his all to the portrayal of his character, in what has already been described as a career defining performance to date, and surely worthy of an Oscar nod.

The opening scene takes us back to 1951 and we see Turing sat in a Police interrogation room, head bowed waiting for the arrival of the interviewing Detective. Turing provides some voice over commentary and then we are whisked back to the early outbreak of the second World War and his arrival at Bletchley Park which is supposedly home to the armed forces radio command, but secretly houses an assembled crack team attempting to break encrypted Nazi communication code. Interviewed by Commander Denniston (Charles Dance) our mathematician genius Turing meets largely with ambivalence from the supervising Commander and is nearly dispatched from whence he came, except that on being shown the door he blurts out the word 'Enigma' - supposedly top secret and known only to the highest ranking privileged few.

Turing announces that he has the best mathematical mind in the world and that he likes puzzles and problem solving, that he can break the Nazi Enigma Code and in so doing save the lives of millions and help bring the war to an end. Enter Stuart Menzies (Mark Strong) a high ranking official in MI6 who takes Turing under his wing despite the obvious disdain shown by Denniston who has developed an intense dislike for Turing. With endorsement from Sir Winston Churchill himself Turing is appointed lead of the team of recruited mathematicians, cryptologists and sundry other experts to work on breaking Enigma. Along the way Turing fires various dead weights from the team and appoints a couple of others - one is Joan Clarke (Keira Knightly) - a female (of all things!) mathematical genius whom Turing instantly takes a shine to.

As this unfolds we learn of Turing's past and we are taken back to his young teenage school days in the late 1920's at the private Sherborne Boy's School in rural Dorset, England. Turing is seen as an outsider, he does little to mix with the other boys and considers himself above the other far less intelligent boys in his class or indeed the school. As a result he is bullied, chided, beaten up mentally and physically and grows ever more inward. Only one other lad provides any solace - classmate Christopher Morcom (Jack Bannon) and the two form a close bond, and it is Christopher who introduces Turing to the world of cryptology, which he latches on to very quickly having such an acute mathematical mind.

To and fro we flit between 1951 and the WWII years. In the former Turing is under investigation by Detective Robert Nock (Rory Kinnear) because of a break in at Turing's home which was seemingly turned upside down but nothing was reported stolen. This leads Nock to think that all is not quite as it seems so starts digging deeper, ultimately learning that Turing is homosexual - and such acts of 'indecency' were illegal in the England of the 1950's. Nock attempts to learn more of Turing's history and other that knowing that he is a Professor of Mathematics from Cambridge, there is no data from what he did in the war - these are 'Classified' and simply don't exist - they have been erased completely we learn.

As for the latter, Turing heading up his Team have a seemingly impossible task given that the Enigma codes change every day at midnight. When the Nazi's start broadcasting at about 6:00am Bletchely Park can intercept unto 3,000 radio messages a day giving Turing and his team only 18 hours to decipher and crack the code before they have to reboot and start from scratch again the next morning. This carries on for years and is a manual process, and all the while Turing is building his own 'computer' that he has designed and knows will work, but at a cost to the Home Office of 100,000 pounds sterling at the time there are few that share his faith - even in his own team whom he has alienated because of his obsessive uncaring behaviour toward them. Meanwhile Denniston is breathing down his neck to get results as the war rolls on and the body count gets ever higher by the day.

Eventually Turing's code breaking machine (which he has called 'Christopher') springs into life with revolving wheels, cogs, dials and wires all tuned into the Enigma codes which are intercepted daily. But the wheels, cogs and dials keep on whirring, clanging and turning with no results forthcoming - something is missing! Eventually though that missing link is found and 'Christopher' comes good and the Nazi's Enigma codes are broken. Needless to say it doesn't end there though as there unfolds a moral dilemma surrounding the team and how they should best approach this new found intelligence they have over the Nazi's war effort. Here Stuart Menzies comes into his own as the MI6 representative weaving conspiracy theories at the very highest political level to ensure that the Nazi's and their allies aren't made aware that the English and her allies have broken the code.

All comes good in the end - the war comes to a halt in 1945 and the closing scene tells us that Turing's efforts helped save the lives of 14 million and brought the war to a premature end probably by up to two years had Enigma not been broken. Turing though never received any credit for his efforts - was convicted in 1951 for 'indecency' and committed suicide in 1954 allegedly by eating a cyanide laced apple. After the war he continued to work on 'thinking' machines borne out of his work in developing 'Christopher' during the war, and in many respects it is Turing who laid the foundations for the devices we use today in our everyday lives and take for granted - computers!

Directed by Morten Tyldum, this true story historical drama is certainly worthy of the 34 awards wins it has already garnered and the 63 award nominations it has thus far received including five Golden Globe nominations and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Cumberbatch shines in this role and delivers his strongest characterisation yet pulling you in to his fractured, emotional, helpless, obsessive and misunderstood world; Keira Knightly very ably supports as the very intelligent young girl torn between duty to family and duty to her country at a time when women were considered only good for secretarial and office administrative duties . . . or nursing! And then Mark Strong, Charles Dance and the team of assembled cryptologists all provide solid, strong support in the roles they play that collectively add up to a film that is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Watch out for the Oscar buzz, and a great start to the 2015 film season. Catch it on the big screen while you can.

   

-Steve, at Odeon Online-