Movie Ratings That Actually Work    Become a Member

"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME

The Imitation Game | 2014 | PG-13 | - 2.4.4

The true story of the English mathematical genius Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), who helped to break the code for the Enigma machine used by the Germans during World War II to send concealed messages, saving many lives and helping win the war. Also with Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong and James Northcote. Directed by Morten Tyldum. [1:54]

SEX/NUDITY 2 - A man tells a joke about a woman performing oral sex on a man while humming a French song. A man asks another man, "What if I don't fancy being with her in that way?" and the other man understands that he is asking because he is gay. A man says, "Our brains work differently" referring to heterosexuals vs. homosexuals. A man says that he can appreciate a woman's skills without wanting to take her to bed. A woman declines a job offer because it would be considered unseemly to have a woman working among many men.
 A man and a woman flirt in a few scenes.

VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - Bombs explode in a city and people run underground for safety; we see many people huddled in train tunnels and the lights go out. We see grainy footage of cities and villages being bombed and armies marching through. We see rubble in city streets after a bombing and many children are shown wearing gas masks. We see many children being evacuated from London during WWII when bombings are expected and we hear an announcement stating, "This country is at war with Germany." We hear that a civilian convoy of ships is being targeted for attack and then see rubble of many sunk and destroyed vessels; we understand that a man's brother has been killed in the attack.
 Several boys nail another boy under floorboards in a school room and place a desk on top of the boards; the boy struggles and cries, and then quivers quietly until another boy lets him out.
 Soldiers force a door open and the man on the other side is knocked to the floor. A man's desk is searched by MPs and items are thrown about. A man cleans up a powder that has been spilled on a floor and says that it is undiluted cyanide and that it could kill you if inhaled it. We see a man's apartment has been ransacked and items are in disarray. A man says that if anyone talks about the work they are doing, they will be executed for high treason.
 We hear that a man committed suicide. We see many soldiers with bandaged wounds in a clinic area (missing limbs and bandages on heads and chests). A gay man is heard to be taking a hormonal therapy medication to control sexual urges (we see the man's hands shaking and it is clear that his mental faculties have been impaired by the medication). We hear that 49,000 homosexuals were charged with "gross indecency."
 A tank rolls over an empty helmet on the ground and presses it into the muddy ground. Many sea faring vessels (surface and submerged) are seen moving through the water.
 A man climbs the side of a building and into a woman's room at night (no sex implied) where they work. A boy pours food on the head of another boy in a cafeteria and the second boy seems upset.
 A man tells a preteen boy that his best friend has died from TB (the boy is very sad). A man fires two members of a team and the two men protest but eventually leave. A man is dismissive and insulting to two police investigators looking into the robbery of his home. A woman enters a room where candidates are being tested for a high-stakes position and a man tries to tell her that she doesn't belong (because she is a woman) and that she should report to the secretarial office. We hear that people are starving.
 A man spills beer on a woman's dress and she is alarmed as he runs out of the room.

LANGUAGE 4 - 4 sexual references, 1 scatological term, 2 anatomical terms, 8 mild obscenities, name-calling (insufferable sod, bleeding pacifist, idiots, kinky, odd duck, communist sympathizer, a woman in a man's job, arrogant, narcissist, fragile, ridiculous, cad, monster), 2 derogatory terms for homosexuals, exclamations (bloody), 14 religious exclamations (e.g. For The Love Of God, Good Lord, Christ, Jesus Christ, Oh My God, God, Oh God, You're Not God, Good God, So Help Me God, Oh For God's Sake).

SUBSTANCE USE - A gay man is heard to be taking a hormonal therapy medication to control his sexual urges (we see the man's hands shaking and it is clear that his mental faculties have been impaired by the medication). People are shown drinking beer in a few bar scenes, and people are shown drinking bottles of beer while standing around a campfire. Military personnel are shown smoking cigarettes on the decks of ships, a man smokes a cigarette in his office, and people smoke cigarettes in many scenes in offices as well as in homes and outside.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Chemical castration, control, paying attention, puzzles, mathematicians, logicians, Bletchley, code breaking, Royal Pardon, the Enigma machine, World War II, Hitler, luck, order, being alone, suicide, discipline, chain of command, sexism, treason, computers, homosexuality, marriages of convenience, indecency, paranoia, conspiracy, secrets, statistics, FDR, Tuberculosis.

MESSAGE - Alan Turing was a brilliant man and saved many lives but was treated abominably by the British government because he was gay.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter

Know when new reviews are published
We will never sell or share your email address with anybody and you can unsubscribe at any time

You're all set! Please check your email for confirmation.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This