"The Imitation Game" tells a story that needs to be told. It's yet another insightful look into an aspect of World War II and the Greatest Generation.

Alan Turing was certainly one of those, one of the Greatest Generation. Turing and his team of early "gamers" cracked the Nazi Germany Enigma Code.It's said their success saved some 16 million lives and shortened World War II by two years.Turing is also credited with inventing, or developing, the first computer, which crunched combinations of letters and numbers to crack the Nazi code.The computer, in its earliest incarnation, was dubbed "The Turing Machine," in reference to Turing's successful research and building of an electro-mechanical device that could run numbers, letters or symbols with then amazing rapidity.Turing is called the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.However, following World War II, Turing was prosecuted in Great Britain for alleged homosexual activities. Turing committed suicide in 1954.The film's title, "The Imitation Game," refers to the perceived ability of Turing's machine, forerunner of the computer, to imitate human thought. The title also symbolizes the life that Turing apparently was forced to live.With "The Imitation Game," Turing finally gets his due.The film received eight Oscar nominations: Picture, Director (Morten Tyldum), Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays Turing), Supporting Actress (Keira Knightley, who portrays Turing's fiancee), Adapted Screenplay (Graham Moore), Original Score (Alexandre Desplat), Film Editing (William Goldenberg), Production Design (Maria Djurkovic and Tatiana Macdonald, Set Decoration).Only "Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel," with nine each, received more Oscar nominations for films released in 2014. "American Sniper" and "Boyhood" received six Oscar nominations each."The Imitation Game" is based loosely on the biography, "Alan Turing: The Enigma," by Andrew Hodges.Turing was a British mathematician and cryptologist drafted by MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, to crack the Enigma Code.A team of scholars, mathematicians and chess champions was assembled at the Government Code And Cypher School in Bletchley Park, London, under the orders of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The code-breaker team was initially recruited via those who correctly solved a 1942 crossword puzzle published in The Daily Telegraph in London.Norwegian filmmaker Tyldum ("Headhunters," 2011; "Fallen Angels," 2008; "Buddy," 2003), in his English-language directorial debut, creates a world of tension, conflict, disappointment and hope.He does wonders with what could have been a very dry, dull topic in lesser skilled hands. It should be noted that details of the plot take liberty with actual facts.Cumberbatch gives a flawless, completely convincing performance as Turing. There are flashbacks to the younger Turing (Alex Lawther).Knightley's performance, which is excellent, is crucial to the storyline, as her character allows the moviegoer to learn more about Turing's mind and emotional state.The supporting cast of mathematicians (Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard) is fine. Also notable are Mark Strong and Charles Dance as the heads of the Enigma Code-cracking operation.If you enjoyed the brainiac films, "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) or "Good Will Hunting" (1997), you will enjoy "The Imitation Game."The film is devastatingly good. It's a rip-roaring tale about one of the most fascinating chapters in World War II, and one of its unsung heroes."The Imitation Game," MPAA Rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.) for some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical smoking; Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller, War; Run time: 1 hr., 56 mins.; Distributed by The Weinstein Company.Credit Readers Anonymous: "The Imitation Game" was filmed in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset and London, England.Box Office, Jan. 16: Director Clint Eastwood and Oscar-nominated star Bradley Cooper teamed up to aim the Oscar-nominated "American Sniper" (it received six Oscar nominations including picture) based on Iraq War veteran Chris Kyle's autobiography at No. 1 for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, opening in wide release with a phenomenal $90.2 million, setting a January weekend record, and posting $93.6 million after four weeks, relegating the Kevin Hart comedy, "The Wedding Ringer," to No. 2, opening way back with $21 million, holding the animated comedy, "Paddington," to No. 3, opening with $19.2 million, and dropping "Taken 3" from No. 1 to No. 4, with $14 million, $62.8 million, two weeks;5. "Selma," despite its Oscar picture nomination, dropped from No. 2, with $8.3 million, $25.9 million, four weeks; 6. "The Imitation Game," with eight Oscar nominations, held at No. 6, with $7.1 million, $50.7 million, eight weeks; 7. "Into the Woods," despite its Oscar supporting actress nomination for Meryl Streep (her 19th Oscar nomination), dropped from No. 3, with $6.5 million, $114.2 million, four weeks; 8. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," $4.8 million, $244.5 million, five weeks; 9. "Unbroken," $4.2 million, $108.6 million, four weeks; 10. "Blackhat," $4 million, openingUnreel, Jan. 23:"The Boy Next Door," R: Jennifer Lopez stars as a divorced woman who befriends a man with a secret. Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth and John Corbett co-star in the thriller."Mortdecai," R: Johnny Depp stars as an art dealer searching for a stolen painting. Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor co-star in the comedy."Cake," R: Jennifer Aniston stars in a critically acclaimed performance in a drama about an emotionally distraught female."Black Sea," R: Jude Law stars in the adventure thriller about the search for a sunken submarine."Strange Magic," PG: Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth and Maya Rudolph voice some of the characters in the animated fantasy about fairies and elves (The elves have not left the building.).Read Paul Willistein's movie reviews at the Lehigh Valley Press website, thelehighvalley-press.com; the Times News website, tnonline.com; and hear them on "Lehigh Valley Art Salon," 6-6:30 p.m. Mondays, WDIY 88.1 FM, and wdiy.org, where they're archived. Email Paul Willistein:

pwillistein@tnonline.com. You can follow Paul Willistein on Twitter and friend Paul Willistein on Facebook.Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes