11. The Imitation Game

Director: Morten Tyldum

Release date: January 1, 2015

The triumph and tragedy that marked the life of British cryptanalyst Alan Turing is explored in The Imitation Game, the winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie’s double-edged title refers not only to Turing’s top-secret work for the British government in deciphering German intelligence codes in WWII, but also the need to hide his homosexuality during a period in which it was illegal.

With a stunning central performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, and strong support from Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, and Matthew Goode, The Imitation Game takes small liberties with the truth, but otherwise sheds light on a man ultimately destroyed by a system he dutifully served. Turing’s work during WWII is believed to have shortened the war by as much as two years.