Oppenheimer (15)

Dir: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh

The latest from writer-director Christopher Nolan is the most heart-pounding and volatile biopic you will ever see.

‘Barbenheimer‘ is finally here, and boy was worth the wait. It would have needed something special to match or even top the pastel-heavy spectacle that was Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, but Christopher Nolan has managed to do it – and then some.

In a time where the world’s largest cinema chains have been struggling to sell tickets, the much anticipated double bill could not have come at a better time. It was refreshing to be in a packed screening once again, for what feels like the first time since Top Gun: Maverick over a year ago. It usually takes a big action blockbuster such as ‘Top Gun‘, or a large franchise release such as Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) to get audiences flocking to the cinema these days. The fact that Nolan has managed to achieve this with a three-hour biopic, based on one of the most controversial legacies of the twentieth century, is a true testament to his own legacy as a modern day filmmaker.

Nolan has built a reputation for crafting spectacles, with people comparing him favourably to a modern day Steven Spielberg, with his sense of ambition and technical craft. Like most of Spielberg’s early work of the 1970’s and 1980’s, Nolan is best known for his large-scale summer blockbusters, such as; Inception, Dunkirk and The Dark Knight Trilogy. The latest from the British writer-director, feels like a new chapter in his filmography, as he replaces the action-packed or reality bending set pieces of his previous releases, with a film that is part courtroom drama, part character study and all the internal conflicts that come with it. Despite the story being far more grounded and restrained compared to Nolan’s history of original high-concept ideas, he still manages to showcase his trademark sense of spectacle and non-linear story-telling.

‘Oppenheimer‘ is a biopic of epic proportions, as it chronicles the life of the “American Prometheus” that is J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) – the father of the atomic bomb. We first meet the titular theoretical physicist in 1926, as he is struggling with homesickness and anxiety whilst studying at Cambridge University, under the demanding Patrick Blackett (James D’Arcy). Frustrated with his own standards whilst studying at Cavendish Laboratory, Robert leaves a cyanide injected apple for Blackett on his desk, only for it to be nearly eaten by the visiting Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh). After discussing with Bohr about his passion for quantum physics, Robert relocates to Germany, where he briefly works with Werner Heisenberg, and upon completion of his PhD, he returns to the United States to kickstart American research into quantum physics

While teaching at Berkeley alongside Nobel Prize winner Ernest Lawrence (Josh Hartnett), Robert is recruited by U.S. Army General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) to lead the now infamous Manhattan Project – to develop the Atomic Bomb. Robert (who is Jewish) is driven by the possibility that the Nazis may have a nuclear weapons programme already underway, potentially 18 months ahead of the U.S. programme. With military backing, Robert assembles a team of the countries top scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to secretly create the bomb to hopefully end the war with Germany and Japan.

Nolan depicts the events of Oppenheimer’s life in a non-linear timeline, alternating between the development of the atom bomb, Oppenheimer’s security hearing in 1954 which accuses him of being a Communist sympathiser, and the 1959 Senate confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss – played by the fantastic Robert Downey Jr.

Christopher Nolan somewhat understated that ‘Oppenheimer’ is ‘kind of a horror movie’ as we see the sense of internal conflict on Cillian Murphy’s face, as it becomes a path into the guilt-ridden soul that is J. Robert Oppenheimer. The quite brilliant cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot the film with IMAX cameras, which enables us to see all the intricate details of the central character on a grand scale, as he realises the nature of what he has created, and the burden of being affiliated with it in history. Murphy is flawless here in his depiction of Oppenheimer, as we see the sense of trepidation slowly build in his famously bright blue eyes.

The large ensemble cast would give any Wes Anderson film a run for it’s money, and everyone is the top of their game, indicating how Nolan can get the best out of his actors. Oppenheimer was one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, and as a result came into contact with some of the greatest minds of his time, including the aforementioned Neils Bohr and Ernest Lawrence, as well as Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) and the man who dropped the atomic bomb himself – Harry S. Truman (Gary Oldman). It was his entanglements with those with Communist ties that were ultimately his undoing. His personal ties with his brother Frank (Dylan Arnold), close friend Haakon Chevalier (Jefferson Hall) and sexual engagements with psychologist Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) saw him put in the spotlight when the attention of the U.S. government switched from Germany and Japan to the Soviet Union. Emily Blunt brings fierceness to her role as Oppenheimer’s alcoholic wife, Kitty. Who despite her long suffering depression and Robert’s extra marital affairs, sticks with him through thick and thin, especially when he is confronted by the communist witch hunt of the 1950’s.

The film’s non-linear structure is to be expected by Nolan, as it is an approach he has used countlessly in his movies, none more effectively than the sensational mystery-thriller Memento (2000). Despite it’s conventional central story, this structure enables Nolan to keep the levels of intensity forever building. The scenes that centre around Oppenheimer’s security clearance hearing or Strauss’ confirmation, have the same level on anxiety-inducing dread as the history changing Trinity Test, that served as the crowning achievement of Oppenheimer’s life. The musical score by Oscar-winner Ludwig Goransson is breath-taking and seamlessly blends in to the films heart-pounding sound design, with the sound of small crowd of people stomping their feet thundering throughout the three hour runtime. The sequence that culminates in the detonation of the atom bomb in New Mexico is one of the best scenes in recent history, as Nolan and his excellent sound team slowly build the fear of the unknown – a scene that nearly made me have a panic attack.

The latest addition to an already impressive filmography, ‘Oppenheimer‘ sees Nolan’s talent shine as bright as his depiction of the atomic bomb. A true filmmaking achievement, made to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Oppenheimer is now showing in Cinemas