July 31, 2023 · Watch the official trailer
If auteur writer/director Christopher Nolan wanted to make his latest film about them development of the atomic bomb, he would have given it a title more in keeping with that idea.
By titling the film simply “Oppenheimer,” it’s clear that Nolan is less interested in the device itself then the complex, conflicted man behind the Manhattan Project, the revolutionary father of the atomic bomb that changed the way that modern wars are waged.
Based on the biography “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, “Oppenheimer” is a grandiose, dense look into the most pivotal era in the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, slightly before, during and significantly after his work at Los Alamos, New Mexico, leading the creation of the first atomic bomb.
Since Nolan is more interest in the man than the machine itself, it’s clear that whoever took the mantle of the titular Oppenheimer had to be a chameleon physically, psychologically, and emotionally as well.
Frequent Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy absolutely astonishes in his most prolific leading role to date as the title character. His Oppenheimer is incredibly well considered both in Murphy’s performance as well as in the nuanced, subtle ways Oppenheimer approached every moment in his scientific life.
Audiences can see just with a squint of Murphy’s eyes the relentless turning of the wheels in Oppenheimer’s mind and his borderline psychotic ability to disassociate from the moment to ponder infinite possibilities is perfectly captured in the performance and in Nolan’s unique ability to pull viewers out of the moment while remaining in Oppenheimer’s frame of mind.
This is most often done as the cinematography obscures the world around Oppenheimer and large swaths of noise go deafeningly silent to really draw audiences into his psyche, which becomes increasingly more fragile as Oppenheimer attempts to balance personal responsibilities with the possible cataclysmic fallout from his secret project.
Murphy is also outstanding at blending the cerebral Oppenheimer with a more emotional, vulnerable romantic side when it comes to Oppenheimer’s relationships with longtime mistress Jean Tatlock and his wife Kitty.
The unique ways in which Murphy changes his physical appearance and tone of voice in scenes opposite either character truly displays the dichotomy in how Oppenheimer viewed his romantic partners and the chemistry he has with both Florence Pugh’s Jean and Emily Blunt’s Kitty are intensely personal and heartfelt with layers of character development unlike Nolan films of the past.
While this is a film almost entirely about men and men’s work, Blunt and Pugh are among the film’s major highlights with Pugh being the heartbreaking first love and Blunt carrying a much heavier burden as Oppenheimer’s reckless yet wildly supportive wife and the complexities that both women are able to bring out in their characters greatly help to layer the world of “Oppenheimer.”
It's a film with an incredibly deep and talented ensemble cast that could easily receive 4-6 acting nominations.
Robert Downey Jr. delivers perhaps his best pure acting performance in a decade as Admiral Strauss, a frequent collaborator of Oppenheimer post-Manhattan Project that plays a pivotal role in framing the narrative of the film, while Matt Damon plays stoically against type as a general overseeing Oppenheimer and the project as a whole.
Nolan’s perhaps most personal screenplay – written in the first person from Oppenheimer’s perspective – centers the entire film around the theoretical physicist’s experience even in scenes which Murphy isn’t in. The framework of the film concurrently follows Oppenheimer’s rise and time at the Manhattan Project as well as a Senate confirmation hearing and investigation set years after the end of World War II. “Oppenheimer” feels exceptionally heavy and cumbersome on an initial viewing, but as with most Nolan films, subsequent screenings really unlock the complexity and layering of the world Nolan creates and emphasize the inherent drama.
As with all Nolan movies, “Oppenheimer” is masterfully shot by award worthy cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who captures the intimate, personal moments of the actors in revelatory tight closeups as well as engulf the audience in the larger framework of the film in sweeping panoramas that highlight the gravity and immense importance of the Manhattan Project.
“Oppenheimer” is certainly one of the year’s first major awards contenders alongside “Barbie” and Nolan’s film could easily receive double-digit nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, a slew of technical prizes and a virtually guaranteed nomination and likely win for Murphy as Best Actor.
Clocking in at three hours, “Oppenheimer” does struggle to maintain audience engagement for viewers not completely enamored with the more stoic, cerebral pace from the outset.
But as is the case with all of Nolan’s work, “Oppenheimer” begs to be seen on the biggest possible screen at least once, if not more times, by the most ardent cinephiles and casual audiences alike.
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