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Imagine a summer blockbuster that goes beyond the realm of superheroes and delves deep into the complex depths of the all-too-human experience. Picture a $100 million IMAX-ready film directed by the visionary Christopher Nolan, portraying the life of J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. This ambitious project, titled “Oppenheimer,” is not your typical Hollywood fare. It is a high-risk strategy that explores the tortured ambivalence and shadow of doubt surrounding Oppenheimer’s legacy, leading up to the fateful event of Hiroshima.
The film stars Cillian Murphy, who underwent a dramatic weight loss transformation for the role, making him resemble former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne during the era of the concert film “Stop Making Sense.” Joining Murphy is an impressive ensemble cast, including Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, and notable actors like Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, and Tom Conti portraying various supporting characters, including a captivating portrayal of Albert Einstein.
Clocking in at precisely three hours, the film’s runtime mirrors the length of a typical British university final exam, creating a poetic parallel to the early scenes depicting Oppenheimer’s time as a young and fragile student at Cambridge. In many ways, the film itself feels like a comprehensive essay, packed with thought-provoking facts and a touch of psychoanalysis as Nolan carefully dissects Oppenheimer’s character, capturing the inner turmoil through well-crafted camera shots.
While the film may sound hubristic on the surface, it has many redeeming qualities. Nolan skillfully utilizes the full sensory potential of moviemaking, pushing the boundaries of visual and auditory storytelling to match the grandeur of Oppenheimer’s story. The screenplay is peppered with clever lines, and the entire project fearlessly tackles weighty matters through the medium of cinema. The film draws its source material from the 2005 biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin, providing a solid foundation for Nolan to bring the characters to life on screen.
Nolan, known for his prowess as a choreographer in orchestrating intricate action sequences, has long grappled with creating fully realized three-dimensional characters. With the assistance of Bird and Sherwin’s meticulous research, the film benefits from rich character backgrounds and well-crafted dialogue. The biography also shapes the film’s narrative structure, framing it as a Greek tragedy that revolves around Oppenheimer’s trial during the postwar investigations led by Joseph McCarthy.
Oppenheimer was a complex individual, embodying various identities such as physicist, womanizer, linguist, leftist, enigma, coward, and genius. The film aims to portray the interconnectedness of these different facets, emphasizing how one aspect of Oppenheimer’s personality often set off chain reactions that impacted other parts of his life. Cillian Murphy’s captivating performance, highlighted by his piercing blue eyes, serves as the glue that holds the film together, even though tracking the character’s progression from one trait to another can be challenging at times. The film asks the audience to believe in the multifaceted nature of Oppenheimer, showcasing his cocksure intellect alongside his ability to navigate the complexities of managing a team working on a groundbreaking nuclear weapon project in the desert of Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Nolan dedicates much of the film to this period, as it symbolizes a crucial crossroads in Oppenheimer’s life. The setting of Los Alamos, with its makeshift structures resembling a movie set, provides a fitting backdrop as Oppenheimer assumes the role of director, leading his team of brilliant but volatile individuals while Lieutenant General Leslie Groves (portrayed by Matt Damon) serves as a constant presence, much like a producer overseeing the project. The script even refers to Oppenheimer as the most important man in history, adding an intriguing meta- layer to the film, as we are essentially watching a movie about the making of a movie.
Nolan’s talent as a visual storyteller shines through, particularly in the New Mexico desert test scene. The imagery is mesmerizing, with the mushroom cloud appearing as a haunting apparition against a backdrop of awe and terror reflected in the faces of onlookers wearing protective goggles. This moment lingers in the mind, capturing the essence of Oppenheimer’s work and the implications resulting from it. The film also highlights the darker aspects of this historical event, showcasing the jubilation in Los Alamos following the bombing of Hiroshima and the subsequent persecution of Oppenheimer fueled by a personal vendetta.
However, the film occasionally veers into overindulgence. The decision to treat the trial as a sensational whodunnit feels misjudged, and the storytelling becomes convoluted with excessive use of flashbacks and abrupt shifts between black-and-white and color. Nolan resorts to grandiose stylistic choices when Oppenheimer needs to take center stage, sometimes at the expense of cohesiveness and thoughtful detail. Certain significant moments from Bird and Sherwin’s book, including Oppenheimer’s wink at McCarthy in an elevator, remain absent from the film.
While Nolan may not be on the same level as legendary director Stanley Kubrick, known for his masterpieces like “Dr. Strangelove,” he certainly leaves a lasting impact with “Oppenheimer.” The film will stay with viewers long after the credits roll, sparking contemplation and inviting introspection. Both Oppenheimer and Nolan share qualities of boldness and flaws, embodying contradictory elements that contribute to their respective legacies.
★★★★☆
Catch “Oppenheimer” in cinemas starting July 21st to experience this thought-provoking and visually stunning portrayal of a pivotal figure in history.
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