In a year that is showering us with cinematic treats such as the latest Mission: Impossible movie, a new Martin Scorsese epic, and the second chapter in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” (just to name a few), no movie has had me more excited than Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”. This historical thriller is based on the 2005 biography “American Prometheus: The triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” which in normal hands could have been your prototypical biopic. But this is Christopher Nolan and there’s nothing prototypical about his work.
“Oppenheimer” is Nolan’s twelfth feature film and I can honestly say I’ve been a big fan of all eleven movies that preceded it. Even more (and at the risk of coming across as an acolyte), his last SIX movies each ended up being my favorite film of their individual years. I know how suspect that sounds. But simply put, Nolan makes movies that wow me, captivate me, and in their own ways enhance my appreciate for the art form. To no surprise Nolan has done it again with “Oppenheimer”.
Sporting an incredible vision and one of the most fascinating casts in recent history, Nolan delivers what is a staggering cinematic achievement. With extraordinary craft, masterful pacing, and a truly exquisite management of tone, Nolan tells the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of most consequential figures in world history. A theoretical physicist credited as the “father of the atomic bomb”, Oppenheimer was a brilliant but flawed man. Nolan captures all of his complexity and contradictions in this dense and layered study that plays on a massive scale.
Riveting from start to finish, “Oppenheimer” examines its titular personality by placing us inside the head of a man looking beyond the world he lives in until that very world consumes him. We watch as he is lured in by scientific innovation and the prospect of saving the world. And later we see him crumbling under the enormous weight of what he has created; torn by ethical conundrums that are only matched by the guilt of his own personal moral failings.
“Oppenheimer” is anchored by what might be the best screenplay of Nolan’s career and easily the best screenplay of the year so far. The movie is three hours long and dialogue heavy yet there’s never a dull moment. You won’t find a wasted scene or a throwaway line. Nolan is always going somewhere and strategically moving his story and the characters who inhabit it forward. It’s a textbook case of a movie earning every second of its running time.
Cillian Murphy has never been better and gives a stunning three-dimensional performance, portraying Oppenheimer at various stages in his life with spellbinding commitment. We first meet him in his early days studying at the University of Cambridge and then later at the University of Göttingen. We watch as he goes home to America determined to bring quantum physics to the States. He begins teaching at Berkeley where he meets nuclear physicist Ernest Lawrence (a terrific Josh Hartnett).
Outside of science and academics, Oppenheimer has an on-and-off romance with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh – more on her in a bit), a psychiatrist and member of the Communist Party USA. Their relationship comes back to haunt him in more ways than one. Later he weds biologist Katherine “Kitty” Puening (Emily Blunt) and they have two children together. But we see their marriage has its own share of self-inflicted challenges.
And of course Nolan takes us through Oppenheimer’s involvement with the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb in the remote makeshift town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. There, under the direction of General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon), Oppenheimer assembles a crack team of scientists to build the government a weapon that can end World War II. Oppenheimer hides from the inevitable consequences of such a weapon by dwelling on the alternative. He doesn’t know if America can be trusted with a bomb. But he does know that the Nazis can’t. So he pushes forward, intent on beating Germany to the bomb while slowly coming to realize what it is they’re unleashing.
As Nolan’s intricate story unfolds we’re given flash-forwards that shine a light on Oppenheimer’s tense relationship with Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss (a sublime and awards-worthy Robert Downey Jr.). These absorbing sequences follow Strauss as he’s set to be confirmed for United States Secretary of Commerce. But they’re shrewdly interlaced with scenes showing Oppenheimer’s 1954 security hearing where he faced trumped up charges that he was a Soviet agent. Watching these two threads tie together is nothing short of captivating.
Nolan’s lone miscalculation comes with his handling of Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock. She’s certainly a meaningful character, especially in how the filmmaker envisions her impact on Oppenheimer’s life. But Nolan’s needlessly explicit portrayal does little more than ensure an R rating. You can count Jean’s scenes on one hand, but Nolan’s unfortunate emphasis leaves Jean (and Pugh) feeling terribly shortchanged.
Aside from that, it’s hard to do anything but praise this monumental cinematic work. The phenomenal performances top to bottom. The incredible visuals from DP Hoyte van Hoytema. Ludwig Göransson’s beguiling score. Nolan’s impeccable precision and control. It’s all seamlessly bound together in a movie of both historical importance and present day urgency. Yes, “Oppenheimer” is a compelling look at a fascinating historical figure. It also holds a mirror to our world, warning of humanity’s propensity to focus so much on the now that we rarely consider the future. That truth is captured most in the film’s sobering gut-punch final scene – a movie moment that will stay etched in my mind for a long time. “Oppenheimer” is in theaters now.
VERDICT – 5 DAYS
Keith & the Movies 
I am looking forward to this! An excellent cast and like you I’m a Nolan fan!
This is a phenomenal movie. Three hours but never felt like it. Can’t wait to see it again.
This does look a good’un
It’s an extraordinary achievement. Hope to see it again next weekend.
I reckon it will be hard to beat this film for your favorite of the year. Can’t wait to see it.
It’s just terrific. How he makes a biopic of Oppenheimer this exhilarating is truly mind-boggling.
Not gonna lie (and for whatever reason) I have really started to build anxiety over seeing this thing. Maybe it’s the knowledge of how good a filmmaker Nolan is. Maybe it’s the place in history the subject occupies, and this whole thing where Nolan recognizes the sheer impossibility of the choices he has to make and the positions he is put into. So in my head I’ve really gotten this impression Oppenheimer is going to be a hard sit, and not because of a 3-hour run time. But the more I’m reading, the more it seems like it’s going to be thrilling and tense and perhaps uncomfortable at times; I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s a damn movie. I think I’m in the middle of some kind of nervous breakdown and I’m just overreacting to things.
Oh man, for me one of the almost magical things about it is how incredibly fluid the storytelling is. It’s exhilarating and also enthralling. I’ll be honest, I’m pretty stunned at how he was able to pull it off.
It’s not a difficult watch although I can certainly see how it would seem daunting. I think once you sit down and the movie begins you’ll be sucked and and captivated. Those anxieties will vanish. It’s that well done.
That alleviates some of my concerns for sure. It’s not like I’m about to take in a Michael Haneke film, I know that, or even something by Mel Gibson that wily old dog, but there’s just something about the heft of this story and this presumption I have of the kind of story Nolan tells. I’m seeing it Sunday night with my dad, I think we’re about to be blown away.
You absolutely will be. And let me say this, Nolan plays around with time as he often does. But this isn’t a mindbender by any means. Its easy to keep up with, and the way things do come together in the end is just sublime.
Also feeling fairly intimidated by the idea of me writing about my reaction to it lol. This thing is huge! In so many ways. You did a great job wrangling a review together in short time. That will not be the case with me haha!
Oh man, I appreciate that very much. So many times my thoughts sound better as I’m piecing them together than they do as a finished whole.
You know I can’t read your review until I’ve seen it, but I do see you give it 5 stars, and I don’t see you giving many movies 5 stars, so that’s sure thing I’ll be seeing it. On a related but different matter, have you heard the new movie word for the weekend: Barbenheimer? lmao. I tried to tell my son and he had already heard it. He and a group of his friends are going to see Barbie (he’s a big Ryan Gosling fan and a little leery of seeing his hero Barbesized.)
LOL. Oh yes. That word has exploded. It has even made its way onto some truly hilarious t-shirts which I admit…I kinda want one.
🙂
I do hope to see this next weekend or the next one as I am intrigued by the subject as I am a sucker for history when it’s told in the right way. Plus, I hope it’s a better film than Tenet. Besides, I just got back from seeing Barbie and… WOW!!!!!
It’s something special for sure. I’ll probably see Barbie this week but all I can think about is seeing Oppenheimer again. LOL
It’s certainly better than Tenet. Any historical drama that can prove to be a profound lesson in consequences, especially regarding the atom bomb, deserves the most thoughtful director and Chris Nolan clearly wouldn’t let the disappointments of Tenet hinder how he could truly honor the story of Oppenheimer.
Barbie’s better.
The individual preferences for some movies, even in the wake of the greatest movies, can be most interesting speaking from my own personal favorites over the decades.
I’m with you here, absolutely loved this!
I can’t wait to see it again.
I loved Barbie more.
I absolutely loved it. And can we talk about that SCORE?! So beautiful!
YES! The score was incredible. Should be an automatic Oscar nomination.
Agreed!!!
Wow! Sounds great and really looking forward to it.
An absolute stunner of a movie. I have to make time to see it again before it leaves theaters.
I’m going to see it next week! I’ve been really looking forward to it.
Tell me what you think about it. I think it’s incredible
I will!
I saw the film earlier today and… FUCK!!!! While I had a better experience in Barbie, this is the better film of Barbenheimer as Nolan fucking killed it. Expect my review coming tomorrow.
It’s funny, my experiences between Oppy and Barb were dramatically different. This movie is one that I’m desperate to see again before it leaves the theater. It’ll be a chore for me to sit through Barbie again, even when it comes to streaming. LOL
Yep, probably my favorite of the year so far. I did like Barbie, but I’m quite surprised at how much this has stuck with me.
I’m hoping to see it again this weekend. Like you, I can’t get it out of my mind.
Saw it today, I am definitely out of touch with the rest of the movie going world.
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