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Atomic Age, Atomic Bomb, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Gadget, nuclear bomb, Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer film review, Oppenheimer movie review, Oppenheimer’s bomb, Robert Downey Jr, The Manhattan Project, Trinity
Oppenheimer
Review by Paul Bowler
Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan’s latest cinematic blockbuster Oppenheimer charts the life and work of one of the most notable figures of the 20th century, J, Robert Oppenheimer – the man credited as the father of the atomic bomb. Indeed, Oppenheimer, a Jewish physicist from New York, played a pivotal role in the birth of the atomic age that culminated with the Trinity test and detonation of the world’s first nuclear device, nicknamed Gadget, in the New Mexico Desert. Nolan’s film has all the tell-tale hallmarks of his former works, as you’d expect, but Oppenheimer is no mere run-of-the-mill biopic.
The screenplay, also by Christopher Nolan, is based on American Prometheus by Kia Bird and Martin J Sherwin, and Nolan has magnificently engineered a film that is both psychological deep-dive and thriller that also mixes in sublime undertones of horror which genuinely chill to the bone.
Opening in 1954, we witness Oppenheimer, brilliantly played by Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy, as he faces sever questions by a government committee over his alleged communist sympathies. While a visibly nervous Oppenheimer reads his statement, the series of flashbacks that form the bulk of the plot gradually begin to unfold, and we learn how he wound up being in charge of The Manhattan Project at the very heart of America’s top secret atom bomb programme. It is here where the narrative distinctively splits between this committee hearing and another set in 1958, this time strikingly filmed in black and white, where the Senate is questioning Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr) of the US atomic energy commission over his involvement with Oppenheimer ahead of his own appointment to cabinet. The dual nature of the twin committee hearings and subsequent barrage of questioning allows Nolan to skilfully interject two very different perspectives into the mix that makes for extremely compelling viewing.
Cillian Murphy, here in his sixth collaboration with Nolan, delivers an incredible performance as Oppenheimer. Passionately driven to do whatever he can to end Hiitler’s genocide and then subsequently tortured by what he would himself unleash on the world, Murphy brings gravitas and weight to the role of the troubled scientist. His portrayal of this incredibly complex man, his genius, his ideals, are all startlingly explored in a juxtaposition of conflicting emotions.
Florence Pugh is impressive as Oppenheimer’s equally troubled on-off girlfriend, Emily Blunt also excels as his wife, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, especially during her verbal clash with lawyer Roger Robb (Jason Clarke). and Matt Damon has a strong presences as no-nonsense Lieutenant General Leslie Groves. The cast also features Benny Safdie as Edward Teller (who was the inspiration for Dr Strangelove), Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr, Oppenheimer’s Danish mentor, Josh Hartnett plays his colleague Ernest Lawrence, while Olivia Thirlby, Rami Malek, Jack Quaid, Macon Blair, Casey Affleck, David Krumholtz and Alden Ehrenreich all acquit themselves well in smaller roles. And there’s also Gary Oldman’s superb cameo as President Truman – who once famously dismissed Oppenheimer as “a cry-baby scientist”.
Christopher Nolan has crafted another masterpiece with Oppenheimer, and it’s a three hour epic in every sense of the word. As captivating as it is in the depiction of events, Nolan’s film is never more enthralling than when it’s exploring Oppenheimer’s complex psyche before, during, and after Trinity. Oppenheimer is not an easy watch by far. The film doesn’t preach and it certainly doesn’t hold your hand either as the narrative threads intertwine. The build up to the moment of Trinity is a nerve jangling experience in itself. Nolan’s movie offers us much to dwell over; as incredible cinematography and writing polarises the terrible forces and moral consequences unleashed by Oppenheimer’s bomb.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook