Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon amid an ensemble cast, Oppenheimer is the latest film by Inception director Christopher Nolan. The film follows the creator of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy), whose work led to the invention of the first nuclear weapons during World War II. Based on American Prometheus, a biography that was developed over 25 years by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the extensive source material allows Nolan to embody a wealth of history in his latest feature. In a gargantuan 180 minutes, the biopic covers various eras of Oppenheimer’s life as a celebrated scientist, only to eventually become ostracised for his opposition to the use of advanced weapons.
At the start, Oppenheimer’s curiosity and dedication to science imply a need to put theory into practice – especially when he becomes a pioneering theoretical physicist. A troubled genius with grandiose ideals and theories that place him beyond his peers, he develops a deep dedication to his work and an admiration for other physicists around the world that collectively inspire him to take his love of science to higher, unimaginable levels. But his growing influence in the scientific community only feeds his arrogance, especially as his interest in foreign politics, more notably communism, becomes increasingly prominent as it paints a target on his back during the temperamental times of World War II. The fact that he is assigned the role of a project leader to essentially create a bomb, aka a weapon of mass destruction, isn’t as apparent to his drive for science. Actually, it becomes more of an afterthought until the success of his project quickly sobers upon the devastating impact of Hiroshima. Combined with the heft of American politics at this time and the future of nuclear weaponry, the narrative evokes a sombre and devastating feeling that echoes the emotional impact of his endeavour.
Though necessary, his conflict between political activist and scientist becomes an underlying yet hefty source of contention in the narrative because it convolutes Oppenheimer’s life and achievements with the inclusion of multiple different characters. From military officials and government agents to friends and colleagues, they all spin a thread of a huge and elaborate web that makes it difficult to engage with them – unless the audience is up-to-date with American history of this era, the film paints the majority of these characters as passing mentions in the physicist’s life. In terms of notable supporting roles, Robert Downey Jr. delivers the biggest punch as Lewis Strauss, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. Similar to Murphy, he brings a complex performance as the admiring businessman to the cutthroat puppeteer behind the film’s excruciating security hearings, igniting a slow-burning tale of Oppenheimer’s downfall.
Two additional characters who garner some of Oppenheimer‘s attention are its two female characters, both of whom are integral but ultimately become victims of his work. His on-off lover Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) provides a timely escape that deepens Oppenheimer’s connection with the Communist Party while his wife Kitty (Emily Blunt) becomes a resentful alcoholic housewife. Although they have a mixed impact on the narrative and their significance to the eponymous character – Oppenheimer‘s nude scenes, in particular, come across as gratuitous and a waste of Pugh’s talents – both performances enable an intimacy amid Oppenheimer‘s intense narrative and emphasise his persona as a man.
As for its leading man, Oppenheimer reaffirms Cillian Murphy’s remarkable talent as an actor and highlights one of the more understated actor-filmmaker partnerships in cinema. In his first lead role in a Christopher Nolan film, Murphy is magnetic as Oppenheimer. His enigmatic performance has touches of subtlety, calculation and determination so he easily eclipses the rest of the film’s extensive cast, which rivals a Wes Anderson film in terms of star power.
Combining three linear narratives is no easy feat, but Nolan achieves it brilliantly through his strong and passion-fuelled screenplay. Visually, he sporadically scatters brightly coloured flashes that reflect his brilliance and fascination with physics, constantly reminding audiences of Oppenheimer’s first and truest love – science. While films such as Interstellar and Tenet have allowed him to play with the laws of time and space, Oppenheimer allows him to further indulge his love of science with a historical spin to deliver his most accessible film to date. But he doesn’t compromise his ambitious visual and storytelling styles, the former of which is epitomised in one of the film’s key scenes – the Trinity Test, which is amazingly recreated through practical effects that effectively evoke the mind-blowing scale of the detonation. The result is beyond spectacular on the big screen.
The immense depth and history of the eponymous character radiate through Nolan’s intricate direction – even after the dust settles, Oppenheimer‘s attention to detail lingers long after the credits roll. Audiences may argue about the runtime and may have to compete against a certain doll at the box office, but even these do not diminish the staggering impact of Nolan’s epic biopic and its ability to engross audiences into the complicated life of its challenging eponymous character. Overall, it is a breathtaking piece of cinema.
Oppenheimer is out in UK cinemas on Friday 21 July.
Rating: 
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Josh Harnett
Runtime: 180 minutes
Country: USA
