Director Christopher Nolan is known for his explosive setpieces and interest in haunted geniuses, so it’s only right that he would attempt to tackle the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. This is Nolan’s second World War II movie after Dunkirk, and it’s easy to distinguish between the two because Oppenheimer is a biopic that never takes us to the battlefield or amidst the destruction: The narrative is internalized through the perspectives of Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) himself and the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.).
Our titular protagonist is shown as a restless mind from his early days as a student at Cambridge, a fact he attributes to homesickness, but we can see that a single droplet of rain on a puddle sends his mind into an anxious swirl about the mysteries of theoretical physics—something that gets in the way of his lab work. Or as several characters remind him in the film: “Theory will only take you so far.” When he finally returns to the U.S. with his Ph.D., he plans on bringing the relatively (pun intended) new field of theoretical physics with him. Like he did with Bruce Wayne, Nolan creates an origin story for Oppenheimer so that we might later understand his actions (or lack thereof).
Take, for example, his affair with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh): It is a sexual sparring that simultaneously uncovers their beliefs; Jean is a communist member, while Robert prefers not to completely assign himself to one political party even if his beliefs are left-leaning. Their sex scene—which has the prudes clutching at their pearls—culminates with Robert reading her the opening lines of the Bhagavad Gita in the original Sanskrit: “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds” as she straddles him. A line that will later take on added significance when Oppenheimer is brought on to lead the Manhattan Project to create the atomic bomb.
This is but one of many transgressions that will come back to haunt Oppenheimer in a closed hearing where the kangaroo court will recount his past affiliations with communist members to discredit him and deny his security clearance. Pugh tries her best to add inner tension to her character, but I don’t think the criticisms of how Nolan writes women characters will end here. Emily Blunt, as Oppenheimer’s wife, Katherine, gets it even worse as she is either silently sulking in the background or unhappy with an alcoholic beverage always in frame. Thankfully, her performance during the hearing and the fallout after it shows just how powerful Blunt is as an actor. It made me wish she was even more involved, as we never get to see her relationship with Oppenheimer play out on screen, save for a few brief asides.
Most of the film is dedicated to Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb and the people he meets along the way, played by one great actor after another: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Jason Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Olivia Thirlby, and Benny Safdie barely scratch the surface of the familiar faces that make up the cast. The number of characters can be overwhelming, but like Oppenheimer, we are thrown headfirst into the race of the Manhattan Project to catch up with the Germans who had a two-year head start on the U.S.
Even when he was called to direct the project, his past was constantly questioned for fear of moles infiltrating Los Alamos, where Oppenheimer decided to take his team to carry out the tests. Damon, as Lieutenant Groves, adds urgent energy to the movie as he tries to convince the top scientists in the country to relocate their family to the desert for years, or however long it takes to complete the job. Between his “most important thing in the history of the world” and “near zero” lines that made it into the trailer, it’s hard to pick out other quotes from the movie that are as memorable.
The Trinity test is why most people went to see the movie, and it did not disappoint. I was reminded of the airlock scene in Interstellar, where Damon’s character tries docking his ship only for the pressure to crush him violently, leaving the fragments of his vehicle floating into outer space. The test is the culmination of all the passionate conversations, theoretical debates, and gathering of the brilliant minds that ignite the sky. The (mainly) practical explosion is effective in showcasing the scale, but it’s the reaction shots from the actors that really sell the intense wave of force that it generated.
After that, the story is taken away from Oppenheimer, just like the bomb is boxed up and driven away. Oppenheimer is hailed as a hero, but the deadly cost of the bomb’s success weighs heavy on his conscience. This is shown through visions of what Oppenheimer imagines the atomic bomb did to people and Ludwig Gorrenson’s stirring score of discordant strings. The debates about how to create the bomb instead become where to deploy it, before the final hour shifts to focus mainly on Strauss’s Senate confirmation hearing. And with this being a Nolan movie, time is constantly shifting and nonlinear. Strauss’s hearing is in black and white as a signpost of this for viewers compared to the color sections of Oppenheimer’s perspective. Still, Oppenheimer’s affair, his closed court, the recruiting of scientists, and the success of the bomb are all pieced together to create a jumbled narrative that doesn’t come together as cleanly as Dunkirk or Inception.
One of the difficult things about biopics is trying to encapsulate someone’s life into a couple of hours. Nolan focuses on significant moments in Oppenheimer’s life, but the frequent cutting took away the impact of some of them as a result. Nolan respects his audience a great deal, but it was difficult to understand why Strauss’s senate hearing was important relative to Oppenheimer’s life (until the very end) or what the results of the closed court meant for Oppenheimer, and no explanation is provided for either. That being said, the mise-en-scene of the scenes is elegantly crafted and creates a sweltering mood, regardless of whether we fully comprehend what is happening.
That might be the main takeaway of Nolan’s entire filmography: He writes and directs stories that create a specific vibe, and the burden is on the audience to rewatch and research further if they want to glean more. Having seen it twice, Murphy’s depiction of inner turmoil is a masterclass in physical acting and reacting—meaning he doesn’t need words or to be the center of the scene to convey his feelings. Robert Downey Jr.’s Strauss also is a counter to the likable jokester he’s played in the MCU for so long; he similarly holds a brewing anger and resentment that feels like a bomb waiting to detonate. While the film has several outstanding performances, I suspect they will be the acting frontrunners come Oscar season.
Ultimately, Oppenheimer is still an accomplishment for making a 3-hour biopic move so fast, the propulsion forcing us to lean in to get a read on the characters and situations. However, the fast pace combined with the nonlinear editing causes a disconnect that also takes away some of the effect. We are supposed to be suspicious of Oppenheimer as a character, just like so many in the movie are, and he is of himself. But because he is so emotionally removed from the proceedings, it’s hard to understand what we should feel about him besides sympathy for how he is treated by others. Nolan clearly thinks he’s one of the most influential people in the world, but he fails to prove why, despite his usual technical wizardry, captured again in stunning IMAX.
Final Rating:
‘Oppenheimer’ is now playing in theatres.
Rated R.
(Photos: Universal Pictures)
