Oppenheimer is a 2023 historical drama about the famous physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.
Either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. From an early age, it is evident that physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) has “it.” Sure, he’s kind of brash at the ripe young age of 22 when he starts studying experimental physics in Cambridge, but like the best of the best in anything, one typically has to be able to see the biggest picture. Not where things are, where things are going.
Oppenheimer takes his cutting edge studies of quantum physics back into the United States and Cal-Berkeley. There, he teaches his findings to young students. Back in the states, he’s reunited with brother Frank (Dylan Arnold) and eventually introduced to a woman who will mean a lot to him and his legacy, psychiatrist—and Communist member—Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh).
As life ebbs and flows, Oppenheimer meets and grows with biologist Katherine Puening (Emily Blunt) who becomes the steady rock he needs to navigate the world. He’ll need that steadiness, because the world is on the brink of disaster as Germany and the Axis forces are believed to be building a bomb. It’s a race against time to beat them to the button, and if the US is going to do this, they need the best of the best. General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) appoints Oppenheimer to lead “The Manhattan Project,” a tireless years-long endeavor to develop an atomic bomb capable of ending the war. If this endeavor is successful, he’ll also need that steadiness to take on those who no longer agree with what he’d come to represent and regret, such as Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.)
Admission: Over the last couple of years, Christopher Nolan’s recent works have left me pretty indifferent. He never lost the visual craftsmanship found in Dunkirk and Tenet, but to a small yet sizable contingent of people including myself, he lost the ability or maybe interest in building characters where appreciated (perhaps not as pertinent in Dunkirk but certainly desired in Tenet), crafting a coherent plot, and writing gripping/audible dialogue. I did fear a smidge of the same when Oppenheimer was announced, but whether attributed to adapting the screenplay from a biography, the captivating trailer, the unbelievable star wattage assembled in the cast, a combination of all that or some things else, Oppenheimer grabbed my attention, and consistently seized it throughout its three-hour runtime.
Part of that is obviously the aforementioned Nolan. Long interested in time and using stretches of his films to run narratively parallel and/or a bigger part of the whole, he does that again in framing the story under colored “Fission” and black-and-white “Fusion,” using two different perspectives as the story evolves. The first 20 or so minutes aren’t the cleanest, but it all coalesces as matters build to the Manhattan project and it’s hard to see how he could have told the narrative otherwise.
Hallmarks of Nolan’s style exist here; hard cuts, unreliable narrators, architectural scale, etc. For a feature like this though, no way he could pull it off alone. He receives massive assists from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, editor Jennifer Lame, and composer Ludwig Göransson. Collectively with the contributions of many unlisted others, they all make Oppenheimer potentially the best-looking film of 2023.
Nolan has been known to meld genres in previous movies; but never quite like how he does with Oppenheimer. Covering the gamut of horror to adventure, history to thriller, and even romance (albeit clunky) to drama, the tie that binds them all is its central figure. Whether we’re seeing the events unfold in his head or through the viewpoint of another, the charismatic physicist is the sun with which everything else revolves around. Nolan’s multi-varied storytelling works wonders with this adapted screenplay, as each time he and his editor cut to a new scene seemingly more information and better depth is given to Oppenheimer, his world, who is in his orbit, and most importantly, his psyche. This is a fascinating character study that neither demonizes nor heroizes the father of the atomic bomb, but by the end, one could see and understand both modes of thinking.
Also by the end, the audience feels the exhaustion and moral quandary Oppenheimer deals and grapples with, thanks largely due to the phenomenal work delivered by Murphy. It’s truly a performance filled with steely intensity and somber regret sometimes driven purely by his cool blue eyes. He’ll get much of the rightful attention now and during awards season, but in a weird way, I’m remembering this movie for as much as the smaller and somewhat bit characters and performances.
To praise nearly everyone here would be impossible and take up too many words. For yours truly, the non-A-listers such as Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Benny Safdie, and even Josh Peck register as the most impressive standouts relative to their screen time. I could watch this again, and totally pick out another handful of thespians.
Succeeding as an ultra-visual historical come to life and a mesmerizing tale of morality (among other things), Oppenheimer is deserving of all its hype. It’s one of the best of the year and probably beyond.