From the mind of Christopher Nolan comes Oppenheimer, a heady historical exploration of the mind of the man behind the development of the first-ever atomic bomb.
In a race to arm themselves in the depth of World War II, J. Robert Oppenheimer, alongside a number of the leading scientific minds of their times, begins developing an atomic bomb that would spell disastrous consequences for their enemies. Written and directed by Nolan for Universal Pictures, in his first film outside of his relationship with Warner Bros for over two decades, Oppenheimer is led by long-time collaborator Cillian Murphy, and features a starry ensemble including Robert Downey Jnr, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh and Rami Malek.
Do not be fooled by record-smashing blockbuster grosses, Oppenheimer is an intensely wound, psychologically heavy and linguistically dense voyage into the mind of a man rewriting history during one of the most crucial period the world has ever seen. Christopher Nolan's historical biopic reckons with a psychological toil explored superbly through a time-shifting, carefully-plotted event that speaks as frighteningly and damningly about today as it did during its setting.
Writing his own screenplay, and adapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Nolan’s fingerprints are all over Oppenheimer; a decision which grants himself complete control over the feature, meaning he can dictate the film’s rhythmic flow, so crucial to its overarching success. While not as freely-bending in its depiction of time as other Nolan ventures (Inception, Dunkirk), the non-chronological depiction of events are handled efficiently, juggling the various plot points and timelines exceedingly well, while also emphasising the significance of the atomic bomb's creation on today; by not resting in the past, Nolan injects genuine fear into a chain reaction, resulting in a far more resonant picture than initially anticipated.
As keenly interested in the man behind the creation as the bomb itself, as well as the tertiary characters influencing his direction and evolution, Nolan populates the piece with a number of perspectives to help support the fuller picture and develop a greater understanding of the situation. With some sharply written dialogue and complex character relationships, Oppenheimer has so much to sink your teeth into and it becomes a completely engrossing experience. Again, the density of the material will not work for everyone, and for many, it will be a film that requires repeat viewing to digest as completely as needed -- but the joy of that is recognising the numerous hidden layers that Nolan so deftly interlaces throughout his work.
Nolan’s direction remains as compelling as we have come to anticipate from one of our strongest directors. Orchestrating the entire endeavour with a thrilling precision that wrings every ounce of tension from its conceit, without ever chasing unnecessarily flashy or crowd-pleasing set pieces, Nolan approach to Oppenheimer is relatively simple - but it allows his filmmaking to soar. In conjunction with cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and editor Jennifer Lame, Nolan simultaneously balances the immense, almost immeasurably scale of its subject and the personal, private moments of the characters' psychological states, demonstrating the incredible versatility of a director working at both ends of the spectrum. Executing each with painstaking precision and a vision to create an experience which plays as a thriller, history lesson and horror all at once, Oppenheimer is supported by Ludwig Göransson's extraordinary, almost haunting score that enriches every sequence tenfold. Additionally, Nolan's decision to use only practical effects enhances the scope of the entire feature and feels both beneficial to experience and wholly refreshing.
Taking on the eponymous Oppenheimer, this is the performance Cillian Murphy’s career has been working towards: a remarkable lead turn that shoulders the film's weighty themes and thematic density, delivered with an emotional complexity so thoughtfully considered at every turn. Oppenheimer's screenplay asks a number of questions of its namesake as the magnifying glass draws closer towards him, but it is the subtlety with which Murphy conveys the insular emotions that make him so endlessly fascinating; his fears appear gradually realised but closer inspection reveals that they were present throughout, hidden in Murphy's smallest of expressions and movements. It really is such an impeccably and intelligently drawn performance.
Surrounded by some of the most fantastic performers of the time, a number of other stars stand out. Robert Downey Jnr delivers the most accomplished performance of his career; a lot of his dialogue runs the risk of feeling exposition-positioned but his delivery and the presence of Alden Ehrenreich's Senate aide provide it with the backdrop it needs to be detailing events so thoroughly. Emily Blunt is superb in a strictly-supporting capacity; while it is difficult not to wish a talent like Blunt's would be harnessed more, she grabs the moments and ensures she won't be forgotten, with one particular scene defending her husband going down as one of the film's finest moments. Florence Pugh is another of Oppenheimer's compelling presences, alongside formidable work from Matt Damon and Rami Malek.
Christopher Nolan introduces Oppenheimer through two headings: fission and fusion. In a way, that dichotomy runs throughout the film from beginning to close, reflecting the balancing act Nolan's feature undertakes: between courtroom drama and character study, political thriller and horror film, of defence and of retaliation, of representing salvation and spearheading death itself. Oppenheimer is a masterful achievement, an overwhelming, outstanding feat of filmmaking whose brilliance will continue to be discovered with each passing day, and each consecutive viewing. Oppenheimer's most remarkable moments come not from the actual building of the bomb, but the moral conundrum it centres, where Nolan as a filmmaker has very often thrived, with this latest endeavour being his most resonant yet. With immaculate attention to detail, extraordinary cast performances and impressive visual sophistication, Christopher Nolan catalytic orchestration will go down as not only one of the year's best, but one of the finest entries in his superb filmography, one whose unforgettable crescendo will linger long after the credits have rolled.