Oppenheimer Review: A Bombastic, Expertly Crafted Achievement

Ken Jones, OnScreen Blog Chief Film Critic

J. Robert Oppenheimer brought the world into the atomic age, running the Manhattan Project for the US during World War II and creating the atomic bomb. This man is the subject of the latest film by Christopher Nolan, himself a man who can harness great power to accomplish great things in his field. 

Oppenheimer is a dense film. As has been the case with most Nolan films, it is a story that plays around with time, jumping back and forth between several moments in Oppenheimer’s life to tell his story. It is also jampacked with information and details, both about the science and physical practicalities of building an atom bomb and the political and moral dilemmas such a thing unleashed on the world and Oppenheimer himself.

The film ranges from Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) early days studying in European schools in 1928, to bringing theoretical physics to America in the 30s, to running the Manhattan Project, to his post-war years where he becomes vilified by people in his government after being praised as a hero, and eventually having his security clearance revoked in a sham review process in the 1950s.

The review of his security clearance is one of the framing devices of the film that it keeps returning to. The other framing device of the film is the Senate confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) to be Eisenhower’s Secretary of Commerce. Strauss and Oppenheimer do not see eye to eye on the post-war use of atomic power.

Oppenheimer’s ties to communism are a constant plot point as well. He never dives in entirely like some of his colleagues at Berkeley. Murphy delivers a clever line about being a theoretical physicist to explain this. Still, he has so many ties to people directly involved in the movement that it will stick to his name for decades. 

It proves to be a sticking point when getting his security clearance, despite no misgivings from General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon), the man who recruits Oppenheimer to helm the project. Along with a prolonged affair with a woman heavily involved in the movement, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), and several friends and family involved as well, it is something that he can never completely shake in the eyes of his harshest critics, especially when the knives come out for him. 

But who is wielding the knives, exactly? That question is part of the larger aim of the film, which is a kind of dissertation on power and responsibility. Oppenheimer’s story does not end after World War II is over, and the detonation of the bomb does not signal the end of the film; instead, there is nearly another full hour of run time in the film after the bomb is dropped. By making the detonation of the bomb not the film's culmination, Nolan is aiming at something higher, focusing on the political and moral fallout Oppenheimer experiences.

Early in the film, Oppenheimer doubts whether the US or anyone can be trusted with the power they are potentially unleashing on the world. Still, he knows with certainty that the Nazis cannot. The fallout of dropping the bomb weighs heavily on him, and he essentially grapples with his moral responsibility and whether his patriotic duty compromised it. It leads his wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt), to question whether he allows himself to be railroaded by this committee and wonder why he refuses to fight.

There is also a question running through the film that was a genuine theoretical concern surrounding the explosion of the atomic bomb, which was that the explosion would start a chain reaction that wouldn’t stop and would lead to the end of the world. The chances of this happening were near zero, but it was still a concern. The film's ending reframes that fear in a more profound, moral way.

The film jumps around in time pretty frequently and cuts a few moments short early on that are then expanded upon later on in the film. In particular, there is a pivotal scene between Oppenheimer and Einstein (Tom Conti) meeting a few years after the war where their brief discussion is not heard until the very end of the film, but at the beginning of the film is observed by Strauss from a distance and perceived by him as a personal slight, the first in a series.

It is expertly crafted by Nolan, carefully weaving together the layers of the timeline of events to tell the story he wants at a pace that moves pretty well for a three-hour film. The cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema is pristine. The film jumps back and forth in time, between color and black & white. 

Nolan is one of the best directors in the business at utilizing the scale of the film, he intends for this film to be seen on the IMAX, and it delivers visually. The buildup to the testing of the atomic bomb, the Trinity test, is an incredible spectacle. It’s not just a spectacle film, though, in fact, far from it. It is surprising how much of the film is about small, intimate moments between characters or closeups of their faces, particularly Cillian Murphy’s. 

Murphy gives a commanding performance as the complex Oppenheimer. I could see an Oscar nomination in his future for this performance. He is one of our most underutilized actors. He depicts the man at several different points in his life, and perhaps the most impressive is the older version in the 1950s. In those scenes, he looks not just older and weathered but haunted.

Emily Blunt gives a terrific supporting role as Kitty. Nolan’s films have been routinely criticized for lacking in the romantic/emotional department. This is defused somewhat in this film by having a hot and heavy physical relationship with Oppenheimer and Jean Tatlock and not a marriage of convenience, but a more mature and grown-up relationship with Kitty where there are no secrets. She is fiercely loyal to him and their family, willing to fight in ways he can’t or won’t. Blunt shines when she gets a great scene testifying during his security hearing. 

Strauss represents Downey’s first prominent role post-MCU. It is also an impressive, nuanced performance and feels like a deliberate choice to go in a very different direction than Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Overall, this is such a loaded cast that it is almost ridiculous. There are too many name actors to list by name. No less than three winners of Best Actor Oscars within the last decade appear in this film in glorified cameo roles. Also, yes, that guy who looks like Josh Hartnett is, in fact, Josh Hartnett. David Krumholtz is nearly unrecognizable. 

Oppenheimer runs a bit long at 180 minutes. It is a lot to take in, but it feels like a film that will reward repeat viewings. Dunkirk was a historical film, but this is Nolan’s first biopic and towering one. Cillian Murphy is a long-time collaborator with Nolan and is perfectly cast. Oppenheimer is a film from an expert in his field about an expert in his field, giving context and shape to the life of the man who had become death, destroyer of the world.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars