Given the wide array of discourse and varying opinions surrounding the film from both viewers and people who feel compelled to make assumptions without actually watching it, let’s start by tackling what “Oppenheimer” is NOT before we begin dissecting this massive biopic for what it IS.
For starters, The film is not about the atomic bomb. That may seem counterintuitive given that the film centers around it’s aptly named “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” but to go into it thinking you’re going to get a deep dive into the bombing or a WWII epic would be a mistake. Nolan’s film (and source material) is singularly focused on one point of view, namely the titular character and his life. Whether that’s right or wrong is irrelevant, and immediately dismissing the film for not incorporating parts of a vast history irrelevant to the story being told is a mistake.
Secondly, the film is not about atrocity, and while it’s ok to feel some sort of way about the omission of the Japanese experience during these events, again the film is not about these events. Yes, the consequences of the atomic bomb are integral to the story, but this is a biopic about a man and his part in the larger history, not the larger history itself.
Thirdly, “Oppenheimer” is not a celebration of American victory. Quite the opposite actually, as through its focused lens consistently wrestles with the moral quagmire of nuclear power throughout most of the film. Any screen grab you see on the internet recontextualizing “Oppenheimer” as some sort of pro American propaganda touting the success of their nuclear devastation is from someone who has not actually watched the film or did and missed the point entirely. Lastly, while the film does its best to stick to actual historical events as it pertains to Oppenheimer himself, as with all cinema there is bound to be some revisionism afoot. It is just simply foolish to go into any film expecting a documentary.
“Oppenheimer” does its best to stick to actual events as they unfolded, but what the hell is the point of a drama if you don’t do anything to add a little dramatic interpretation to your film? Also, the man himself is dead, so we can’t really call him up and ask for his opinion on his own life. All we have are the stories that have already been told through a multitude of voices that all have their own revisions of their own history as it relates to the man himself.
All of these things are important to understand and address, because in order to truly understand and embrace the mastery of filmmaking and performances in “Oppenheimer,” you have to first define the paradigms with which the film and filmmaker is operating in and recognize the things that are outside of its scope. Again, I am not saying either is right or wrong, but if you’re going to try to understand the film you need to first understand the filmmaker’s vision and purpose to begin with. Only then can we begin to unpack “Oppenheimer” for what it sets out to be instead of what we want it to be. It is a necessary distinction that will unequivocally impact your experience, and will allow you to come away from the film with an opinion rooted in the actual text instead of telling yourself stories that don’t exist.
With all of that out of the way, “Oppenheimer” is a stunning filmmaking achievement; peak Nolan pulling out all of his tricks without the safety net of science fiction and a masterclass in execution. It has all of the flaws and strengths of his filmography, and on balance succeeds far more than it fails. Nolan commands your attention from his first frame of a close up of Cillian Murphy towering over his audience in a sort of chaotic calm that only the best actors can perform. He announces “Oppenheimer” with a whisper of quiet rage, and immediately tells the audience to buckle up, because this character study is going to rock you to your core and journey is not linear nor easily solved. I’ve long been an advocate for shorter runtimes, and usually side with more pieces of film being left on the cutting room floor. For the first time in a long time, the three hour runtime didn’t feel its length in the slightest. Nolan packs his story with simmering tension and a constant sense of dread. Much like the bomb itself, “Oppenheimer” is a tightly wound, patience character study ready to explode at any moment. I’m not ready to say that this is Nolan’s best film, but it is by far his best in years and the closest he’s come to matching his ambition with execution.
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan and based on the non-fiction book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin(who were also on set as a script supervisors and have praised the film for its largely accurate interpretation of their work) and stars Cillian Murphy as the titular character. Truthfully, it’s easier to say who’s NOT in “Oppenheimer” than list all of the other actors that are in the film, and it’s actually better to watch it blindly so you can pull a Leo Meme every 10 minutes. Nolan gets the best out of everyone, with some smaller standouts like Robert Downey Jr., Jason Clarke, Benny Safdie, Alden Ehrenreich, Gary Oldman, and yes, even Rami Malek are all standouts in a cast list that’s longer than the actual filmmaking credits. I don’t understand the Malek craze personally, as I find him to be too off putting and strange in his choices most of the time. But here, Nolan’s choice of moment to let him shine in “Oppenheimer” bring out the best he’s ever been, and while I’m not a fan of his in the slightest after this film I can see how good filmmakers can make even the strangest of performers agreeable. The film is told through Nolan’s classic non-linear style, splicing at least 4 different timelines interwoven to piece together the complex and complicated life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film is explicitly told through Oppenheimer’s point of view, with a lot of Over the Shoulder shots and close ups of a man constantly influx with his own decisions.
“Oppenheimer” is intensely edited, with Jennifer Lame given a near impossible task of making the scattered, fragmented storytelling make sense. Lame’s editing breaths gripping life into a very talky film, one where a large swath of its runtime feels like an Aaron Sorkin screenplay titled “Dudes be talking.” That’s not a slight on the film, as “Oppenheimer” makes the most of every single frame and Lame’s editing gives even the most mundane arguments over quantum mechanics a riveting life. Nolan too doesn’t waste a single frame, and the shifting color grading delineates where we are in the overarching story. This a craft focused film, with Lame’s editing, Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, Ludwig Göransson haunting and engrossing score, Nolan’s ambitious vision and the pitch perfect performances all work in tandem to deliver one of the most engrossing films of the year. And that’s not even accounting for the very real recreation of the Trinity Test, a scene so enthralling and spectacular it is sure to go down in history as a singular moment in filmmaking history. And it isn’t even the end of “Oppenheimer,” taking place somewhere around the end of the second act.
While “Oppenheimer” may have some of Nolan’s best tendencies and visionary filmmaking prowess, it also has some of his worst, too. For instance, he is incapable of writing women in any way that feels purposeful or real. I have always been high on Florence Pugh, and believe she is one of the greatest young performers of our generation, and while she is terrific in “Oppenheimer,” Nolan is incapable of writing her character in any meaningful way. Emily Blunt too, though given more opportunities to mine some depth out of her character falls victim to the tragic wife who is nothing without her man and stands by him without reason or logic. It’s a glaring flaw across most of his filmography, and is more glaring in “Oppenheimer” because everything else is so fantastic and well done. Additionally, while the film is a riveting spectacle for 2 hours, the court room procedural framework that makes up the entire third act is a drastic shift from breakneck pacing to more thoughtful men in rooms talking a lot about things. If you’re into that kind of thing, then it works and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t worked for me. But it is a fair criticism that encompasses most of Nolan’s common mistakes.
And then there’s Murphy, who has long been a powerful leading man in a number of his projects on smaller scales but arrives in “Oppenheimer.” This is an Oscar worthy turn for him, a performance so complex and thoughtful and captivating he is bound to make a fan out of the most staunch of haters. Murphy completely disappears, delivering the kind of performance that feels like he got lost for real and needs to take some time off to recover and recenter. He is so committed to “Oppenheimer” and works hard to bring to life a flawed man who often allowed brilliance to be the shield for his reckoning and consequences. I’ve long been a fan of Murphy, but his work here solidifies that he is truly great and deserves to be recognized.
“Oppenheimer” will be a film that will force you to sit with it for a while. Even for myself, I had to sleep on it before I started putting words to paper. It’s not only a lot to take in, but there is a lot to interpret within the underlying text that, much like its “Barbie” face off, requires and necessitates discussion. Nolan gives audiences so much unpack both visually and thematically, and “Oppenheimer” is sure to be a work dissected for years to come. It is a commitment at 3 hours long, and requires a deep investment in conversations and constantly shifting timelines to full grasp its richness and moral themes. It’s not for everyone, and you’re not wrong for not wanting to spend the time to engage with this kind of film. But it was certainly for me, and is a stark reminder that Nolan is pretty incredible behind the camera, and has built a team of some of the best in their fields to create a breathtaking biopic unlike any you may have experienced previously.
“They won’t fear it until they understand it. And they won’t understand it until they’ve used it.” – J Robert Oppenheimer.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
“Oppenheimer” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
