Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan as you’d expect. Big, boisterous, and loud; and in terms of scale, you can’t get much grander than the atomic bomb.
In that sense, Oppenheimer is Nolan to the nth degree. He’s always been about creating larger-than-life cinema, even to the detriment of logic in his screenplays. This film follows the formula and then some.
This is a biopic about the titular genius physicist, played by Cillian Murphy, who invented the nuclear weapon that would end World War II by eradicating the Japanese towns Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The film weaves several narratives, from Oppenheimer’s education, to his development of the bomb, to his post-bomb questioning by Government bodies. It’s dense, complex, and dialogue-heavy, as it crams the life and times of the man into three lengthy hours.
Nolan’s stature in Hollywood allows him access to the requisite tools to create a realistic and believable world – the Los Alamos site where the bomb was developed is seemingly true-to-life, and the cast is studded with big names in small roles.
Unsurprisingly, the sound design is broken on entry – dialogue is drowned in swathes of noise and booming loudness. The pacing is, at times, like trawling mud, with the third act in particular being a drag.
But it’s Murphy who saves the film. His steely eyes and emaciated frame are immediately iconic. He plays the complex and curious man to perfection, indulging his penchants for guilt and genius. The supporting cast, including an army general played by Matt Damon, and a high-ranking Government official, played by Robert Downey Jr, are excellent.
As far as Nolan films go, Oppenheimer is a solid effort. Despite its lofty subject matter, it’s relatively scaled-back, and as a result is a palatable historical drama.
2023, Christopher Nolan
6.5
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