DAVID ADAMS watches the Christopher Nolan-directed ‘Oppenheimer’…
Oppenheimer (AU-MA 15+/UK-15/US-R)
In a word: Weighty
Matt Damon is General Leslie Groves and Cillian Murphy is J Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer’, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. PICTURE: © Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
It’s easy to forget sometimes the threat nuclear weapons pose to the world in which we live – it’s only when we’re confronted with a conflict such as that taking place in Ukraine that we feel the presence of such weapons of mass destruction in a very real way.
Oppenheimer, a biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer – the “father of the atomic bomb”, is a timely reminder of where – and how – it all began. And from the outset, director Christopher Nolan’s intention that this is a film to be taken seriously, is evident.
“Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, it’s a complex, intense and, at three hours, a long film …But it’s nonetheless a compelling story that doesn’t shy away from the complications of Oppenheimer’s life.”
The film tells how the brilliant physicist Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) came to his role during World War II as head of the atomic bomb-building project at Los Alamos in New Mexico and explores the conflict he felt about it amid the subsequent fallout from its creation, not just as a result of the tragedy in Japan, but as the push to then go on to build nuclear weapons – and the subsequent Cold War – got underway.
The narrative doesn’t follow a linear pattern but is largely told through flashbacks, some of which are filmed in black and white to create a point of contrast. Alongside Oppenheimer’s involvement in the Los Alamos project, we’re given glimpses into his unconventional private life (and it’s for this – which includes a couple of sexual scenes and some nudity – that the film gets its rating) as well as the ongoing battle he has to save his reputation from those determined to paint him as a communist.
Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, it’s a complex, intense and, at three hours, a long film (indeed, it could have benefitted from some tighter editing, particularly given the overly long focus on Strauss toward the end). But it’s nonetheless a compelling story that doesn’t shy away from the complications of Oppenheimer’s life.
Murphy gives a powerful performance as the conflicted Oppenheimer and he’s supported by a well-rounded, all star cast including everyone from Matt Damon (who plays General Leslie Groves, director of the Manhattan Project), Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty), Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer’s lover Jean Tatlock), Robert Downey, Jr (founding commissioner of the US Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss), Kenneth Branagh (fellow physicist Niels Bohr) and Rami Malek (scientist David Hill).
Oppenheimer paints a nuanced picture of a man whose impact on the world continues to reverberate today. It conveys a strong sense of the gravitas of the moment while maintaining its focus firmly on the man, in all his frailty, at their centre.
