Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer absolutely dominates the character. He looks extremely focused, and well-versed about the needs of the character and goes on to deliver a compelling performance. Cillian beautifully captivates on all life phases of Oppenheimer from his student days to qualifying as the Project Director of the Manhattan Project. He also accurately displays the vulnerability of the character when it goes through a disturbed marital phase and also as it juggles through the later stages of the Manhattan Project.
Highly admired director Christopher Nolan taking inspiration from the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin attempts to portray the highs and lows of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant mind leading a team of scientists to detonate a nuclear bomb, which to this day is used as a deterrence to war.
Nolan, brutally attempts to showcase, the tussle Oppenheimer had to endure to make his voice heard in curtailing the misuse of this potent weapon from slipping into the hands of power-hungry politicians. Nolan successfully showcases the contrast of this character; who was once hailed as a Hero for saving the world and later vilified for not toeing up to the masters in power.
Although Oppenheimer is distinctive from the style of movies Christopher Nolan is known for, it does manage to keep us on the edge with its pacey scenes, witty dialogue exchanges, profound acting, and realistic visuals.
The visuals of Oppenheimer envisioning the internal mechanisms of electrons, neutrons, and particles of radioactive elements showcased alongside thundering music are crisp yet they leave a mark. Christopher Nolan keeps the scenes transitive and maintains a decent pace, however, some parts feel long and over-stretched.
Teaming up again with musician Ludwig Göransson who also composed for Tenet has played out well for the director deeply passionate about Space-Time. Ludwig Göransson’s music is impressive and immersive at the same time. His music syncs beautifully to keep us at bay during the low-key moments of Oppenheimer and heightens our anxiety during the pacey exchanges in the security hearing and the final countdown of the Manhattan Project.
Speaking of Cinematography, Nolan has kept the angles extremely tight. The film has the majority of Eye Level angles and Medium Size camera shots with a blurred background. With such tight angles and blurred backgrounds, Nolan was clearly summoning our attention to the character. Apart from it, Nolan used Close-up shots of Oppenheimer to represent his state of mind. We also noticed that Nolan utilized Medium Size shots of Oppenheimer before the Manhattan Project and replaced them with Close-up shots post the success of the project. When it comes to camera angles, Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema who has also worked with Nolan on Tenet and Interstellar has yet again proved his mettle.
After a brilliant work on Tenet, Editor Jennifer Lame is now put to the test on Oppenheimer where she has masterfully cut a fast-paced Biographical thriller. Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves, and Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, have delivered equally compelling strong performances.
Final Verdict:
Oppenheimer is a slow-burn biographical thriller that aims to portray the life of a brilliant scientist tasked with a responsibility that will bring an end to all wars. Nolan is able to establish a stark contrast of a brilliant mind engulfed with victory on the biggest breakthrough in scientific discovery, simultaneously flooded with the guilt of devastation it invites. For some, the film may feel tiresome and dull and we don’t blame you for it given the sort of films Christopher Nolan is known for. But, we would also like to tell you, Oppenheimer is distinct and is not for everyone.
Cillian Murphy has delivered a praise-worthy performance and held a tight leash on the character until the very end. In our Final Verdict, Oppenheimer is a brutally honest, heavy-to-digest, long yet engaging, tightly drafted screenplay by Christopher Nolan who has transformed Oppenheimer’s biography into an enticing thriller.
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