LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE
Movie Review – Oppenheimer
Review by Ray Schillaci
It’s rare to see a filmmaker so fired up in their passion to tell a story that they fire on all cylinders and create an unforgettable experience. Orson Welles forever changed cinema when he did it with Citizen Kane, David Lean demonstrated it with splendor and magnificence with Lawrence of Arabia and Coppola blew minds delivering, with much audacity Apocalypse Now. In each case, the audience had the chance to witness the ringmaster gather together artisans and artists to develop a singular experience that would leave an indelible mark in those that witness their hard work. Such is the case of Christopher Nolan’s thought provoking biopic Oppenheimer.
Writer/director Christopher Nolan has finally been able to merge his sense of visual technique and high minded science and bring it down to earth to successfully relay one of the most important stories in human history, creating a riveting human drama and character study without having to dazzle and overpower what needed to be told. For some, Nolan’s past projects were either too confusing (Tenet), too busy with technique ala Dunkirk or too high minded and confusing to capture the hearts of audiences, as with Interstellar. It appeared that he was sacrificing character and story for visual dynamics. But, all of that has been corrected with his latest in-depth film on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.”
Nolan has gathered a stellar cast with the likes of Robert Downey, Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek and it seems as if the memorable faces go on forever. Nolan’s guiding light throughout is the remarkably talented Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, The Dark Knight, Inception) as Oppenheimer. Murphy captures the elusive brilliance of the scientist, his complexities and his foibles.
Oppenheimer is not a normal person and he proves that with nearly every encounter. He is a hard character to sympathize with but Nolan, working with the book by Karl Bird and Martin Sherwin, makes every effort to see past the man’s obsessions and quirks and examine how this brilliant mind was taken advantage of by those in government who eventually sought to discard him once he delivered what they desired, ignoring all his warnings of nuclear proliferation. After all, the man thought he was developing something that would lead the world into never wanting another war. As brilliant as he was, there was a naiveté about him that baffled those around him, including his wife. That’s what makes the film so damn riveting.
Once again, Nolan bounces back and forth in time to tell his story, but he does this seamlessly. His storytelling technique does not get in the way of our understanding of what is taking place. An aged Oppenheimer is before a court facing issues involving his security clearance. There are questions about his loyalties, ties to Russia and Communism. This, after the man demonstrated complete allegiance to his country by helping them be first in the arms race.
While he goes through this frustrating tribunal we are taken back to when he was a young man struggling with anxiety and homesickness at the Cavendish Laboratory in the UK. His tutor has no patience for his lack of skill in the lab and embarrasses him in front of the class. This brings Oppenheimer to want to retaliate. But, his life changes with one chance meeting with a lecturer, Patrick Blackett, an experimental physicist. He suggests that if the young scientist wishes to expand his mind, he needs to go to Germany. Oppenheimer does exactly that and takes in everything he possibly can earning a Ph.D. in physics and then returning to America.
The man becomes obsessed with quantum physics and insists on bringing it to the University of Berkeley. He starts with one student and eventually has his classroom filled with eager minds. At the same time, the world is changing, people want to unionize, the Communist Party starts recruiting in the States and Oppenheimer is distressed over the treatment of his people in Nazi Germany. He is encouraged to join the Communist Party by his brother and his lover, but Oppenheimer is of his own mind. He understands the gravitational pull to the Party, but does not agree with all of its views.
Word of mouth gets out to the military about Oppenheimer’s theories and military officer Leslie Groves is sent to recruit him to head the Manhattan Project and build the Atomic Bomb before the Nazis do. Oppenheimer weighs heavy the possibilities. He sees no other option than to help the military since the Nazis have proved to be such a dangerous foe to the world. He recommends the military build a town in the middle of the desert in Los Alamos, New Mexico and recruit scientists from all over. Even though the Nazis have a head start, Oppenheimer banks on their anti-semitism to prevent them from major calculations.
Nolan manages to set several stories in place, but never at the sacrifice of losing the viewer. His biopic has the importance of Oliver Stone’s JFK without rambling about different theories as to what happened or muddying characters. It seems as if every person in Oppenheimer’s life takes on some vast importance in the curve of history and his character. Rather than dazzle or horrify us with the actual bombing of Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki, Nolan places us in amongst those who rejoice and Oppenheimer who can only imagine what he has unleashed. It’s an unsettling moment that lingers on and cannot help but make you wonder about all this…but to what end?
The same can be said for when the results of the blast are shown to Oppenheimer, his team of scientists and selected members of the military. The description of the blast, the bodies and the effects that went on are so devastating, it is Nolan’s choice to show the reaction on their faces and that is far more impactful. When it comes right down to it, this could be the writer/directors’ least showy production, as impressive as it looks.
Nolan’s film concentrates on his complex lead character for which Cillian Murphy should nail down an Oscar nomination. His intense portrayal is captivating the entire three hours. He is inventor, prophet, genius and the other hand he is also naive, a martyr, narcissist and has no problem speaking his mind with no regard to whom it harms, including himself. Yet, we want to follow him all the way to the end and cheer him on. At least behind Nolan’s lens.
Say what you want about the look of Oppenheimer, a rich theatrical experience, but it doesn’t necessarily warrant an IMAX viewing. It’s a great marketing tool. But, there are less than a handful of scenes worthy of seeing on that massive screen. Nolan’s movie is not an action film requiring that big of a scope.
There are far more talking heads and board room conversations going on preparing for the build up to the actual test than an actual massive display of effects that Nolan is known for. That’s okay, because that brings his film much more down to earth and grips us with the historic reality that is hard to shake. Oppenheimer is an adult film with a historic lesson and an in-depth character study that never ceases to stop fascinating the viewer and leaves us breathless in the end as to what is to come.
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Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Run Time: 180 Minutes
Rated: R
Country: U.S./U.K.
Distributor: Universal Pictures
