‘Oppenheimer’ movie review

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” That quote ran through Oppenheimer’s mind during the detonation of ‘Gadget,’ the first atomic bomb. Welcome to Christopher Nolan’s opus and twelfth film based on the historical novel ‘American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.’ This is a character study of the man later named the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” The film covers all the important events in the controversial scientist’s life from the creation of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico to the Trinity test. It scrutinizes his life through interrogation as they try to strip away his security clearance due to Oppenheimer’s warning after the war about mankind’s ability to destroy the world and his alleged communist ties. Nolan immerses the audience into the darkness and guilt this tortured genius felt being a potential world destroyer.

The story is told in Nolan’s nonlinear signature style. We see Oppenheimer in college, being interrogated by a government board, leading the team of scientists that assembled the atomic bomb, teaching as a professor in California and having sex with women. The scenes with Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock are provocative to say the least. Who would ever think that a scientist could be a womanizer? Yet that is exactly what he was. Oppenheimer married Kitty played by Emily Blunt after she got a divorce from her husband. This did not prevent him from having extramarital affairs. I must say that Blunt’s witness testimony was electrifying. She defends her man from the wolves that are trying to destroy Oppenheimer’s reputation. They never proved he joined the communist party.

We all know what happens through history. America made and detonated a bomb twice over two cities in Japan. It killed hundreds of thousands of people. The heart and suspense of the film is the Trinity test. Until the last seconds of the countdown, they had no clue if the gadget was going to work. There was even concern that the chain reaction of the bomb could possibly ignite the atmosphere and destroy the world. Matt Damon’s portrayal of General Leslie Groves is spot-on. He understands Oppenheimer. There is something inherently horrifying just seconds before the bomb explodes. Nolan captures the excitement and tension perfectly. You get the sense that the world has changed forever. The scientists have unleashed a weapon that can never be returned into the laboratory. It changes mankind forever.

After the war, the tension is raised again with the scenes of Oppenheimer being interrogated. His loyalty to America is being questioned. The interrogation through the film is shot in black-and-white segments. This is interspersed with the commissioner of the Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss (an amazing Robert Downey Jr.) at his own hearing. It is this layered biopic that makes Oppenheimer so fascinating. We see a man of genius but also see a man that is greatly flawed and anguished. And that brings me to Cilian Murphy’s flawless performance as Oppenheimer. He embodies the tortured scientist. Oppenheimer was far from perfect. He never won the Nobel Prize. He was excellent at creating theory but terrible at running experiments to prove it. He had several girlfriends throughout his life and committed adultery. Beyond those foibles was a man that had the charisma to lead and get things done.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a major achievement. It is ambitious storytelling on every level. By using his nonlinear style, we get to see Oppenheimer, the man from different angles. He was a complex man. Maybe as complex as the device he helped create. Although he was eccentric and arrogant at times, you truly get the sense that he cared about the fate of humanity. He knew his creation would lead to an arms race with other countries and have the potential to end the world. This could be Christopher Nolan’s finest masterwork yet.