Oppenheimer

Cold, emotionless and lacking heart are often a few of the criticisms thrown at Christopher Nolan's films and, even writing as a fan who enjoyed the divisive Tenet, I must agree that these points have some merit. Sometimes this isn't a problem but in some cases it can hold back what should be an otherwise stellar experience. Yet this time he might have found a story that could work to his strengths and style with his first biography, Oppenheimer. A film that would explore not what the atomic bomb did do its victims but to its father. 

Set between multiple timelines, Oppenheimer explores the events that led to the construction of the bomb with the Manhattan Project that would see Japan finally surrender in WW2, and the trials and tribulations of his life later on in the 1950s while reconciling with the guilt of his creation. But there is much more to this film, some may argue too much, as we learn of his ousting during the Oppenheimer Security Hearing by Lewis Strauss from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, a risky career move as he mixes with local Communists and several love affairs. The latter proving to be intriguing as love and Nolan are seldom seen together in his films but maybe he could make all these moving pieces move in unison... 

Much like his films that came before, Oppenheimer is an ambitious story of epic proportion that really takes aim at seeing how the theoretical physicist's life was pulled apart and the personal impact of his success. To quote Bane from Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, "Victory has defeated you" and it is fascinating to learn about how there was much more to the story than a few experiments which led to so much death and destruction. Clint Eastwood did the same with Sully while playing with the narrative but here Nolan arguably goes a little too far with his non-linear storytelling. Did it really need four timelines with two in colour and two in black-and-white? And was Strauss the best supporting character to dedicate so much of the film to when surely Edward Teller or Oppenheimer's Nazi opponent Werner Heisenberg might have been more compelling?

Despite Nolan's ambition potentially exceeding his reach, he is backed by a terrific cast of actors who are all bringing some of their best performances even from those in the smallest of roles. Cillian Murphy uses his haunting eyes to chilling effect in the title lead in a role that spans over three decades. We also get a brilliant Matt Damon as the fiery general overseeing the project but there are so many more names including Casey Affleck, Emily Blunt, Gary Oldman appearing out of the blue and Josh Hartnett who are all just great to watch. The real standout however is Robert Downey Jr. as Strauss who delivers a career best turn after so many years being constrained by Marvel. Sure, I feel maybe we didn't need as much time dedicated to his character considering all the other plotlines but it's great to see Downey back in a role that almost deserves its own film.

Yet while the cast all are great, the story just aims too high and perhaps undercooks a number of elements that deserved more screen time. The final hour has divided opinion as some argue it is unnecessarily long and too talky but I really like what Nolan is doing; he just needed some sharper editing to dedicate more time to these moments and trim the first two hours. Florence Pugh does a fine job but her scenes could have worked with less time. We need to see what Oppenheimer is feeling as his life is attacked by the country he dedicated so much of his life to defending and I feel Nolan is too emotionally distant in these scenes to deliver a satisfying conclusion, instead relying upon Emily Blunt's character to add some humanity. There is so much to really delve into and I feel a nagging sense Nolan was only interested in going so far while keeping such a wide scope.

Nolan has reached a point in his career where he can seemingly do anything and no one would dare question his motives which is to the detriment of Oppenheimer. There is enough material here for a three part trilogy, or an HBO miniseries, and it would have my money but this still succeeds in delivering an engaging and thought provoking experience even if I feel it's not quite everything it could be.