Oppenheimer Review: Christopher Nolan’s best film since Inception

A wonderful cast, Ludwig Göransson‘s score and Hoyte van Hoytema‘s haunting cinematography turn Oppenheimer into a cautionary word of warning and the best film of 2023.

Oppenheimer is a combination of film genres. At the forefront is a biopic that takes you inside the head of Robert Oppenheimer. Even the early biopic scenes are given a boost by the nonlinear storytelling. Nolan frames the story around separate hearings involving Lewis Straus and Oppenheimer.

After the first hour, Oppenheimer turns into a horror film. The buildup to the bomb going off is dripping with dread. After dropping the bombs, Robert is plagued by a set of horrible visions as a result of his creation. Robert doesn’t really grapple with the morality of dropping the bomb until after World War II. Then, the final hour is a courtroom drama where Oppenheimer is in a mediation of sorts to retain security clearance and Lewis Strauss is trying to get confirmed to the president’s cabinet.

The cast is truly spectacular.

Cillian Murphy delivers a commanding performance as Oppenheimer. Murphy excels at showing an inwardly distraught mind. Nolan helps depict Oppenheimer’s thoughts by showing exploding atoms within his brain.

Oppenheimer is a difficult protagonist. His hubris is questioned by many, but never outwardly wanes with the exception of conversations with Albert Einstein. He’s also a cheater and has connections to communism. Then when he has a change of heart about nuclear proliferation, he attempts to turn himself into a martyr. Although his connection to communism does lead to his most positive attribute as well as to his undoing; loyalty.

Matt Damon follows up his terrific lead performance in Air with another charismatic turn as Leslie Groves, the general in charge of recruiting for The Manhattan Project. Robert Downey Jr. delivers the best supporting performance of the year so far. Strauss was the head of the United States Atomic Energy Commission. He’s often at odds with Oppenheimer and after being upstaged decides to take Oppenheimer down.

Florence Pugh as Oppeneheimer’s lover and Emily Blunt as his wife are good as well. Blunt shines in one of the best scenes in the film during Oppenheimer’s questioning. Both romances are a little undercooked, but focusing too much on domestic life would take away from

The only blemish in Nolan’s masterpiece is sound mixing. In previous Nolan films like Tenet, the sound design and music score drowns out the dialogue. While Oppenheimer does feature better sound mixing, it’s not perfect. Near the end of the film, there’s a dialogue exchange between Einstein and Oppenheimer that is indecipherable.

Overall, Oppenheimer finally takes the No. 1 film of the year spot from Air.

Let’s dive deeper into Nolan’s latest film.

Hubris of Oppenheimer

The fear of death and devastation pervades the film from the beginning and Nolan never lets the feeling wane. Even calm sequences, like Robert staring at droplets of rain on a window, give way to exploding atoms inside his head.

Early in the film, there’s a question about whether the bomb could ignite the atmosphere of the planet and destroy Earth. For most, that would put an end to the journey, but under Oppenheimer’s leadership, the project moves forward. Later, he consults with Einstein and Isaac Rabbi (David Krumholtz) who warn of the moral implications. Once the bomb is real, there’s no going back.

Robert is a creature of his own demise in the political realm as well. He’s also fiercely loyal to the people in his life. This hurts Robert in a number of areas. He never really severs ties with those who have communist tendencies. After marrying another woman, he returns to Jean Tatlock (Pugh) to reignite their affair because she needs him. When word of a spy at Los Alamos is brought to Robert’s attention, he refuses to accept someone might betray him. There’s also a scientist who tries to quit the project since Robert and the other scientists are hesitant about creating a Hydrogen bomb. Robert pulls out all the stops to ensure the scientist sees the project through.

Nolan excels at showing how destructive the ego can be.

Destroyer of Worlds

The Germans have an 18-month head start on building their own device. However, Hitler’s antisemitism could delay development allowing The United States. Leslie approaches Robert to lead the project. Robert and Leslie travel around the country recruiting the best scientists.

The plan is simple. Build a town in the middle of nowhere. Allow scientists to bring their families. Then meet with the scientists to bring the WMD to life. There are some hiccups along the way, but there is a general feeling of dread mixed with exhilaration more commonly associated with a horror/thriller.

All of the work at Los Alamos leads to the Trinity Test. The sequence itself is breathtaking. However, the crowning achievement of Oppenheimer is the immediate aftermath of the successful test.

President Truman makes the decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Los Alamos, Robert Oppenheimer draws praise. They hold a version of a pep rally for Oppenheimer. Feet stopping on wood bleachers, loud chants of “Oppenheimer,” etc. Suddenly, Nolan transitions back into Robert’s mind. Robert no longer sees a cheering audience, he now sees burnt corpses, skin pealing off bones and other horrific images caused by his creation.

Tale of two trials

The film changes course after leaving Los Alamos. Oppenheimer becomes an advocate against nuclear weapon development. Meanwhile, Strauss is looking to take the positive results as the head of U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and turn it into a cabinet post.

Strauss has felt frequently disrespected by Robert. He believes Oppenheimer spoke badly about him to Einstein in a conversation he views from afar at the Institute for Advanced Study. Oppenheimer also took Strauss apart over his approach to exporting isotopes. The hearing involving the isotopes is a masterclass in nonverbal acting by Downey. He appears to take Oppenheimer’s words in stride, but Downey’s eyes show a man with utter contempt for Oppenheimer.

As a result, Strauss sets up a mediation to review Oppenheimer’s security clearance. Everyone with the exception of Robert’s lawyer and wife is handpicked by Strauss.

The last hour is where Downey shows Strauss’s true colors and takes over the film.

Oppenheimer final thoughts

From visual flourishes that add to the weighty dialogue and world-altering science, Nolan’s never been better as a writer and director.

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