Physics, war, and the father of the atomic bomb: Nolan’s biopic captivates
Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man, Greek mythology tells us, and for that he was punished for all eternity. While physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s fate wasn’t quite as brutal, it proves nearly as tragic, as we see in Oppenheimer, writer/director Christopher Nolan’s epic new film about the father of the atomic bomb.
Nolan bases his film on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The picture succeeds, albeit somewhat disjointedly, in detailing Oppenheimer’s complicated professional and personal triumphs and tragedies. Cillian Murphy of Peaky Blinders fame plays Oppenheimer as a brilliant but flawed man whose scientific ambition and moral code conflict as he races to build a weapon of mass destruction that could shorten a long, costly and horrific war, but also potentially destroy no less than humanity itself.
Nolan jumps back and forth in time to illustrate Oppenheimer’s complex priorities and values. He uses black and white for 1959-set scenes in which Oppenheimer’s colleague Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) is sweating out a confirmation hearing for a cabinet role as Secretary of Commerce. Color scenes show us a 1954 hearing in which Oppenheimer’s security clearance is debated before the Atomic Energy Commission, who have come to doubt his loyalties, thanks to suspicions leveled by his enemies.
We also see earlier moments from Oppenheimer’s history, including his stints at Cambridge, where he was depressed and lonely, at UC Berkeley, where he was sympathetic to leftist causes, and at New Mexico’s secretly created Los Alamos Lab, where his team of experts worked on developing the atom bomb. How these disparate scenes, as well as later post-War moments, all connect to make a cohesive portrait of Oppenheimer becomes clear as the film unspools over its three hour run time. To Nolan’s credit, though, the story never drags.
That our attention doesn’t wane is due in part to a trifecta of amazing cinematography, a stellar musical score, and terrific performances, all of which will no doubt earn nominations come Oscar time. Cinematographer Hoyt van Hoytema (Oscar nominated for Nolan’s 2018 Dunkirk) captures both the beauty of New Mexico’s wide open vistas and the fiery terror of the bomb’s first explosion during the Trinity Test in the New Mexico desert, in a scene that’s worth the film’s price of admission alone. An equally haunting score by Oscar winning composer Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther) helps give us a visceral, affecting, you-are-there experience.
As for the performances, Murphy is remarkable as the magnetic but often inscrutable Oppenheimer, whose unearthly, penetrating blue eyes are made for Nolan’s many close ups, and often express more in their gaze than any dialogue. Downey Jr. does his finest work in years as a man so petty and vengeful that he allows his personal dislike of Oppenheimer to destroy his reputation and livelihood. Matt Damon is appropriately blustery as General Leslie Groves, the overseer of the Manhattan Project (as the atomic bomb program was termed). And Rami Malek, as scientist David Hill, delivers a searing take down of Strauss and McCarthyism, in one of the film’s most moving scenes. In smaller roles, Benny Safdie, Jason Clarke, and Alden Ehrenreich all have notable stand-out moments.
In contrast, Oppenheimer has few significant female roles. That a film about a male dominated field in an era in which women were mostly relegated to childcare or the typing pool, if they worked at all, features few female characters isn’t surprising. Nolan, however, wastes the talents of his three main actresses. Emily Blunt gets the most screen time as Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, but has little to do besides play the long-suffering wife. Kitty’s only interesting attribute seems to be a drinking problem that is alluded to and then dropped as a story thread. Florence Pugh plays Oppenheimer’s paramour Jean Tatlock as a sort of Manic Pixie Communist Dream Girl, and for her trouble Nolan gives her nude scenes that feel totally gratuitous. Finally, in the disappointingly smallest supporting role, Olivia Thirlby has about two minutes of dialogue as Lilli Hornig, one of the few female scientists at Los Alamos. If you want a movie celebrating female empowerment this weekend, you’ll be better off with Barbie.
But for sheer entertainment power and an engrossing character study, you can’t beat Oppenheimer, especially on IMAX. Bay Area folks will also get a special thrill seeing Cal’s campus on the big screen (Berkeleyside posted a fun article about the film’s local landmarks). On that note, special kudos to Josh Hartnett, who sheds his heartthrob image with his confident portrayal of local Berkeley Lab and Hall of Science namesake Ernest Lawrence, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance.
And if you’re still yearning to learn more after the credits roll, I strongly recommend watching the excellent Oscar nominated 1981 documentary The Day After Trinity, which the Criterion Channel is showing for free through July 31st. It makes an excellent companion to Nolan’s dramatization, and bonus: it’s only about half the length.
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Oppenheimer opens today at Bay Area theaters.
