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It doesn’t take long to realize that OPPENHEIMER is everything director Christopher Nolan has been working towards throughout his career. A director who has always been fascinated with inventors whose creations become their own demise, Nolan almost seemed destined to make a film about J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer nicknamed “the father of the atomic bomb” fits into the lure of Nolan’s defeated men who look back on their creation with animosity and fear. Nolan who will forever be attached with creating the cultural phenomenon that was The Dark Knight trilogy may be a man seeing what has become of superhero films and finding his own self frustration. Yes it is absurd to compare the exhaustion of superhero films to the atomic bomb destruction, but for Nolan it is less of a comparison but rather mere empathy for seeing your creations be mishandled. This idea also plays into the factor that without question this is Nolan’s most impressive film on a tech level. He and his entire crew are playing on a genius level throughout. But even with impressive cinematic achievements OPPENHEIMER becomes excruciatingly heavy in its purpose of always showing a never ending cycle of violence and destruction. In a time where it feels like the world is divided by those who can see the destruction versus those who try to wield its powers the film becomes a foot on our neck of not just forcing us to see our only outcome but prove that we have been imploding long before any atomic bomb was put in place.

Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) knows he’s bound for greater things. Looking back on his time as a lab student in Cambridge we find a young man who instead looks forward, but Nolan with his usual non linear tactics has other ideas in mind. Told in three parts (that will eventually collide) we see Oppenheimer being interrogated in 1954 for his past history that while once revered is now being overtly investigated. Having a character look back on his past in a movie is nothing groundbreaking but here Nolan doesn’t want this to be a “Robert Oppenheimer has to think about his entire life before he speaks” kind of movie. Instead here is a man continuously forced to reflect on the trials and tribulations of his life in a way that never is looking back or forward. Instead it all blends into one causing him and the audience to feel an uncomfortable sense of dread that our choices in life find their way to one singular point. It is a feeling that is brought along throughout the film skyrocketing this beyond your average biopic. While some enjoy the Wikipedia spreadsheet of a character’s life and death OPPENHEIMER brings us along not for the classic hits of a person’s life but instead a severely scratched record that creates a new tune. Yes the audience learns a books worth of information on the man (the script is adapted from the biography “American Prometheus,”) but with the stylist editing of Jennifer Lame and a haunting score by Ludwig Göransson we find for the first time that Nolan is more focused on the styles of say Terrence Malick or just choosing to allow a more cosmic outer body experience.

That is precisely what OPPENHEIMER is, an experience. The more chapters of his life we encounter the more people we meet that are not just there to be a who’s who of famous scientists (and the plethora of “oh shit they’re in this too actors” but also passerby’s in a dream. As Oppenheimer finds his way to teaching at the University of Berkeley he encounters fellow nuclear physicist and noble prize winner Ernest Lawrence (a captivating Josh Hartnett). Lawrence and Oppenheimers’ admiration for one another is also greatly complicated by their opposing social and political views. Oppenheimer a supposed communist finds himself in the midst of a life beyond his science that calls to action an advocation of communist beliefs. Murphy as Oppenheimer plays these moments so precise in a fashion of someone who acknowledges the dangers of what will happen when the rich corrupt any form of power but also as a scientific explorer continues to push the limits of the world at hands. Cillian Murphy an actor who has always held a strong command will leave you shaking your head realizing this is one of the few times he’s lead a major studio movie. But as more people flock into Oppenheimer’s life including Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock (a communist he had an affair with until her unfortunate death) we see Nolan’s script expand to a story of not just a scientist genius but a man determined to find connection with others beyond theoretical experimentation.

While the film spends the majority of its time showing us the play out of the building of the atomic bomb it never feels like just a history lesson. Broken apart in scenes of subjectivity and objectivity we are given many perspectives on feelings towards the bomb that goes beyond curiosity. There are long scenes of discussion on not just the immediate outcome of building the bomb but also on their own roles in redefining the world for the possible worst outcome. Anyone who is a fan of Oliver Stone’s “JFK” will admire moments that replay history over and over again looking at every single angle. “Back and forth, back and forth.” For all the exciting and terrifying moments of action this is a film that wants to talk and while fast quips teeter the line of a Sorkin script it thankfully always finds itself in prolonged moments of thought and reflection. The film knows it is throwing a ton at you but doesn’t ever think you are not up for the task. In a time when all studio films belittle us it is fascinating and welcoming to see an acclaimed filmmaker choose the opposite route. Nolan knows we’ve been on a journey with him for years so for all his ego (well deserved) he wants this culmination of his career to be seen by the masses and we are more than willing to take the ride.

OPPENHEIMER will be talked about endlessly for its craft and it should be. Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is stunning especially as it continuously jumps between color segments and a chapter told in black and white that carries not just dread but a snark sense of frustration. This frustration comes in the form of a brilliant Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Strauss is confronted with his own trial interrogation as he recounts his experiences with Oppenheimer that includes bringing him on to the Atomic Energy Commission. Downey Jr. is a great sight and the film and the actor utilizes all their skills as a performer. While he brought great energy to the superhero genre it is refreshing to see Downey’s mannerisms not be hidden by a cgi suit. Added to this is a fully alive cast that includes Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer wonderfully reserved until an out for blood turning of the tables. It becomes instantly clear that even with this large cast nearly every performer finds a way to not just stand out it’s a motley crew of performers that you miss seeing in bigger studio movies. Two of these actors being a devious Dane DeHaan as Kenneth Nichols and an earnest David Krumholtz delivering the films conscious as Isidor Rabi, one of Oppenheimer’s closest friends.

There is no sign of Nolan slowing down as a director and in a time where some of more modern auteurs (Scorsese and Tarantino) are hanging up the camera for good in a few years it’s great to see a filmmaker hit a moment that can only be defined as perfection. OPPENHEIMER is not just the movie of 2023 but a pinnacle point of this centuries filmmaking. As our time with Oppenheimer merged into one and nears its finale not only has its main focus been displayed on the greatest scale, it leaves you with a finale so determined to haunt you that you’ll feel yourself being woken up at night by its final image. Nolan, Murphy and the entire filmmaking crew have solidified a landmark moment and in doing so have opened a box of true horrors. Even learning all the right lessons from OPPENHEIMER doesn’t remove the notion that we are still in an endless cycle. But while those in the film are doomed to repeat the past, a film like this shows that patterns are meant to be broken but only if guided by those with the purest intentions. Nolan has shown us it can be done so now the rest is up to us.

A+

OPPENHEIMER IS NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE