Oppenheimer
UNIVERSALChristopher Nolan came into the mainstream in 1998 with the arrival of his first full-length motion picture Following. It garnered him a bit of praise, a little recognition and enough juice to pump out his next film, Memento in 2000. A talented man with an eye for messing with a key component of film, time. He stepped back from this and directed the trilogy that would put him on the map with Batman Begins in the much applauded and critical darling Dark Knight film series. Nolan had it all (especially in the filmmaking sense): talent and a blank check from his studio asking for the next big thing. A few films later, all successful in their own right, and audiences were given Tenet, arguably his most divisive film, and something happened. Nolan left Warner Brothers and went to Universal Studios with the guarantee of unlimited recourses for his next film, Nolan chose a feature about the creation of the atomic bomb and its creator J. Robert Oppenheimer. No one could've predicted, especially not WB, that Nolan's next film would be a harrowing, gorgeous tale about the man who made the bomb and the life he lost in that process. Resulting in Oppenheimer being Nolan's magnum opus and a genuine masterpiece of slow-burn, big-budget storytelling.
Now, the thing about Nolan is that he does play with time and the idea of perception of time in his films. He jumps to where he feels is necessary in the context of the story, but he always gives hints as to where exactly that is. In the case of Oppenheimer, it is fluctuating colour schemes and age-changing makeup, that result in fantastic performances. These performances are showcasing the age the actors are portraying and give the audience the necessary hints as to what, and when, they are watching, it is never spoon-fed to the viewer but gives enough presence for the audience to catch on. Front and centre within the black-and-white portion of this mammoth film is the best performance of the film and possibly even the year. Robert Downey Jr. has finally been given the opportunity to step away from the Marvel machine, to shed away Dolittle, and to show that he is not a performer to shy away from. His character, Lewis Strauss, a real man with real ambitions, was present in the more traditional segments of the film as well. Bringing him in to go toe to toe with one of the finest actors working today, hot off of the Netflix/BBC show Peaky Blinders, as well as a pandemic, hit A Quiet Place: Part 2, Cillian Murphy is and remains a monumental choice from Nolan as both actors are powerhouses in their own right and only serve to better the film with haunting opposing positions of ambition, greed and lust.
That isn't to say anyone in this is slouching in any way as every performance – this cast list is monumental – is unbeatable; the only real gripe and one that should not come overly as a shock in terms of Nolan's larger filmography is the underutilization of one of only two notable female leads in Florence Pugh playing Jean Tatlock, one of the many mistresses of Mr Oppenheimer and an incredibly multifaceted person. Pugh is given less than only a few moments of screentime, yet her impact on the film's narrative, and the life of Oppenheimer, should not be understated. Pugh is flawless in every scene, and much like contextually within the film, she leaves her mark on the audience; Nolan's use of said character just as much on Murphy's Oppenheimer himself. Equally as formidable and integral is Emily Blunt, who brings her best, as per usual, and has one extremely standout scene that will stick with audiences for years. As stated above, this is a feature that begins to stack up quite a formidable cast list with what essentially boils down to bloated cameos with the likes of Benny Safdie, Gary Oldman, Josh Peck, Casey Affleck, and the forgotten star that is Alden Ehrenreich, who is yet another performance with minimal screen time but holds his absolute own against Robert Downey Jr. in peak form.
The structure of the film is most notably outstanding and gripping with editing that keeps the audience engaged in what is perceived as closed-off (such as quantum mechanics), yet Nolan and editor Jennifer Lame with another nine first assistants and additional editors help to cut this beast in the entity that it is, only proves the best of the best have been inducted here to keep people engaged with such harsh and yet immersive material. By allowing the bloated screen time to jump from era to era, Nolan is able to save some of the best moments for the latter half for more emotional and immersive impact, as opposed to cramming it all into what most would've made a shorter film and lacking emotional gut punch in the climax of the feature. The buildup to The Trinity Test for one is some of the finest filmmaking of the year bar none. By allowing the audience to see not only the trials and tribulations, and not only the test itself, but the horrifying aftermath for all those involved; Nolan gives every single arc in this film time to breathe. With this breathing room, The Trinity Test is allowed to be the climax this film deserves with practical effects, and an uneasy sense of wonder running through everyone present with utterly perfect use of sound design as a calling card of emotional torment.
The harrowing conversations, and decisions, that get brought up in the aftermath of The Trinity Test are the real bread and butter of the film. This is where the performances all hit their absolute peak: Cillian Murphy gives the finest performance of his career in the middle of a gymnasium and Emily Blunt steals the show in every scene she appears in. There's a lot that happens in the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Nolan uses this final half to discuss some of the most difficult things this man faced after the creation of the bomb, both political and personal. The court cases that followed are filled to the brim with beautifully composed instrumentals by Ludwig Göransson, who previously had worked with Nolan on Tenet. These sweeping instrumentals add a larger-than-life feeling to these down to Earth court cases, and in turn, allow these bombastic performances room to swallow every scene whole with impact. Some of the most gorgeous shots in the entire film happen in a tiny room with less than ten men all sitting in chairs, often shouting. Nolan closes his camera in on each and every single one of their faces, and he allows that to tell a piece of the story that is unfolding. He allows the camera to sweep over trees, over ponds, and through boardrooms. This is a man that can tell a fantastic portion of his film with just the lens he's chosen that day.
Oppenheimer may go down as one of the finest biographical pictures of all time. Christopher Nolan may go down as one of the finest filmmakers of all time. But, one thing is for certain: Oppenheimer is making waves in the 2023 marketplace. It is shutting down all pretences of how successful a three-hour film about the man who created the atomic bomb could possibly do, and it continues to dominate in a fantastic manner. This is far and away one of the finest films to release this year, and very few things that release henceforth will be able to hold a candle to it – a film that will sweep the awards season and look absolutely stunning while doing so.