Writer-Director Christopher Nolan tackles world-changing history with his latest movie “Oppenheimer,” starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. The movie also features stars such as Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr. The latter plays Lewis Strauss, the psychologically twisted American government official.
“Oppenheimer” is as much a biography as it is a dense character study, which puts you in the mind of the father of the atomic bomb; this beautifully presented history lesson indulges you to battle Oppenheimer’s journey with him, casting doubts on each history-defining decision he must make whilst creating the atomic bomb. With such a relevant piece of art, Nolan has rebirthed the still-crucial arguments that Oppenheimer both started and tried to end.
The plot of the movie centers around the development of the atomic bomb, and Oppenheimer’s part in this creation, as well as the judgment of his patriotism due to lose communist ties. Lewis Strauss is the frontrunner of the claim that Oppenheimer is guilty of keeping a relationship with the Soviets, and the latter stage of the movie is a courtroom battle between Oppenheimer’s party and Strauss himself.
The movie is set within two time periods, pre and post war. Before the war, the world was in color, whereas the film turns black and white once Oppenheimer is accused of being a communist spy. He was then stripped of his security clearance, which no longer allowed him to work on the nation’s atomic secrets – science that he had played a vital role in developing over the course of the Second World War.
A run-time of three hours suggests one must remain invested in this spectacle, as moments missed could cause confusion later on in the movie. Many other Hollywood A-listers feature in this star-studded cast, such as Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Rami Malek and Gary Oldman to name a few. The movie is worthy of the complicated man it portrays, and I would highly recommend watching for yourself and creating your own judgment on J. Robert Oppenheimer, although you might need to free up your schedule before you observe this phenomenon.
My review: 9/10
