The life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is initially charted from his university and teaching years, through his relationshipss with Communist Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) and his eventual wife Katherine (Emily Blunt), to his recruitment into the Manhattan Project by US Army General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon). Then, following the end of World War II, Oppenheimer is removed from political influence as the result of a hearing engineered by Atomic Energy Commission head Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr), whose own Senate confirmation hearing is also chronicled.
Nolan revolutionises the biopic genre with his approach that not only innovates stylistically but also narratively. The decision to intercut the dual narratives of Oppenheimer and Strauss provides a greater dimensionality to the narrative of the creation of the atom bomb that a single-perspective approach couldn’t have achieved.
In addition, Nolan’s stylistic approaches help to place the audience in Oppenheimer’s perspective, such as his recollection of his relationship with Jean during his interview and his internal meltdown as his team celebrate the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Shots of Pugh and Murphy nude and embracing, as well as of Murphy walking through a blurred and obscured cheering crowd, help to convey what was going through Oppenheimer’s mind more succinctly than a more verbal account would have.
The use of extreme close-up photography to show the genesis of the atom bomb, as well as the use of blinding white light to show its test detonation, helps to create a visceral effect that further places the viewer in Oppenheimer’s shoes and fully utilises the IMAX format to its full visual potential. Despite the attention paid to this depiction in the film’s extensive publicity campaign, Nolan resists the temptation to make the detonation sequence its central focus, instead emphasising the respective hearings as well as Oppenheimer’s psychological makeup.
This decision brings the film closer to traditional adult-oriented biopics and courtroom dramas that were prevalent during the ’90s and signals a welcome diversion from the usually more genre-oriented fare of even Nolan’s least commercial previous work. It also allows for the performances to achieve a prominence that they otherwise wouldn’t have, with Murphy in particular standing out. He embodies Oppenheimer in seemingly every way, from his early ambition to his later extreme guilt and trauma over his involvement in the bombings, never once giving the impression that his performance is just that.
Downey also provides substantial support as Strauss, effectively depicting his resentment of Oppenheimer, whilst Damon and Josh Hartnett also shine in their respective roles. However, it is Blunt and Pugh who leave the greatest impressions, with the former excelling in her portrayal of Katherine’s vulnerability and contempt of the hearing panel and the latter providing a greater dimensionality to a role that could easily have been reduced to a love interest and sex object.
Ultimately, Oppenheimer serves as a crucial evolution in Nolan’s filmography – showing his movement into more dialogue-based, adult-oriented fare in comparison to previous films. On this level, he succeeds, leaving audiences anticipating his next move into territory rarely covered these days by blockbuster filmmakers.
In cinemas nationwide now