Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan from a book by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin
2023/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Albert? When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that would destroy the entire world…
Albert Einstein: I remember it well. What of it?
J. Robert Oppenheimer: I believe we did.
i can understand why people would like this movie without liking it much myself. Maybe I’m just getting old.
The story chronicles the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy); his association with far left-wing politics; his leadership of the development of the atomic bomb; his character assassination during the McCarthy era; and the eventual accolades he got as the Father of the Atomic Bomb.
In between we learn of his career as a womanizer including a bunch of gratuitous nudity and sex. We are shown his fraught relationship with his wife Kitty (Emily Blunt). Finally we explore the political ambitions of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey, Jr.), the former head of the Atomic Energy Commission, who was seeking the advice and consent of the Senate for appointment as Secretary of Commerce.
I was predisposed to like this movie and to sympathize with Oppenheimer. In the event, I didn’t find him or any of the characters all that likeable and did not care all that much what happened to any of them. I thought the running time could have been trimmed by half an hour or more with no harm to the story. I did not think that the out of order exposition or the constant transitions between past and present and color and black and white worked. In short, I was cranky and the whole experience left me flat. I’m probably in a minority of one.
Oppenheimer won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing. It was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
I was pre-disposed not to even watch this movie because I think the tale has already been over-told and generally with the self-righteousness that comes with the victors who write the history. But it was recommended by many of my friends. I ended up being drawn in right away. I was familiar with the pre-war Russian Communist infiltration of the American Left that came back to haunt so many, including the entire world once the arms race ignited. I think that storyline held those responsible accountable without overplaying that hand. What was truly absorbing was the relationship between Einstein, Strauss and Oppenheimer and what the issue of atomic weaponry cost them personally. I was not familiar with Lewis Strauss’ petty passive aggressive character assassination driven by a bruised ego and jealousy– the price of insulting the professional bureaucrat. Overall, another fine performance by Cillian Murphy who more than carries the film.
All valid points. It was just not for me.
“Maybe I’m just getting old.” – or maybe the history you know to be correct was distorted??? Anyway make that a minority of two – it doesn’t inspire me to seek it out at all (my daughter loved it) Maybe we’re both too old!
re Chris Nolan – from what I heard about Dunkirk (unseen) this old fogey wasn’t impressed.
I think the documentary “The Day After Trinity” was a better film. The only other film I’ve seen by Nolan was “The Dark Knight”. I wasn’t thrilled with that one either.
Thanks…onto “the list” it goes.
I have to agree that the film was overly long for it subject matter as presented. I also did not actually relate to any of the characters but I do not this a requisite for enjoyment, This biopic was more than adequate and a good go at it. Visually it had moments.
The acting was good too. Thanks for commenting!