
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
It would be extremely hard to argue that Christopher Nolan is not one of the best directors of our day. It would be easy to argue that practically all his work is quality work. Not only does he give us a quality product every time, but he can come from so many different angles and genres, another sign of an excellent director. From history to fantasy, sci-fi to action thriller, mystery to heck even superhero, and pretty much anything in between, he does it all and he does it well. Some may say this is his masterpiece, but masterpiece may be construed as something singular and I see this as one of his many masterpieces. Not to diminish how amazing this movie is, but I wouldn’t call it his best work ever. Regardless, what a story and what a way to present said story.
I apologize ahead of time for what I’m about to say but I just have to . . . this movie is explosive. Like an explosion, it is fast. It will keep you on your toes and you need to keep up. Like an explosion, it is vast, large in scale, a massive production. Like an explosion, it is hot, as in if you see the movie you will know what I’m talking about, and it’s not just the bomb itself. Like an explosion, it is loud, a la Christopher Nolan loud. I mean would you have it any other way? This movie is just so impressive in so many ways. One of them is the superior cast. It’s not just a good cast for the sake of attaching known names to the film, everyone, and I mean everyone contributed at a high level to this masterpiece. Five performances that stood out, firstly and obviously Cillian Murphy was superb. He BECAME J. Robert Oppenheimer. Emily Blunt was sharp and poignant in the role of Kitty, Robert’s wife. Robert Downey Jr. was also sharp and poignant with his role. The last two to mention are Matt Damon and Florence Pugh who both turned in some impressive performances. Continuing on the subject of impressive, the cinematography was striking. The dialogue was, as you’d expect, high level intelligent and fast which is mostly why you will need to stay on your toes with this one. Needless to say, there are some moments of tension in this film that are unparalleled.
Lewis Strauss: The man who moved the Earth.
J. Robert Oppenheimer, a man, well what else can you say but what is said in the quote above. Is he a genius or a madman, a hero or a villain, a savior or a killer, that will be for you to decide. Perhaps the one who Einstein passed the torch to; pun intended maybe. Entrusted with an unspeakable task, did he have a choice? Did this country have a choice? In the thick of World War II, the U.S. was in a race against the enemy. I kept thinking of the film Hidden Figures and how the U.S. was in a race against the Soviets to get into space. Similarly, the U.S. was also in a race at this time but with the outcome of this race having much, much different consequences. This film explores the human condition under religious, social, and political lights, but in the end it’s all about life and death. If you enjoy intellectual, historical pieces, especially one that deals with one of the most impactful moments in human history, then I highly recommend this film.