Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan has outdone himself with Oppenheimer. The non-linear narrative structure, which initially seems like a gimmick, reveals itself to be essential to understanding the moral complexity of Oppenheimer's story. Cillian Murphy gives a career-defining performance, conveying a man who is simultaneously brilliant, flawed, idealistic, and ultimately tragic. The IMAX sequences of the Trinity test are among the most viscerally powerful moments in cinema history.

The sound design alone deserves every award it receives. Nolan makes the bold choice to show the Trinity test without sound first, and then with — the contrast is devastating. Robert Downey Jr. is also extraordinary in a role I never expected to see him in. The courtroom sequences in the second half are as tense as any action film.

Three hours is a commitment, and Nolan asks a lot of his audience. The middle section drags slightly as we wade through the security hearing. But when the film is firing on all cylinders — particularly the first hour of scientific discovery and the Trinity test — it is absolutely breathtaking. Emma Thomas's production design is impeccable.

The ensemble cast is extraordinary — nearly every scene features a Hollywood legend, yet it never feels crowded. Each performance is precisely calibrated. My only complaint is that the female characters are underdeveloped relative to the men. Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh both do exceptional work with what they are given, but they deserve more.

I respect this film enormously but I found it difficult to emotionally connect with. Nolan's clinical precision, which serves him so well in films like Inception and Dunkirk, creates a certain coldness here that prevented me from fully investing in Oppenheimer as a human being rather than a historical figure.