Oppenheimer

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer follows Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer as he progresses through his rigorous studies to become the director of World War II’s infamous Manhattan Project. Filmmaker Nolan, armed with his own script, delivers a technically-impressive yet mostly underwhelming drama that admittedly does start with some promise, as the movie, which runs a punishing 180 minutes, boasts a striking opening stretch that contains all of the hallmarks and touchstones associated with Nolan’s work – including eye-popping visuals, an intense, ceaseless score, and several electrifying stand-alone interludes and sequences. (The inevitable Trinity test interlude is as astonishing and enthralling as one might’ve imagined, for example.) There’s little doubt, then, that Oppenheimer‘s downfall is due primarily to its exhaustingly dense (and egregiously propulsive) narrative, with the picture progressing into a relentless midsection that contains hardly anything in the way of breathing room – which, in turn, ensures that the second half increasingly adopts an anticlimactic, endless feel (ie virtually everything that comes after the Trinity set-piece can’t help but come off as needless and somewhat interminable). The film’s relative failure is especially disappointing given its proliferation of engrossing attributes, including spellbinding performances by Murphy and his myriad of costars and a handful of engrossing quieter moments (eg James Remar’s Secretary of War attempts to decide where in Japan the bomb should be dropped), and it does seem apparent, ultimately, that Oppenheimer would’ve benefited from a more sedate (and traditional) approach to its inherently compelling subject matter.

** out of ****