Oppenheimer - 2023
Quick Summary
In 1942, convinced that Nazi Germany was in the process of developing a nuclear weapon, the United States initiated the secretive "Manhattan Project" to develop the first atomic bomb in history. To oversee the project, the government hired J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant physicist who would soon be dubbed "the father of the atomic bomb". It was in the ultra-secret Los Alamos laboratory, in the heart of the New Mexico desert, that the scientist and his team developed a revolutionary weapon whose dizzying consequences continue to weigh on the world today...
My Thoughts
Once again, Nolan puts us through the ringer with "Oppenheimer", this time retracing the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the nuclear arms race.
It's a very different film from Nolan's usual fare, and yet his style is perfectly recognizable. The film is very dense: 3 hours, but for me that's perfectly justified given all the characters and the story to be introduced, and in any case it goes by very quickly.
In the end, the film is fairly classic, presenting the life of a historical figure: the beginnings of his career, his most important project, his troubles, etc... But it's directed Nolan-style, with several narrative threads. You could almost get lost, but it's very well done and makes perfect sense.
Then there's the all-star cast. We have Cillian Murphy perfectly at ease as Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. playing the antagonist, Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer's wife, etc., the 5 or 6 main actors all being very good. The supporting cast, too, was surprisingly brilliant.
If I have to find negative points in the film, I'd say first of all a lack of emotion. Yes, there are some very intense scenes, but over 3 hours we could have had more. There's also a lack of breathing space, especially in the first part, which only briefly presents certain important aspects of Oppenheimer's life.
Apart from that, everything is perfect and very artistic. I particularly liked the synergy between the image and Ludwig Göransson's music.
To Watch or Not to Watch
Oppenheimer is Nolan's new masterpiece. Maybe not his best film, but it's a new and very successful addition to the director's filmography, and a must-see.