The notion of telling the story of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the Atom bomb, in a compelling and equally sombre film would scare away some of the most brilliant minds in Hollywood. Christopher Nolan, however, is widely praised for his achievements in bringing together cinematic brilliance and has stepped up to the plate, ready to hit a home run. This dramatic retelling of the true story of a man that changed the world as we know it, may just be an instant classic.

First and foremost, this film is based on real-life events, and certain conversations will be dramatized or elaborated on for the sake of creating a cohesive film. There are liberties that should be given as well as certain dialogues surrounding physics, chemistry, and the finer intricacy of creating an Atom bomb would be presented in an overview level of detail.

Starting with Cillian Murphy, playing the iconic Oppenheimer; he had a monumental grasp on the importance of his character. The brilliant and captivating performance brought forth Oppenheimer’s unusual approach to life and his degree of separation from the conventional approach to his work. The early life of the gifted individual showed his flairs of impulsive behaviour before he was able to mask them with misdirection conversational skills. The storytelling itself is not necessarily linear, so seeing the parallels between how he went from an unsure yet starry-eyed student to a revered professor with watchful eyes on him, showed character growth up front with more to be revealed as the film progressed.

The lineup of characters portrayed on film was akin to a literal hall of fame of some of the most gifted minds stretching back to the early 1900s. This review could go on forever trying to break down each appearance no matter how long their screen time was. Their significance was recognised. Tom Conti played Albert Einstein in more of a reserved role through different stages of Oppenheimer’s life, but every interaction was memorable and was used at pivotal moments. Robert Downer Jr., as Lewis Strauss, was such a pivotal character in the film and I am not surprised by his talent going into the role, yet I was astounded at his completely immersive transformation.

As I mentioned earlier, the story is not told in a linear fashion and the creative mind of Christopher Nolan drove this home on three fronts. The first was the visual representation of early life, following Oppenheimer in full colour with plenty of open spaces for any given scene. Whereas the scenes post World War 2 that were led by Lewis Strauss were black and white with increasingly uncomfortable confined spaces.

Throughout the film, it almost felt as if there was one continuous rhythm, a violin-led orchestral barrage at times. Even when the scene would draw to a silent standstill and the theme faded away, it managed to creep back in unnoticed and continue, even through scene transitions seamlessly. There were times when it became overpowering, even if intended, it could engulf the scene in a distracting manner but only during selected portions of the film.

The way the film was broken up, helped to give gravity to the collective efforts of putting together and executing the Manhattan Project. It was able to tease the uneasy fallout of the years during the war before the event was even shown. Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, a Lieutenant General who was willing to forgo the speculated communist connection that Oppenheimer could have held through his wife Kitty, played by Emily Blunt.

Being able to see the start of Oppenheimer’s relationships with both characters flourish early on and playing with the broken pieces later in their life consistently kept me engaged to try and find the connections between the two timelines.

With so many conflicting ideologies and larger-than-life personalities passing through life pre and post-World War 2, the ugly sides of politics and consequences of war were bared for all to see. This could be a double-edged blade as well though, as the dialogue and exposition were relentless and a lapse in concentration can leave you lost momentarily.

The life of Oppenheimer is built upon brilliant ideas, shrouded in speculation and forever intwined in one of the most devastating moments in human history. Oppenheimer, the Father of the Atom bomb, will leave a lasting impact on cinema for years to come.

Written by: Shane Fletcher