The Mosley Review: Oppenheimer
There are many good biopics out there about famous artists, singers and politicians that follow the same formula of giving you their origins before they get to their greatest hits of achievements. We see their contributions to society and we get to see some of their downfalls to humanize them and then the moment they get lifted back up, the big finale performance happens and then credits. What makes a great biopic is the choice to not follow that same formula to a T. In this film, we follow the subject from the moment they discover their purpose and over all dream and we see it come to fruition, but the psychological and social impact of their actions is on full display and does not pull away with a happy ending. That is what this film does wonderfully and I enjoyed the many layers of political and social inner workings of a brilliant man whose mind was used for greatness to only become chastised for it. I never knew the full story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, just his incredible work in creating one of the most destructive weapons known to man. This film brilliantly delves deep into his mind and life in ways that are not really explored anymore visually and creatively. There were a few problems I had from the directors choice when it came to the audio balances in dialogue and score. Aside from that, the cast all deliver their a game and some did it with the least amount of screen time.
Cillian Murphy is no slouch when it comes to delivering a very dense and layered performance and as J. Robert Oppenheimer, he does exactly that. He brings out the lofty arrogance to his belief structure as the world around him is taking sides and striving to pull as many people to the left or right. He had his own allegiance and he was quiet selfish in many aspects. I was glad to see the emotional and deep psychological turmoil he went through after seeing how his great invention was used. Its always the repercussions of doing something that effects the world that often gets over looked and I'm glad that detail was not missed here. Florence Pugh delivers a great and emotionally strained performance as his mistress Jean Tatlock. She perfectly portrayed a smart, determined woman that had a severe mental issue and I loved that she didn't shy away from it. Her dependence on Oppenheimer was depicted in a fascinating and unexpected way. I loved the juxtaposition of her dependence and Oppenheimer’s vulnerability in an explicit yet haunting scene. Emily Blunt was fantastic as his wife Kitty and I loved her strength. Even through all of his selfish and sometimes dismissive actions, she stuck by his side and actually was his emotional and psychological anchor. She has one of the best scenes in the film where she is being interrogated and it was a show stopping performance. Matt Damon commands the screen as Lt. General Leslie Groves. The chemistry between him and Murphy was outstanding and smart. I loved that the Groves and Oppenheimer quickly established the level of respect when it came to the rank system between each and it wasn't the constant fighting you'd expect. Josh Hartnett was fun and strong as Ernest Lawrence. I enjoyed the political and theoretical conversations between him and Oppenheimer as they shared the same passion for the project, but Lawrence saw the possible political ramifications. Casey Affleck was pretty chilling as Boris Pash. His scene with Oppenheimer alone made for a tense and uncomfortable game of word tennis as he tried to get Oppenheimer to reveal his contacts. Robert Downey Jr. delivers a stellar and bitter performance as Lewis Strauss. He portrayed Strauss as a fan that got to meet and work with his idol and yet felt shunned once he started launching into something spectacular without him. The bad blood between them comes to a head in a game of lies and truths and in the dangerous game of politics. It was fascinating to watch him work and is something I wouldn't mind examining more from a performance perspective.
The score by Ludwig Göransson was fantastic, haunting and thrilling as the story takes off. He steps out of his more expected hip hop infused style and delivers something very different and shows his growth as a composer. From the haunting and star gazing themes that coincide with the sparkling visuals to the rhythmic and dramatic court drama of the latter half of the film, he delivers another memorable score. The visual style of Christopher Nolan is ever present in this film and his use of true IMAX film is never wasted. It was immersive and the majority of practical effects mixed with some visual effects were astounding and masterfully executed. My only problem and its seems to be a common thing with Nolan’s films in particular, is the lack of audio clarity during heavy dialogue. I don’t know if there was some seriously bad diction from the actors or the sound wasn’t balanced in my theater, but man the audio needed to cleaned up. Its especially troubling when the score or sound effects drown out people with thick accents. Writer and Director Christopher Nolan has masterfully made a film about man that not only changed the world, but also felt the weight of his decision and Nolan captures Cillian Murphy's brilliant portrayal of that emotional turmoil. This film will definitely be up for best picture come award season. I truly enjoyed this epic and it truly is a requirement to see it in IMAX as intended. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
