This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.Few filmmakers have had the rapid, impressive rise to success that Christopher Nolan has had over the last 25 years. Out the gate, Nolan has been ambitious, making twisty, unique films like his debut Following and his breakthrough Memento despite extremely small budgets. Within a decade of making his first film, he would revitalize action movies, origin stories, and superhero films with both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight—still widely considered the greatest superhero film of all time. In his first dozen films, Nolan has taken us deep inside the mind (Inception), to the darkest reaches of space (Interstellar), and explored war in a way we’ve never seen before (Dunkirk). While his experiments haven’t always been entirely successful, like with his last film, 2020’s Tenet, it’s hard not to admire Nolan’s attempts to push the boundaries of what film and storytelling can do on such a large scale.

Nolan’s twelfth film, Oppenheimer, feels like the culmination of everything the director has done so far in his already remarkable career. From the multiple timelines of Memento and Dunkirk, and the staggering abstract footage in Interstellar, to his ability to build tension and anticipation through stunning scores and impeccable editing, Nolan uses all of the talents and techniques that have made him such a noteworthy auteur to bring to life the extraordinary accomplishments, pains, and life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). In bringing this expansive and gargantuan true story to the screen, Nolan has created not just one of his best films, but easily the most mature film of his career.

In telling the story of Oppenheimer, Nolan returns to a technique he used in Memento, by showing one man’s experience through varying timelines. Like that film, one timeline is told in color, while the other uses black-and-white photography. In the color timeline, Oppenheimer explores his past through his perspective via a hearing where he must run down his years running The Manhattan Project and the creation of the first atomic bomb, his communist ties, and his affairs, all while the people from throughout his life come to testify about his actions. In the black-and-white segments, Nolan follows Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), as he discusses his involvement with Oppenheimer over the years, all during Strauss’ questioning to secure the nomination for Secretary of Commerce. Through these dueling timelines, each showing important moments from different perspectives, Oppenheimer peels back multiple layers of Oppenheimer, a man who did unbelievable things, and then feared the potential of what his research could eventually bring.

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Cillian Murphy Gives One of the Best Performances Ever in a Nolan Film
Image via Universal

Murphy, who has been a supporting player in five of Nolan’s previous films, finally gets the starring role here and the result is incredible. Oppenheimer is shown as a relatively quiet man, and despite that, Murphy allows us to see every moment of trepidation, every moment of fear for what his ideas could eventually mean, and every glimmer of joy at some new revelation, all through tiny mannerisms and the worry in his eyes. Murphy is beautifully restrained here, and even though his actions are world-changing, we can feel the implications of Oppenheimer’s achievements simply through a look in Murphy’s eyes, or the way he hesitates in a sentence. After years of working with Nolan, Murphy’s take on Oppenheimer will go down as one of the best performances ever captured by Nolan’s camera.

‘Oppenheimer’ Boasts One of the Best Casts in Modern Film
Image via Universal Pictures

While it might sound like hyperbole, Nolan has gathered one of the most unbelievable casts in modern film, a flabbergasting amount of talent that puts actors like Oscar-winners Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, and Kenneth Branagh in small supporting roles, but gives actors like Murphy who might often be put in more minor roles into greater positions. While there are too many exceptional performances to point out, it’s excellent to see actors like Alden Ehrenreich, Benny Safdie, and David Krumholtz get major positions in this film, and it’s wonderful to see Josh Hartnett and Jason Clarke in substantial roles. Even though there are plenty of great actors in blink-and-you-miss parts, Nolan does all he can to give as many of these performers at least one scene that will stick with the audience long after the movie is over.

But it’s Downey Jr. who makes the biggest impression of the entire cast, other than Murphy’s Oppenheimer. While Oppenheimer mostly wears his feelings on his sleeve, Downey Jr.’s Lewis Strauss keeps his secrets close to his chest, making him an absorbing counter to the title character. His more subjective take on Oppenheimer’s life and career gives us a perspective we rarely see in films about real-life personalities, and Downey Jr. gives one of his best performances as well, and it’s wonderful to see him explore this type of role after years in the MCU pipeline.

Also noteworthy is Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, who puts Oppenheimer in his position at The Manhattan Project. The relationship between Oppenheimer and Groves is one of the most complex in the film, and it’s fascinating to watch how it shifts over the years. Plus, if you’re making a film about an impossible goal that needs to be met in a shocking amount of time (Ford v. Ferrari, The Martian, Air), there’s no better person to call than Damon.

Alas, Nolan still has problems with substantial female roles, and that does continue in Oppenheimer. Like many of the male scientists, the apparently lone female scientist—played by Olivia Thirlby—doesn’t get as much screen time as she deserves. Similarly, the women in Oppenheimer’s life certainly should’ve received more attention, however, that doesn’t stop Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, and Florence Pugh as Oppenheimer’s on-again-off-again partner Jean Tatlock from making the most of their time onscreen. Pugh only gets a few scenes, but her impact resonates with Oppenheimer long after his last scene. Blunt’s role is far more substantive, as we see her beg Oppenheimer to fight back as he’s raked over the coals by his own government. It’s hard not to relate to her utter rage at his treatment, and her frustrations over her position in life show sides to Blunt that we’ve never seen before from her.

Christopher Nolan’s Script and Directing Are Stunning
Image via Universal

But beyond this embarrassment of riches that is this cast, it’s Nolan that truly makes Oppenheimer a gargantuan achievement, and how he’s able to find just the right people to work with—both in front of and behind the camera—to make this phenomenal vision come to life in all its glory. This all, naturally, begins with Nolan’s script, based on the book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. In bringing this 700+ page book to the screen, Nolan has crafted an incredibly dense script that never manages to feel too convoluted or overwhelming—a feat in itself, considering how many timelines and characters are thrown into the mix. It’s almost akin to what Tony Kushner had to cram into Lincoln by adapting Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals.” There is so much life and story to be told here, and the fact that Nolan can navigate all of this succinctly and without getting in over his head is astounding.

Behind the camera, again, Nolan is returning to some of his old techniques and talents, but in a way that feels more refined and careful than ever before. He knows he can impress—he’s done that before—but now, he knows how to utilize these skills in a way that puts story first, not as a way to awe the audience. All of these tools come together to the point that it almost feels as if Nolan’s entire career has been building to this film. Oppenheimer allows Nolan to be bombastic, but never over-the-top in a manner that distracts from the narrative. The performances and Oppenheimer’s troubled story is more important than the technical achievements Nolan creates, and while he has frequently felt like he’s the true star of his own films, he knows how to stand aside here to let the story take precedence over bombast.

This, of course, doesn’t happen without an incredible team behind him, and Nolan has gathered remarkable support in telling this story. Hoyte van Hoytema, who Nolan has worked with since 2014’s Interstellar, knows exactly how to beautifully shoot every scenario Nolan throws at him, whether it’s New Mexico at dusk, two lovers having a conversation in a dark hotel room, or the explosion of bombs and stars in shocking fashion. Every frame is breathtaking, and just when you think you’ve seen all the tricks Nolan and van Hoytema have up their sleeves, they shock with another. The way the two build the tension leading up to the dropping of the first bomb is astonishing, but just as monumental is the way the camera shakes around Oppenheimer when the repercussions of his research become too much for him to handle, almost as if the world around him could come crashing down, as that could both literally and figuratively be happening at any moment.

Oppenheimer’s ever-present score by Ludwig Göransson accompanies nearly every moment of the film, knowing exactly when to pull back, or when to provoke the audience with the sounds of a ticking clock or static underneath the onslaught of an orchestra fully enveloping the viewer in sound. Nolan and van Hoytema’s visuals are always impressive, but it’s Göransson’s score that takes Oppenheimer to another level, and continues to prove that he’s one of the most exciting composers working in film today.

Oppenheimer is a towering achievement not just for Nolan, but for everyone involved. It is the kind of film that makes you appreciative of every aspect of filmmaking, blowing you away with how it all comes together in such a fitting fashion. Even though Nolan is honing in on talents that have brought him to where he is today, this film takes this to a whole new level of which we’ve never seen him before. With Oppenheimer, Nolan is more mature as a filmmaker than ever before, and it feels like we may just now be beginning to see what incredible work he’s truly capable of making.

Rating: A

Oppenheimer comes to theaters on July 21.