Seen in 70mm. Like its subject, Christopher Nolan's OPPENHEIMER is bold, flawed and largely successful. An impressive production that - while wide in scale and covering a span of several decades, also manages to be an intimate biography of the man at its center - J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Nolan's screenplay (based on a book by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin) is divided into three basic movements, although the story freely bounces back and forth in time. Nolan further bisects the film into subjective vs. objective viewpoints (signaled by Color and B&W photography, respectively).
The first part mainly deals with Oppenheimer's rise from a promising physics student to his selection to head the Manhattan Project. It's the most personal section of the film, and also the most experimental. Nolan unfolds the story as if through his subject's mind. Oppenheimer, while a brilliant scientist, isn't the finest mathematician. He's a 'big picture' thinker. He views the world as it if it were an equation that needs solving. The backdrop of the Red Scare looms over everything. Oppenheimer isn't interested in the politics of communism - but, he is keen on what he considers just causes. This leads him into an orbit where his wife Kitty (Emily Blunt) and his mistress Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) both communist connections (not to mention his own brother, Frank (Dylan Arnold)). It's a daunting first movement for a three-hour film, but, it puts the viewer into the perspective of its protagonist quite brilliantly.
The middle section covers Oppenheimer's helming of the The Manhattan Project and the creation, testing and usage of the Atomic Bomb. It's more straightforward in its telling even if told largely through Oppenheimer's eyes. That constricted POV doesn't give the other agencies, scientists and personnel outside the Los Alamos Trinity encampment that were part of the bomb development due credit, but it's in keeping with the subjective story-telling. Matt Damon as Lt. General Groves represents the intermediary between the larger government and Oppenheimer and his project staff.
The third act, focusing on Oppenheimer's post-war years is the most problematic. Throughout the first two chapters, a pair of proceedings are flash-forwarded to: A 1954 security briefing where Oppenheimer's Top Secret security clearance is up for review; And, a 1959 Senate confirmation hearing where the head of the Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), is being considered for a Presidential Cabinet position (Oppenheimer had been part of the AEC). Both sessions are largely rendered in Black & White in keeping with the more 'objective' story-telling. However, by shifting the focus from the inside to more of the outside, it takes the viewer out of Oppenheimer's head where the film has primarily remained for two hours. The audience is now watching, not participating. It flattens the film when it should be be heightening the tragedy of his later years. He became an outspoken advocate for weapons control - but, without the affirmation of the federal government (and some in the scientific community including his once friendly adversary, Edward Teller (Benny Safdie). It's well acted, and the epilogue with Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) and Oppenheimer is a sobering epitaph, but, it certainly lessens the impact of what had been built up to by that juncture. Nolan's notion of creating artificial suspense surrounding the question of who was the real Judas in Oppenheimer's life isn't a sufficient dramatic or emotional substitute.

Cillian Murphy is very strong as the title character, commanding the screen for the full running time. It's not showy by any means, but truly determined work. Pugh is excellent as usual, even if the film never gives her character enough screen-time. Blunt's performance is decent, but, her makeup, hair and costuming make her unduly frumpy as Oppenheimer's alcoholic wife. The huge cast is quite effective, even down to the smallest roles: Downey Jr. getting one of the few splashy roles. Damon gives his military man more of a relatable presence, even if he isn't exactly the epitome of a grizzled officer. On a technical level, OPPENHEIMER is polished with Hoyt Van Hoytema's 70mm cinematography taking center stage. Ludwig Gorranson's score is well composed, but Nolan's sound mix does it no favors (a common complaint about his films; the dialogue also suffers here).
Nolan's direction is assured, always maintaining focus on the man more than his mission. Occasionally, some of the special effects flourishes intrude even if they have made the film more accessible than it otherwise might have been to the general public. Likewise, the intrusion of an intimate physical act in the middle of a closed door hearing reminds one of the ill-conceived cross-cutting of a similar kind in Spielberg's MUNICH. Minor concerns aside, Nolan has done an admirable job corralling so many crucial elements here. An accomplished film that transcends the usual “Bio-Pic' label.