OPPENHEIMER, a biographical thriller released on July 20, 2023, is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book (2005) titled American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Michael J. Sherwin.
Known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer was lauded as one of the greatest scientists, but much of the world never really knew about the man who created the deadliest bomb in the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 78 years ago.
The mind of the man
The movie uncovers the real story of a theoretical physicist named Oppenheimer, before and after he headed a team of scientists to invent two types of bombs: Plutonium-Implossion type nuclear weapons and Uranium fission weapons.
The bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Sept 6 and 9, 1945, killing 226,000 Japanese people and ending World War II in September 1945.
In the opening scene, Robert (Cillian Murphy) gives testimony, denying his involvement with communists or sharing information about the bomb with the Soviet Union with a board of members, including a prosecutor (Security Hearing in 1954).
Through flashbacks, viewers are brought back to the 1920s to 1940s era, to Oppenheimer’s days as a student and later, teaching quantum physics at the University of California, Berkeley.
When Oppenheimer meets Einstein
At Berkeley, Oppenheimer meets Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the US Atomic Energy Commission, played by Robert Downey Jr, who is unrecognisable in the role.
Then, he has a “conversation” with Albert Einstein, which is not known and remains a sort of mystery to the viewers.
Then, General Leslie Grover (played by Matt Damon) approaches Oppenheimer to recruit him to develop bombs.
In the meantime, his connections with Communists become an issue for “security risk or clearance,” but he manages to gain approval.
Under the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer assembles a team of experts and moves to a secret laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico.
There, they come up with a scientific formula that creates a “chain reaction” between one neutron and another that could cause an “explosion” without the risk of an atmospheric burning that may become a danger to the entire world.
At some point, the team began to question the need to invent the bombs, especially after the surrender of Germany, but they continued to rush and successfully carry out the Trinity Test, a field test on the ground at Los Alamos.
In July 1945, Oppenheimer delivers the bombs, and Leslie’s army carries them away in two trucks. This is where viewers get to see a change in Oppenheimer.
Death and the Destroyer
“Now, I am become death, the destroyer of worlds,” is a quote from the Bhagavad Gita. Oppenheimer, who is able to read Sanskrit, referred to this quote from the sacred Bhagavad Gita after the massacre in Japan.
Americans glorify him as a hero and put him on the cover of Time magazine, however, the “hero” soon appears to have realised the cause of his actions in the aftermath of the bombing.
Later on, he starts speaking against the making of another bomb, the Hydrogen bomb, but the “people in power” become uncomfortable with his reticence. He is then put through severe questioning in a hearing that follows on his credibility and connection with communists, including a supposed love affair with American psychiatrist and physician, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), who was also a member of the Communist Party USA.
Blood in his hands
From a man trying to prove his loyalty to turning against the making of bombs by his own government, Cilian’s character shows humility and delves into his thought processes behind his motivations as the film is presented through his point of view.
Cillian is remarkable as Oppenheimer, especially in the scenes when a guilty conscience seeps in after witnessing the ramifications of the bombing and the unexpected death toll, which continues to climb in the thousands due to exposure to the radiation.
Cillian portrays his character in such a way that the viewers neither applaud his success nor sympathise with him.
One of the best scenes was when his character was being applauded and celebrated for the success of the bombing, and at the same time, he was having a struggle inside as he saw visions of Japanese people suffering.
Apart from this, the conversation with Matt Damon’s character thoroughly engages the audience, and the scientific discussion with a fellow scientist is really interesting and gives viewers some fascinating knowledge about the making of a bomb.
Stellar cast
Emily Blunt, who plays his wife, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, plays a smart and strong woman, while Damon plays a pivotal character, and his acting is excellent. Downey Jr. is as brilliant as ever, and Rami Malek has a cameo role that is significant at the end.
However, the credit for extracting a great performance goes to the writer and director Christopher Nolan, who is known for his amazing movies like Inception and Interstellar.
Although the movie starts out really well, somewhere in the middle, viewers may get distracted when too many new characters get introduced.
The gripping ending, the revelation of a “villain” behind it, a twist at the end, and the details of the conversation between Oppenheimer and Einstein will leave us surprised.
Critics are expecting that the movie, which used minimal computer-generated imagery, will walk away with multiple awards, especially for the cast’s incredible talent.
