Films for Breakfast

We often talk about how there are only a handful of true movie-stars left in Hollywood today, the type that can garner excitement, intrigue, and ticket sales based almost solely on their presence alone. I don’t think this idea has faded completely, but Tom Cruise has proven that in most cases that he continues to thrive as a movie star because he understands what the audience wants and continually gives them a true experience worth their money; it’s not so much about him as a star, but what him starring in a film represents and the potential it brings. If the number of actors who can achieve this house-hold-name sense of stardom and trust with general audiences is slim, then the number of directors who can also do that is even slimmer. However, I think Christopher Nolan is one of the very few working directors today who can sell a film entirely on his name – not for us film nerds, as there are plenty of directors whose work we will see immediately due to their name being attached to it. But for the general public, Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker whose name spawns immediate interest and intrigue.

Quite similarly to my point about Tom Cruise representing something larger than just his stardom, but how his presence in a film represents a guaranteed experience that is well-worth your money, I think Christopher Nolan relatively offers the same thing. Nolan has a true commitment to the art of filmmaking, and every film he directs he crafts with such intensity, originality, and a true commitment to practicality. Whether it’s from his persistence on using IMAX, shooting on film, having minimal CGI and relying heavily on stunts and practical effects, or just the fact that he’s one of our very best story-tellers.. anything he attaches himself to immediately establishes a high-bar of expectations and a guarantee that you will experience something unlike anything else playing in the other auditoriums at your local theater. Oppenheimer is perhaps the biggest example of his power as a filmmaker, as Nolan looks to tell a story about one of the bleakest points of American history and perfectly package it as an exhilarating thriller that offers a grand, truly awe-inspiring sense of spectacle and practicality that very few films can offer in the same way Nolan can.

Oppenheimer follows American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) throughout his role in developing the atomic bomb, but specifically that of the Manhattan Project from 1942 through 1945. Christopher Nolan is less interested in making a straight-forward biopic here or a full-fledged history lesson; but he rather wants to put us in an almost first-person perspective of the development and ultimate creation of the atomic bomb. He wants us to feel not only the monumental odds that the scientists had against them or the rising political climate, but also the highs and lows of the life of Robert Oppenheimer. For every moment of pure awe-inspiring wonder where Nolan exhibits a breath-taking practical explosion or effect, you get another handful of moments where you feel the monumental weight of what these scientists and Oppenheimer are creating. The film is incredibly existential and emotional in all the best ways, as it truly feels like the story of a creator grappling with facing the horror of what he has made for his government; nearly playing out like a horror movie at times.

From a filmmaking perspective, Christopher Nolan has never been better. I truly believe that this is his finest hour as a director, even if films like Inception or The Dark Knight will always be ranked slightly higher in my book – it’s just undeniable that we’re experiencing a maestro at the peak of his career, and you can’t help but sit in awe while experiencing the entire thing. His commitment to practicality and shooting on film pays off so wonderfully here, as there are various sequences that had me quite literally on the edge of my seat due to how intense and immersive they were. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema turns in some of his best work to date, and that’s saying something as his catalog of films is truly staggering. I’d also be remiss to not Ludwig Göransson’s pulse-bounding, electrifying score that adds so much to nearly every sequence and might just win him an Oscar next year.

Like most Nolan films, this has an incredibly stacked cast – to the point of where it might be quicker to name the people who aren’t in the film. Everyone that you’d expect to be great are indeed great, from Matt Damon who delivers the goods both dramatically and comedically here, as well as Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt who bring vast dramatic weight to every sequence they’re in; Blunt especially having a handful of Oscar-worthy moments at the end of the film. Robert Downey Jr. returns to form here as Lewis Strauss, and gives one of the finest performances of his career (Zodiac being the only film holding me back from calling it his absolute best performance) with such an intensity, every line of dialogue he delivers feels piercing and full of might. Is it too early to call him for winning Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars next year?

However, the performance to talk about here is obviously Cillian Murphy’s incredible performance of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Cillian Murphy is a performer who has always delivered in every performance he’s given, whether it be from The Dark Knight trilogy, Beaky Blinders, Inception, etc. – the man comes to play every time. However, with Oppenheimer, this immediately feels different than anything Cillian has done before. This is truly his finest hour as a performer, as he gets to fully invest within how much of a character-study this is. From the brilliance that Oppenheimer clearly has to the looming dread and regret that plagued him for his entire life, Cillian finds a perfect middle ground to balance all of these things that made J. Robert Oppenheimer who he is and harnesses it into one of the best performances I’ve seen in my entire life. This is a truly monumental achievement that will be recognized and remembered for many years to come.

Is it the best film of Nolan’s career? It’s tough to say after only one viewing – but it’s easily, already one of his biggest achievements as a filmmaker and as a writer. Somewhat based off of the novel American Prometheus, I believe that a big factor into why Oppenheimer is so close to being Nolan’s best film is due to the fact that it is far and away the best screenplay he has ever worked with. When you match that with his commitment as a director to truly wowing his audience, both in emotion and his sense of scale and wonder, you have a film that is simply firing on all cylinders from the moment it begins. Oppenheimer is a staggering achievement of the highest order, and Christopher Nolan has truly crafted a masterpiece in every sense of the word. See it on the largest, loudest screen you possibly can – and preferably in 70mm!

5/5