Local opinion: 'Oppenheimer' a complex, sobering film

The movie Oppenheimer is a dynamic display of events surrounding the 1940s Manhattan Project. J. Robert Oppenheimer was an exceptional physicist recruited with other scientists to develop the first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is given the task of using his knowledge to build the bomb using quantum physics, fission and fusion principles. The movie portrays, in a non-linear sequence, what occurred before, during and after efforts to build the bomb.

Oppenheimer, flawlessly portrayed by Irish actor Cillian Murphy, realizes that if Hitler’s Germany builds the bomb first, it could mean the end of civilization. Murphy’s performance shows Oppenheimer as a brilliant, haunted man who knows that he, his fellow scientists and the military at Los Alamos are in a race against time. Matt Damon does a fine job playing General Leslie Groves in a strong performance, and lending occasional comic relief. The scientists and the military work in tandem, but not necessarily in lockstep as to how things should proceed.

Some events, such as the hearings centered around Oppenheimer’s suspected link to the Communist Party, are filmed in black and white to differentiate them from what is occurring at other times. Oppenheimer is suspected because his wife and mistress had formerly been Communists. It was not clearly determined whether Oppenheimer was a Communist, but his security clearance was revoked because of the suspicion. Robert Downey Jr. deserves high praise for playing Lewis Strauss, Atomic Energy Commission head, a driving force behind the hearings. He becomes an enemy to Oppenheimer.

Christopher Nolan, the film’s writer and director, has assembled his film like a large, vibrant puzzle, moving unpredictably back and forth in time. The hearings may be shown, then Oppenheimer as a professor, then the Los Alamos activity preparing the bomb, back to the hearings, to the bomb’s assembly, then something else. The editing is tight, and the dramatic musical score holds your attention. The photography is masterful, often focused on Oppenheimer’s expressive face.

A few days prior to the bomb’s detonation, there is uncertainty whether the bomb may destroy the earth’s atmosphere. General Groves asks Oppenheimer about the chances of that happening. Oppenheimer responds that they are near zero. Groves says “Zero would be nice.”

On July 15, 1945, at 5:30 am, the bomb is ignited at the Trinity site near Alamogordo, New Mexico, about 250 miles of Los Alamos. There is bright flash of light, then pure silence for about 10 seconds before a shattering blast is heard. The sound would have taken that long to reach the observers a few miles away. The explosion’s light could be seen from 200 miles. Glass shattered at 125.

Most depictions of the bomb’s development show the explosion, then the bombs dropped on Japan weeks later. That is not the case here. Those bombings are mentioned only peripherally.

There is a key moment near the end of the film where Oppenheimer talks with Albert Einstein near a pond. They speak of the physics and calculations involved with nuclear weapons and what could happen if more powerful bombs are created and utilized. It demonstrated that two of the most brilliant men in the 20th century knew the consequences should the nuclear button ever be pushed.

The last minutes of the film are sobering, with Oppenheimer’s face reflecting the concerns of what he had helped unleash. One can only imagine his reaction to the threats, uttered in the past few years of actually using nuclear weapons. The message is that there is zero margin for error, with mutual annihilation the eventual and final outcome.

Oppenheimer is a long, multi-layered film intended for those who appreciate meaningful, thought-provoking work. It is filmmaking at its most powerful, utilizing all senses and intellectual abilities. Its lessons are intended to provoke its viewers to sober evaluation.