Big Picture Big Sound

The conversation about who and what attracts moviegoers to theaters is usually centered on movie stars; it's very rarely focused on directors. Quentin Tarantino can still get people out to his movies in droves and so can Christopher Nolan, who will see great success with the opening of "Oppenheimer." It's a testament to his stature as a filmmaker that theaters are selling out for a dense three-hour movie about the making of the atomic bomb.

Nolan came from humble filmmaking roots with "Following," "Memento" and the highly underrated police procedural "Insomnia." In 2005, he began his "Batman" trilogy and ever since then has been associated with bombastic movies. "Oppenheimer" is no different, but here Nolan fuses his big filmmaking techniques to tell a human story about process and invention, guilt and personal responsibility. After his last movie, 2020's obnoxious puzzle box "Tenet," it's great to see Nolan return to working in this mode.

It's easy to be put off by the 180-minute runtime, and there are spots in "Oppenheimer" that seem excessive or unnecessary, but the movie is absorbing from start to finish. At this point in his career it's redundant to state what a technical marvel his latest movie is, but Nolan and his entire crafts team have made something extraordinary. If the question is can a movie about a historical event be thrilling and suspenseful, "Oppenheimer" makes the answer a resounding 'yes.'

Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist credited with the creation of the atomic bomb used during World War II. Murphy has been in several of Nolan's films, but has never been the lead - here he proves to be controlled and effective in guiding the entire movie. As a performer, Murphy has been typecast in villainous roles with his big-eyed stare, but there is so much acting going on with his eyes. A seemingly expressive look tells us so much about Oppenheimer's thoughts throughout the movie.

Like most of Nolan's movies, he plays with the timeline and cuts back-and-forth because he wouldn't dare make a linear film at this point. "Oppenheimer" moves rather seamlessly between depositions, congressional hearings with eventual adversary Lewis Strauss (a terrific Robert Downey Jr.), and meetings with Leslie Groves (Matt Damon, occasionally playing it a bit too big), who oversaw the Manhattan Project.

Mixed in is a glimpse of Oppenheimer's personal life, including his relationship with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) and his marriage to Kitty (Emily Blunt), and how they occasionally overlapped. Pugh is amassing a diverse filmography, but it appears she jumped at the chance to work with Nolan because her character feels like a plot device rather than a fully developed character. Blunt's character, for the majority of the movie, walks in-and-out of rooms guzzling booze, but Blunt gets a chance to shine in the last act. Nobody gives an icy stare like Blunt and she makes an impact in subtle and unexpected ways near the end.

"Oppenheimer" is a big movie about men in suits talking, but watching the process pays off with the inevitable test sequence of the bomb, which is a moment that ranks among the best of Nolan's career. The sound design, Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography, Ludwig Goransson's score (which is arguably the star of the show at times), and the ensemble cast all converge in this moment and work in tandem to create a sequence that will make you hold your breath.

Some air is let out of the movie in the final act because it becomes more focused on the deposition that is seen throughout, along with the congressional hearing. It's not as suspenseful as the crafting of the bomb, but still a necessary inclusion and helps turn "Oppenheimer" into a morality play. Nolan's movies have suffered from his bloated ambitions in the past, but "Oppenheimer" makes great use of its runtime.