Oppenheimer

After an early morning appointment with my UC Davis GP and a power zone endurance Peloton bike workout, Sharon and I went to see Oppenheimer at noon at the Country Club Cinema. We have started of our annual trek to see all of the potential Oscar nominated films. As of today, the Goldderby web site has Oppenheimer first on the list of potential best picture nominees. It has Cillian Murphy first for best actor.

Oppenheimer is a biographical thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The story predominantly focuses on Oppenheimer's studies, his direction of the Manhattan Project during World War II, and his eventual fall from grace due to his 1954 security hearing.

The film stars Cillian Murphy as the title character, Emily Blunt as his wife, Matt Damon as head of the Manhattan Project Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as U.S. Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss, and Florence Pugh as Communist Party USA member Jean Tatlock. The ensemble supporting cast includes Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.

The movie is three hours long. The first two hours are very good. I felt like the last 45 minutes was overwrought. The last hour focuses on Oppenheimer's 1954 security hearing and Strauss' confirmation hearing. Murphy's performance as Oppenheimer is very good. In spite of the last hour, I recommend the film.

One footnote, much of the film is set in Los Alamos. Sharon, Jack and I had lunch in Los Alamos when we were in New Mexico in August of 2007.