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Was he the devil or a savior? If J Robert Oppenheimer didn't
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invent the ultimate killing machine. Would someone else from
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a rival superpower have done so?
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54321.
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This is movies first with Alex First.
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These are just some of the questions addressed in the
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superbly rendered film. Oppenheimer, master filmmaker
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Christopher Nolan inception has taken no shortcuts and come up
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with a tension filled, intriguing look at how the world
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was changed. Irrevocably. The first atomic bomb named Little
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Boy was dropped on Hiroshima on the sixth of August 1945.
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The second known as Fat Man fell on Nagasaki. Three days later,
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total casualties exceeded 200. But as much as the film
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deals with the consequences of those actions, Oppenheimer
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spends a great deal of time in the lead up to the bombs being
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released. It paints a picture of a seriously gifted mind.
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There are frequent parallels drawn to Albert Einstein who had
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shortcomings. J Robert Oppenheimer, as portrayed by
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Cian Murphy was a much fed theoretical physicist born into
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a non observant Jewish family. He was a womanizer, chain smoker
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and a man with Communist leanings, at least for a while.
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Oppenheimer, the movie moves between time frames.
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It establishes how his studies and teaching took him around the
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world before he settled back in the United States. His
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intellectual rigor was highly sought and he landed a job at a
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prestigious college run by Lewis Strauss Robert Downey junior.
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He'd become chairman of the US Atomic Agency Commission.
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Oppenheimer was subsequently prevailed upon to help the war
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effort by military officer Leslie Groves. Matt Damon.
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Groves had overseen construction of the Pentagon. He was charged
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with directing the top secret Manhattan project involving the
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development of the atomic bomb. The intent was to end World War
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II sooner rather than later.
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So Groves enlisted Oppenheimer and built a small town for him
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in a remote part of New Mexico that enabled the latter and his
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team to carry out their work in isolation. After developing the
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nuclear weapon. J Robert Oppenheimer became increasingly
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concerned about its use and misuse. This was the time of
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Harry S Truman when the House Un American Activities Committee
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was established to expose Americans with Communist ties.
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Oppenheimer was effectively put on trial. I say effectively
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because the body that investigated him was not a
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legally constituted court. At the same time, the pressure was
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turned up on the US Atomic Agency Commission chair
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Oppenheimer is an impressive film on every level.
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Let's face it making physics, especially theoretical physics
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interesting stimulating even to anyone other than science nerds
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is no mean feat but Nolan has managed to do just that he's
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left nothing to chance and his attention to detail is
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commendable. There are so many threads and characters here.
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Three hours is a long time, but Nolan does not waste a frame.
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Each scene is another piece of a highly political and at times
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deeply personal puzzle. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize
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winning book American Prometheus, The Triumph and
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Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin
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J Sherwin. Oppenheimer is infused with a series of
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scintillating performances earnestly led by Cillian Murphy.
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His representation of the genius is remarkable and insightful.
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Matt Damon is authoritative as his immediate superior. Clearly,
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just a cog in a bigger wheel that will see the world pivot
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equally imposing is Robert Downey junior cast as a
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concerned but arrogant player, Emily blunt plays Oppenheimer's
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troubled but pragmatic wife Kitty with distinction lurching
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from addiction to devastation.
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So too Florence Pugh who excels as Oppenheimer's lover, Jean
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Tatlock Savvy in a bookish sense but naive and ultimately savaged
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as with many other cast members. There are notable layers to the
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main players, respective performances from which the film
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benefits enormously.
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Josh Hartnett is cast as a pioneering American nuclear
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scientist and Casey Affleck as Chief of Army Counter
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Intelligence at the Presidio San Francisco. Kenneth Brenner is a
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Nobel Prize winning physicist while Rami Malek is an associate
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experimental physicist, alternating imagery in color and
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black and white Hoyt Van.
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He's evocative cinematography draws in the audience to the cat
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and mouse game at play. Ludwig Goren's arresting score adds
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another stratum to the anxiousness evident throughout a
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phenomenal cinematic achievement. Oppenheimer is
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undoubtedly the film of the year. Surely Oscars await. It
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scores a 10 out of 10.
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