If recently released “Barbie” represents fast food with a moderately subversive sauce, consider the latest movie from writer/director Christopher Nolan a degustation meal with matching wines.

As is usual for this director, the film is resolutely non-linear and alternates between several periods of Oppenheimer’s life, from undergraduate, to a man world famous for creating the atom bomb, to potentially losing his treasured security clearance.

The film moves from colour in early years, to occasional black and white later but clearly delineates the time period we are watching, with seamless make up and prosthetics.

Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is a complex man, prodigiously intelligent with ego and arrogance to match, yet flawed in so many ways. Riddled with doubts and finally remorse regarding his place in history. Books have been written on the subject, in fact the film is based on “The American Prometheus” by Bird & Sherwin (700 pages).

No movie is able to capture a life as large and influential as Oppenheimer in three hours, but Nolan gives it a damn good try.

The film employs many Nolan trademarks, moving seamlessly between time periods and complex dialogue, coupled with many close-ups of Murphy’s face as emotions flicker across his face and startlingly blue eyes. A bombastic score coupled with brief inserts of molecular reactions that Oppenheimer imagines in his minds eye.

Nolan has pulled together a mammoth A-List cast, occasionally almost cameos but every vignette adds to the impressive acting ensemble. Murphy has never been better and arguably posts a career best performance, yet is almost upstaged by Robert Downey Jr. as Senator Strauss, proving Downey needs no “Iron Man” suit to impress.

Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s long suffering wife, Matt Damon as General Grove and Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock all provide excellent support. The list could go on as there are no bad performances to be found, from any of the huge cast.

This is a difficult, complex and worthy subject to explore and Nolan as you would expect treats the subject matter with non-sensational reverence and intelligence. Much of the action is focussed on people, conversations, offices and yet the suspense, especially in the latter half is immense, as the count-down to the money shot explosion nears.

The sense of paranoia is evident throughout, this is a time of doubting loyalties, “Red’s under the Bed’s”, spies, McCarthyism and the commencement of the cold war. A time when the wrong word could and did destroy careers and lives.

The film also touches on the morality and need for the use of the bomb, a complex subject then and now. Safe to say Oppenheimer’s actions unleashed a genie that could never be placed back in the bottle, we now live in a world that realistically could be destroyed within minutes.

A difficult legacy for any person to live with, when your only defence might be, academic curiosity and “if not me, then someone else”.

Summary

Another cinematic masterpiece from director Christopher Nolan to be enjoyed on a big screen, contemplated and digested like a fine meal.

Arguably the only director providing thinking, intelligent yet accessible and profitable blockbuster movies, which should be treasured.