Paul Schrader, the acclaimed writer of Taxi Driver and director of First Reformed, has shared his admiration for Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Oppenheimer, calling it the best and most important film of this century.
In a Facebook post, Schrader posted a photo of himself with a friend after watching the film at a screening. He wrote: “OPPENHEIMER. The best, most important film of this century. If you see one film in cinemas this year it should be Oppenheimer. I’m not a Nolan groupie but this one blows the doors off the hinges.”
Oppenheimer is a biographical thriller that tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The film stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, along with an ensemble cast that includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh.
The film is based on the 2005 book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, and is written and directed by Nolan, who also produced it with Emma Thomas and Charles Roven. It is Nolan’s first film to be distributed by Universal Pictures after his long partnership with Warner Bros., and his first film to receive an R rating since Insomnia in 2002.
Oppenheimer has received critical acclaim for its performances, direction, cinematography, score and visual effects. It has also been a commercial success, breaking box office records in several countries and selling over 90,000 tickets for its opening day in India. The film has also sparked controversy for its depiction of the ethical and moral dilemmas of nuclear warfare, as well as rumors that Nolan detonated a real atom bomb for one of the scenes, which he later denied.
Schrader is not the only filmmaker to praise Oppenheimer. Greta Gerwig, who directed Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, which is set to clash with Oppenheimer in theatres on July 21, said that she was blown away by Nolan’s film and that it was a masterpiece of cinema.
Oppenheimer is now playing in select theatres worldwide and will expand to more markets on July 21.