Now available to rent and buy, both online and on physical media, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is an impressive but flawed biographical picture. While Nolan brings the full weight of his filmmaking talent to bear on the film, it is actually the performances that stand out the most.

Oppenheimer uses a non-linear, somewhat messy narrative to follow physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) from his university studies in 1926 Europe, through his masterminding the atomic bomb during World War II, and to its politically fraught aftermath in the 1950s. It tells his story with a large ensemble cast; it would be a nightmare remembering every character’s name, but thankfully Nolan’s screenplay ensures you do not need to remember every famous physicist in order to follow the story.

What does make things needlessly complicated is Nolan’s constant shifting back and fourth between three separate timelines. While the bulk of the film follows Oppenheimer’s career during the war, another presents a rather harrowing interrogation of Oppenheimer in the 1950s. A third, presented in stark black and white (a first for the Imax film format), follows a Senate confirmation for Cabinet hopeful Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr). The use of black and white is a bold but distracting choice, and a lack of clarity in the film’s initial scenes makes it a slightly muddled ride for the first 45 minutes or so. When the action settles down, the narrative becomes clearer, and there is certainly a strong emotional payoff by the climax.

No matter the thread or timeline, Oppenheimer is a film haunted by the spectre of nuclear weapons. Oppenheimer himself is increasingly haunted by the potential for destruction and abstract imagery peppers the most intense scenes with glimpses of atoms splitting and fire raging. So pervasive is the sense of dread that it powerfully undercuts any sense of achievement. When the iconic Trinity test succeeds, the gathered scientists and soldiers clap and cheer enthusiastically, yet the scene retains the miserable gut-punch of tragedy. It’s not a surprise to note Nolan is 53 years old: Oppenheimer‘s treatment of the atomic bomb blazes with “generation x” expectations of nuclear annihilations. Nowadays our expectations of Armageddon feel more closely tied to climate change or viral outbreaks. If you were not there in the early 1980s, you simply do not know what it felt like: Nolan captures it perfectly.

It is great to see Cillian Murphy not only get his highest-profile lead role to date, but to see him play it with such complexity. There is an ambivalence to Murphy’s gaze, and he employs it powerfully here. He is surrounded by a broad ensemble of hugely talented artists, including Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, and David Dastmalchian. Among them there are three key highlights: it is wonderful to see Robert Downey Jr fully stretch his acting talents as Strauss, a role miles away from the Iron Man films that dominated much of the past 15 years. Another unexpectedly strong performance comes from Jason Clarke (Terminator: Genisys, Pet Sematary), who captures the screen as an aggressive government prosecutor. Finally Emily Blunt does wonders in a somewhat limited role as Oppenheimer’s resentful wife Kitty.

It is hard not to notice how much Oppenheimer limits and sidelines its female characters. It is partly a problem of history: make a film about a group of men building an atomic bomb and it is going to be dominated by male characters. On the other hand, including Kitty Oppenheimer opens the film to a woman’s perspective on the historical events. Nolan entertains the potential to some degree, but could easily have pushed much further. The situation is even worse for co-star Florence Pugh, who plays J. Robert’s lover Jean Tatlock – she appears terribly superficial in a role that wastes her talents.

Christopher Nolan continues to have a blind spot for women in his films. All too often they are underwritten. They exist as either victims (Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight), damsels (Kat Barton in Tenet), or as emotional support for the male protagonist (Ellie Burr in Insomnia, Sarah Borden in The Prestige). I am sure many would argue that the facts of history precluded Nolan from foregrounding any women here; this ignores the fact that he gives himself the perfect set-up already – and simply fails to follow through with it.

Despite its flaws, Oppenheimer is a powerful, visually impressive film. Ludwig Göransson’s musical score is masterful, as is Nolan’s use of sound. Stamping feet never felt so powerful, or so ominous.