In Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. Plays The Movie Villain Of The Year
This article contains spoilers for "Oppenheimer."
Part of what makes "Oppenheimer" such a rewarding experience is the chance to see Robert Downey Jr. act again. His 13-year run as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ultimately subsumed his career during the 2010s — and his first post-Marvel project was the ill-advised "Dolittle." With this career trajectory, it's easy to forget Downey isn't just a charismatic movie star: he's a really skilled actor, one who hasn't gotten to stretch his muscles in over a decade. "Oppenheimer," his first and hopefully not last movie with Christopher Nolan, finally grants him that opportunity.
Downey plays Lewis Strauss, the man who destroyed Oppenheimer's reputation. From the beginning there's contempt in their relationship; Oppenheimer mispronouncing Strauss' name is the first of indignities that the latter takes too personally. To reflect how their lives intersected, the film employs two framing devices. One, Oppenheimer's security clearance hearing in 1954 (the root of the film's in-color segments), titled "Fission." Two, Strauss' Senate confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Commerce in 1959, rendered in black-and-white and dubbed "Fusion." The former gives Cillian Murphy the chance to prove himself a leading man, while the latter allows Downey to steal the show like we know he can.
Who was Lewis Strauss?
Strauss was born in Virginia in 1896, the son of European Jewish immigrants. He initially followed in his father's footsteps as a shoe salesman (the film alludes to his "lowly" origins more than once) but refused to settle for this career. Choosing domestic public service, he became an assistant to future-President Herbert Hoover (then director of the United States Food Administration) during World War 1. After a tenure at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Strauss entered the private sector at the investment bank Kuhn, Loeb & Co, where he made his fortune.
His time in public service was not over, though. During World War 2, he was called into active duty in the Naval Reserve (albeit in a bureaucratic capacity). He also worked with his old boss to petition the admittance of European Jewish refugees into the U.S. Post-war, Strauss' simmering interest in atomic energy earned him an appointment as a commissioner to the newly-formed U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman in 1946 — he was then chairman from 1953 to 1958.
It was also at this time that Strauss' path crossed with J. Robert Oppenheimer. As "Oppenheimer" depicts, Strauss offered "Oppie" a job as director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. Oppenheimer accepted, but this ended up being the start of a ruinous relationship for both men.
As shown in Nolan's movie (and its source biography "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin), Oppenheimer opposed the post-war development of a hydrogen bomb and a nuclear arms race between America and the Soviet Union — no doubt guilty over what he'd created. This put him on the opposite side of a debate with Strauss. Oppenheimer likewise testified in opposition to Strauss' plan to not ship isotopes to Europe.
The villain of Oppenheimer's story
"Oppenheimer" depicts the root of the hatred as sprouting on the day they first met — Strauss believes that Oppenheimer insulted him to Albert Einstein (Tom Conti), given the latter didn't acknowledge Strauss when he walked up to them. The film suggests that this was just a twisted manifestation of Strauss' self-importance.
Strauss eventually decides to rid himself of Oppenheimer by revoking his security clearance and credibility. Per the film, Strauss acted through nuclear weapons advocate William Borden (David Dastmalchian), handing him Oppenheimer's security file which detailed the scientist's past Communist sympathies. Borden used the information to pen a defamatory letter to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover accusing Oppenheimer of being a Soviet spy.
From there, Strauss orchestrated a kangaroo court — specifically a private, internal hearing, without the press, an audience, or a jury present. While convicting Oppenheimer of espionage, even at the height of McCarthyism, would've been a tall order, destroying his credibility on U.S. national defense was easier. Strauss' actions came to light five years later, when President Eisenhower nominated him as Secretary of Commerce. A Manhattan Project alum named David Hill (Rami Malek) testified against Strauss at his confirmation hearing and ultimately, Strauss wasn't confirmed to the cabinet. He then retired from politics, choosing to write a memoir, "Men and Decisions," published in 1962. Strauss passed in 1974 with his reputation still in tatters, where it remains even to this day. The decision to revoke Oppenheimer's AEC clearance was even vacated in 2022, an acknowledgment of Strauss' malign influence.
A key theme of "Oppenheimer" is consequences — how an apparent success can turn bad in the long run. Is there any other way to consider the Father of the Atomic Bomb's life? Strauss' campaign against Oppenheimer is this on a micro-scale; it worked in the short term, but ultimately blew up in his face.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Strauss
Now that we understand the real man, what is there to say about Downey's portrayal of Strauss? It's refreshingly subdued. Downey's trademark wit is there, but it's aloof, not flashy — bureaucrats aren't typically ostentatious. In short, there's no confusing Lewis Strauss with Tony Stark.
Where "Oppenheimer" gambles is assuming its audience isn't familiar with this story — Strauss' underhanded character assassination of "Oppie" is a third-act twist. Beforehand, the film shows him as at least an ally to Oppenheimer, albeit one who had plenty of disagreements with him. Earlier in the film, there's a shot of General Kenneth Nichols (Dane DeHaan) handing Oppenheimer's security file to Borden. The scene is revisited later, where it's revealed that Strauss was in the room, sitting just offscreen. It's then that he lays out his plan in detail.
Now, I knew the story of Strauss going into the film, so I can't really speak to how well this functions as a surprise. Like Oppenheimer himself, I'll just have to rely on theory. That said, I think it works because of the casting. We're predisposed to like RDJ, not just because he's a star but because of his infectious charisma. Even when he plays a-holes, it's ones who are just rough around the edges, not a being of spite like Strauss. Strauss's unnamed aide (Alden Ehrenreich) is stunned and betrayed when he gradually learns the truth about his boss, his rage a substitution for the audience's own.
Welcome back RDJ, actor
After Hill's testimony, Strauss drops the facade and vents his anger (cross-cut with Oppenheimer's testimony about his opposition to the H-Bomb). It's not just the petty slights that built Strauss' hated, he also can't stand Oppenheimer's hypocritical martyrdom; how a man who changed the world turned that achievement into a cross he lugs around in public.
This is the most aggressive we see Strauss be in the movie, but what struck me is that he just barely raises his voice. Downey controls his character's rage; even infuriated, Strauss is ultimately too measured a man to tear the room apart. The result is even more impactful than if he went for a bigger performance.
The last we see Strauss is when his aide informs him he's been denied Senate confirmation; he flashes a toothy grin before turning to face the gathered reporters. The smiling mask that Strauss wore while suffering perceived indignities from Oppenheimer is back on. I just hope that Downey exited the "Oppenheimer" shoot with his acting cap as tightly bound to his head as Strauss' mirthless mask was to his in that scene.
"Oppenheimer" is playing in theaters now.