06 March 2024 , 21:11
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British director Christopher Nolan has masterfully transformed his storytelling talent into a series of Hollywood blockbusters.
His latest smash, Oppenheimer, fuelled by Cillian Murphy's explosive depiction of the title character has thrust him further into the spotlight and is up for 13 Oscars on Sunday. But, in a curious twist of fate, Oppenheimer, the name of the man responsible for the world's first atom bomb, is entangled in a sinister narrative that will not be making its way into Nolan's cinematic repertoire.
This is because the filmmaker's older brother Matthew is accused of being a real-life "hired killer" who used the name to lure a man to his death. The remarkable story of Matthew Nolan features court allegations that he was central to the contract killing of American accountant Robert Cohen in Costa Rica. The Mirror learnt this week the case is still open, and the FBI has made a fresh plea for witnesses.
Film director Christopher Nolan (centre) is the brother of Jonathan Nolan (right) and Matthew Nolan (left) (Facebook)Alisha Cohen, 54, the daughter of the murdered man, has waged a long battle for justice and is incensed by the film's title. She says: "Of all the names he could pick, he picked that one. It is insensitive, among other things. "I first saw the title when they started advertising the movie. I was furious, and it felt like he was making a mockery of what had happened. Of course, there could be nothing to it. But in my head, I don't think so."
Oppenheimer has swept all before it at the Grammys and BAFTAs. But Ms Cohen will not be watching to see if it repeats its success on Sunday - 19 years to today since a fisherman pulled her father's badly beaten body from the water on to the banks of Costa Rica's Chirripo River.
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What the film's title shares with Christopher Nolan's older brother is a story that, at times, seems barely believable and drawn from a novel's pages. Matthew, 54, was the first of three Nolan brothers. With brothers Christopher, 53, and his scriptwriter, Jonathan, 47, they were all sent to £45,000-a-year Haileybury School near Hertford, Herts, whose alumni includes former Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
Born to British advertising executive Brendan and American flight attendant Christina, the siblings enjoy dual citizenship and a privileged upbringing, but the parallels end there. Jonathan and Christopher turned their obsession with film into cinema gold, particularly with their 2008 Batman reboot, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale. By contrast, Matthew became a property developer in Chicago and, in 1999, married a lifestyle blogger called Erika. They have two sons. Her social media profile depicts a dream lifestyle of sun-kissed beach holidays that hints at the couple's considerable wealth.
Alisha Cohen (right) pictured with her late father Robert Cohen (left) (Adam Luck)But beneath the glamorous lifestyle, the couple have experienced financial problems, with Erika filing for bankruptcy in 2009. That same year, the US District Court in Northern Illinois heard far more sinister allegations in relation to Erika's husband when the Costa Rican government filed a request to extradite Matthew. It was alleged he was a "hired killer" who had worked for diamond dealer Bob Breska to recover "funds" from accountant Robert Cohen in 2005.
Cohen's business partner Mario Quintana was accused of taking £5.5million of Florida-based Breska's money before committing suicide in October 2004. The jeweller held Cohen responsible for the money. According to court papers, Breska, was a convicted drug dealer. Cohen, the court heard, said at the time Breska "is capable of putting my life in danger… if anything were to happen to me, Mr Breska would be responsible."
The court heard the diamond dealer brought Nolan in to recover the lost money and introduced him to Cohen. The district court was told that Nolan was calling himself Matthew McCall Oppenheimer to fool Cohen into thinking he was one of the fabulously wealthy Oppenheimer diamond family.
The court papers read: "Breska told Cohen this man was a multi-millionaire and a member of a family that was dedicated to the jewellery business." In reality, the court was told, Nolan's real calling was as a hired killer and in March 2005 witnesses saw Nolan and Cohen meeting in Costa Rica.
Nolan is also said to have met hotel bellboy Luis Alonso Douglas Mejia, who would eventually be convicted of Cohen's kidnap and murder. Mejia and Nolan then allegedly forced Cohen into a hire car on March 6. Local investigators claimed the pair had "continued to torture the victim", which caused a "massive haemorrhage and resulted in death", the court heard.
FBI agents were called to locate Nolan and trace his movements. They would discover he had flown out of Costa Rica on the 6th, heading to Houston in the US, then Paris, New York, and Miami, allegedly using a fake Paris address and his father's mobile number for his contact details, the court was told. Nolan, last person seen with Cohen, was back in Costa Rica days later and joined Mejia, it is claimed.
Four years later, Nolan was caught by FBI agent Pablo Araya when he turned up the 2009 bankruptcy proceedings. At his extradition hearing, Judge Michael Mason said: "There is competent evidence that Nolan continued in his efforts to locate Breska's assets following Cohen's death."
But the justice refused to extradite Nolan on kidnapping and murder charges, ruling that Costa Rica had not submitted sufficient evidence he was a "person who kills". Araya said: "Matthew Nolan was the most arrogant person I have talked to. I do not know how he paid for his defence."
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He said: "He was going through bankruptcy. Someone paid for his high-powered attorney." In a strange twist, the court did approve Nolan's extradition on false passport charges. Still, the Costa Rican authorities abandoned their request, and Nolan was released in 2010.
By that point, the story had taken another extraordinary turn because Nolan had pleaded guilty to preparing to escape from the Chicago jail he was held in during the extradition proceedings. As he was being detained in the US he was held federal jail in Chicago. In March 2010, he was discovered planning his breakout from the Metropolitan Correctional Centre – a prison notoriously difficult to escape from.
According to the authorities, a search of Nolan's cell discovered: "31ft of improvised rope, which had been braided together from bedding, a makeshift harness; and a metal clip of a pen cap, which Nolan manipulated to make a handcuff key." He also had a razor blade hidden in a bar of soap. Local newspapers called it a "Batman-like escape attempt". Nolan was sentenced to 14 months for possessing a prohibited object and for obstruction of justice.
Where the money went and the full details of what happened to Cohen are answers probably buried with the accountant. Still, for daughter Alisha the pain remains. She claims that Cohen went "off the rails" following the suicide of her 18-year-old brother Jeffrey. Alisha said: "He was a great provider, but he got caught up in wrong things. Sometimes people lose their way."
The case remains officially "open", say the FBI, which has now made a fresh appeal for witnesses. Nolan and his lawyer have previously denied any involvement in the death of Cohen. Alisha said: "The investigation is moving in the right direction. It is definitely moving forward." She is determined to get justice. "He was murdered. What kid would not fight for justice for their dad?"