INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Nuremberg. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: In postwar Germany, an American psychiatrist must determine whether Nazi prisoners are fit to go on trial for war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of intellect and ethics with Hermann Goring, Hitler’s right-hand man.
REVIEW
We’re coming closer and closer to nearly one hundred years since World War II broke out, and Hollywood just can’t help but keep making films about “the great war”, or, in this case, its aftermath. Plenty of films and TV miniseries about the Nuremberg trials have come and gone, the most famous being 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg, which arguably came close to winning Best Picture at the Oscars that year. That film examined the trials from the perspective of the judges who tried the Nazi war criminals. This new adaptation, simply titled Nuremberg, approaches the story from a different angle; through the eyes of the psychologists who studied the Nazis and the prosecutors who brought them to justice.
At just under two and a half hours, this admittedly slightly overstuffed period piece, directed and written by James Vanderbilt, somehow manages to tell one of the most stunning chapters in history through an engaging lens that balances moments of levity with the deadly seriousness of its subject. It plays much as you might expect; straightforward, linear, and clearly aimed at your “boomer dad”. The filmmaking is competent throughout, though not necessarily groundbreaking.
What makes it work, however, is Vanderbilt’s smart, self-aware screenplay. It embraces its identity as a mainstream, history-lesson-style drama while still offering nuance and restraint. You’re meant to root for the prosecutors, but the film avoids turning the Nazi commanders into cartoonish villains. That’s precisely what makes them so unsettling, they’re recognizably human in fleeting moments with their families or in their fear of impending death, yet remain monstrous in their culpability. One sequence in particular, when actual video evidence of the atrocities is shown, captures that horror with haunting impact.
The film’s greatest strength might be its ensemble cast, easily one of my favorites of the year. Rami Malek leads as Douglas Kelley, a tragic figure who realizes by the end that what happened in Germany could happen anywhere. Michael Shannon and Richard E. Grant deliver excellent turns as the American and British prosecutors; while John Slattery impresses as the head of the prison; and Colin Hanks adds tension as another psychologist who clashes with Kelley. But the standout is Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring. He’s chillingly believable, blending command, charisma, and fleeting humanity into a portrayal of one of history’s most monstrous figures.
I also felt like this movie was pretty important given the current state of our country. The final scene sees Malek playing Kelley as he warns fascism and race theory can come here. With this decade-plus era of Trump’s MAGA vision of authoritarianism and bigotry, I couldn’t help but think of where we are. The film has certain members of the cast constantly repeat the line, “we can’t let this happen again.”, and yet we know all to well that it has all over the globe since.
This is, without question, a “dad movie.” And as a soon-to-be dad and lifelong history nerd, I have to admit it completely worked on me. I know it’s not reinventing the wheel, nor is it jaw-dropping filmmaking, but it’s compelling, well-acted, and consistently engaging. For me, that’s more than enough. After my first watch, I can’t help but give Nuremberg anything less than an A-. It’s one of my favorite films of the year and easily my biggest surprise of this awards season.
“TL;DR”
Pros: A film about a serious subject that is able to play well to mass audiences thanks to a great balance between moments made for levity and good performances; Russell Crowe stands out with his best performance in decades
Cons: Plays things very linear and by the book in ways that will make this feel very unremarkable to cinephiles with a more high-brow palate; Arguably a bit overlong in its runtime
GRADING
