Undoubtedly, ten or fifteen years ago, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg would be seen as a sure-fire Best Picture conteder. Sadly, they just don’t make stately, handsome period dramas like this too often anymore, at least not for the big screen. That’s unfortunate because this one is compelling throughout and features an incredibly charismatic lead performance by Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring, one of the most powerful men in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. That it also echoes many of our concerns today about the rise of fascism and increasing political militancy makes this a film that more people should seek out, and should be made available to as wide an audience as possible.
Unlike the 1961 classic Judgment at Nuremberg, a fictionalized account centering on individuals accused of crimes against humanity for their participation in Nazi atrocities, Nuremberg is about the Nazi high command being held accountable in the first international criminal court, the Nuremberg Trials, with Göring at the center as Hitler’s second-in-command. At this point in time, there wasn’t a lot of confidence that the remaining Nazis even could be held accountable by a court of law. There was no case law for this sort of trial, it all had to be built from scratch with 100% cooperation from the most powerful countries in the world. All of the Allies had to participate. And even then, there was concern that the charismatic Göring could use a trial as a platform to spread Nazi propaganda, and might even defend their actions successfully as men just doing their duty. It’s why some felt that executions for them without a trial was the way to go, while others thought such an action would turn the Nazis into martyrs. All valid concerns.
You can imagine the pressure placed on Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon) who is placed in charge of leading the prosecution. But Nuremberg isn’t really about him. Vanderbilt has smartly crafted a tense, cat and mouse thriller in which Göring goes head-to-head with overconfident psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, played by Rami Malek, who must decide if the Nazis are competent to stand trial. Kelley goes into this just wanting to gather information to write a book and make a name for himself. Instead, he’s matching wits with the brilliant and convincing Göring, who is able to mount a believable case for himself. Göring is a masterful manipulator, and has Kelley spinning around like a top so wildly it has others believing he has defected to the other side. Kelley is no match for Göring, but then few are, and the impact of those interactions would haunt him for years after the trials, making him a tragic figure in history.
The groundwork for Kelley’s ultimate fate is effectively put on display in Nuremberg. It’s one of those films without a lot of bells and whistles. It relies heavily on the performance of an incredible ensemble. Crowe is mesmerizing as Göring, a man of extremely high intellect, bravado, and cunning who charms, bullies, does whatever he needs to do, to win Kelley over. Malek is also stellar as Kelley, who walks in thinking this will be a breeze, but soon finds that he’s in over his head. Shannon is strong as the ambitious Jackson, who sees a Chief Justice spot in his future if he can win this trial. Richard E. Grant makes the most out of a small role as David Maxwell Fyfe, the hard-drinking British attorney whose intellect could make him a match for Göring.
Nuremberg looks as if it’ll be ponderous and overlong but, surprisingly, it’s neither. The film moves briskly, has minimal lag, and is always on the verge of another momentous showdown to keep you invested. Most of all, it’s a stark reminder that to defeat the greatest evils in this world it takes a global effort for good. Evil can’t be defeated with more evil. With fascism rising at a disturbing rate, you’re hearing about the Nuremberg Trials more now as people contemplate a way to fight against it. Hopefully, that leads audiences to find this film and see what the stakes, and the high costs, are of such an effort.
Sony Pictures Classics will release Nuremberg in theaters November 7th.
