Nuremberg
The trial of last century is provided with a new twist as Russell Crowe’s Göring packs evil with a charm offensive.
Bigger than death: Russell Crowe.
Photo courtesy of Studio Canal.
Hermann Göring called Douglas Kelley “merely a footnote” in the story of his own life, of which numerous books have, indeed, been written since. Not only was Göring the highest-ranking military officer in Nazi Germany, he was a shrewd, charismatic and imposing figure, and a narcissist. Considering the frequent allusions to his weight in James Vanderbilt’s new film, it made perfect sense, then, to cast Russell Crowe, in what is the actor’s most notable performance since Cinderella Man (2006). The “footnote”, a psychiatrist employed by the US Army to assess the mental health of 22 Nazis before they stood trial at Nuremberg, himself wrote a book on his experience, 22 Cells in Nuremberg, which was a flop...
It is an interesting take on the famous hearing, then dubbed “the greatest show on earth”, when the remaining Nazi elite were forced to account for their crimes. Adapted from Jack El-Hai’s 2013 book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, the film marks the second directorial outing of the screenwriter and producer James Vanderbilt (Truth), who gives a solid account of the proceedings. With an actor of the magnitude of Russell Crowe on board, he was wise to focus much of the film on Göring and his interaction with Kelley (Rami Malek), an American shrink “working in a Jewish profession.” Kelley transpires to be a wily doctor of the mind, who believes that he has the measure of the monster in his charge. And he was right that Göring would trounce the prosecutor Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), in spite of the enormity of the crimes laid at his feet.
Even before the tribunal was arranged to take place in the Bavarian city, Göring was responsible for the Nuremberg Laws. These anti-Semitic rulings were drawn up in 1935 and forbade sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews, stipulated that Jewish children were not allowed to attend public schools, that Jews had no right to vote or to attain a visa to leave the country and that anybody with at least three or four Jewish grandparents would be considered Jewish and would accordingly be deprived of their rights.
Purportedly adhering closely to the facts of the case, Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg has a certain stiff upper lip stance to the material, allowing the horrors of the Final Solution to provide more than enough of the drama. The Nuremberg trials are hardly a new subject for the cinema (a Russian film of the same name was released just two years ago), but it’s an event that no future generation should forget. Older viewers may even recall the 1961 film, Stanely Kramer’s Judgment at Nuremberg, a heavily fictionalised version which garnered eleven Oscar nominations and boasted a cast that included Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift.
This latest addition to the canon is also strong on the acting front, although Russell Crowe pretty much steals the film. Rami Malek continues to be a somewhat baffling if dependable leading man, while Leo Woodall, as a translator, has an emotional scene to himself that should surprise even his most devoted fans. There’s sterling support, too, from John Slattery, Richard E. Grant and, of course, Michael Shannon. For those who are still unfamiliar with the events, the film is a decent introduction to a dark corner of history and has enough intriguing detail under its belt to win over even the better informed.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Wrenn Schmidt, Lydia Peckham, Richard E. Grant, Michael Shannon, Lotte Verbeek, Andreas Pietschmann, Steve Pacey, Fleur Bremmer, Ben Miles.
Dir James Vanderbilt, Pro Richard Saperstein, Bradley J. Fischer, James Vanderbilt, Frank Smith, William Sherak, Benjamin Tappan, Cherilyn Hawrysh, István Major and George Freeman, Screenplay James Vanderbilt, from Jack El-Hai’s book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, Ph Dariusz Wolski, Pro Des Eve Stewart, Ed Tom Eagles, Music Brian Tyler, Costumes Bartholomew Cariss, Sound Michael Babcock, Dialect coaches Lena Lessing and Nova Meierhenrich.
Bluestone Entertainment/Walden Media/Mythology Entertainment/Titan Media/Sky Studios-Studio Canal.
148 mins. USA. 2025. US Rel: 7 November 2025. UK Rel: 14 November 2025. Cert. 15.
