Nuremberg is a sobering, timely movie, that explores how far men will go for power and casts a dark shadow over present day politics.
The action begins soon after Hitler’s death. Gossip suggests that several key German personnel have been captured, including Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe). With Hitler’s passing, Göring is the top man. It’s a major coup when he does in fact arrive in the prison. The question is what to do with him and his colleagues. Some think they should get the death penalty, others that they should be allowed a trial. Eventually the decision is made. Even the world’s most notorious criminals deserve their day in court.
U.S. Supreme Court justice Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), is tasked with forming an international tribunal. But before the trial can start there’s a question to consider. Are the prisoners psychologically capable of standing trial?
To answer this question, highly respected U.S. army psychiatrist Lt. Colonel Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), is called in.
Kelley is up for the challenge. Beyond the immediate directive, he sees it as a chance to explore whether some people are just evil and whether by defining evil, we can ensure history is never repeated.
As Kelley gets set up, Jackson is working on how to get the charismatic and supremely confident Göring to reveal his true nature in public. It soon becomes apparent that Jackson and Kelley need to work together to earn Göring’s trust.
Over time Kelley gets closer and closer to Göring. No one else has been able to get this close. No one else has the data he’s collected. No one else, he realizes is in the position to write a bestseller. The possibility of fame, fortune and his own ability to wield power rears its head.
As the audience clapped I pondered:
- The movie is a fascinating look into the Nuremberg trial, made more sobering by the inclusion of historical footage, which is at times extremely difficult to watch;
- Crowes’ performance is a perfect balance of charisma and dominance;
- Malek matches Crowe by oscillating between admiration and disgust;
- Richard E Grant plays a small but pivotal role well;
- The movie looks at power, narcissism, legacy and is a reminder that if you give people enough rope, they’ll likely hang themselves;
- The movie also casts a frightening shadow over present day politics, reminding us that people let things happen by not standing up until it’s too late;
- It’s often had to believe the events on screen happened. But then you remember that the movie is based on Jack El-Hai’s 2013 non-fiction book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist;
- The movie credits are fascinating as we find out what happened to the main players in real life.
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