Sometimes you read history, and other times you have history read to you. And the new film from writer/director James Vanderbilt (the established writer and producer whose only other directing effort was 2015’s Truth), Nuremberg, feels a lot like the latter with an admittedly impressive cast of readers.
Based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai, the film is set in the immediate aftermath of World War II as the world is dealing with the scope and horror of the Holocaust and attempting to figure out how to prosecute and punish those responsible. That includes Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), the former Reichsmarschall and Hitler’s second in command, along with other high-ranking Nazi officials now in military custody.
The Allies decide to create an unprecedented international tribunal to ensure that the Nazi regime answers for its crimes, to be led by chief U.S prosecutor and Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), who many believe is in danger of being outwitted by the notoriously shrewd Göring. To perhaps get inside the head of the Nazi leader and assess his mental state overall, the prosecution brings in U.S. Army psychiatrist Lt. Col. Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), who quickly finds himself in a psychological standoff with Göring, a man who blends charm and cunning in his attempt to portray himself as something other than pure evil. In fact, Göring’s ultimate goal is to show that most Nazis were ordinary men simply following orders as they committed extraordinary crimes against humanity and decency.
Nuremberg is actually two movies in one: Shannon leads the part of the movie that deals with the effort that went into figuring out how to bring these Nazis to trial, a push that ultimately leads to him losing his promised position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He enlists the help of the UK’s David Maxell-Fyfe (Richard E. Grant), who gives a magnificent questioning of Göring late in the film that appears to turn the trial around. The rest of the film belongs to the conversations betwen Kelley and Göring; the back and forth that they have is pretty impressive. It’s clear that the two might actually be becoming simpatico, or maybe the terrifying realization that Kelley experiences is that, under different circumstances, the two might have been friends. The paper trail connecting Göring to the Nazi concentration camps is weak, so the prosecution has to use Göring’s own vanity and sense of self worth against him, which is compelling to observe.
There are less interesting side stories here about Kelley becoming close with Göring’s wife and children, as well as some of the internal politics facing Justice Jackson as he pieces his case together, and we have to sift through that to get to the good stuff. We also get a nice array of strong supporting players, such as John Slattery as Col. Burton C. Andrus (who brings Kelley into this mess, against his better judgment); Colin Hanks as another psychiatrist, brought in to back up Kelley; and Leo Woodall as Kelley’s driver, translator and sometimes confidante.
Lest you think this film has any connection to the 1961 classic Judgment at Nuremberg, it does not; that film takes place years later and is a fictionalized account of much lesser players in the Nazi regime. Most films that have retold the actual story of Göring’s trial have been documentaries, so for many, this will be their first exposure to the details of these events. That’s a bit of a shame because the film frequently loses focus when it drifts away from the actual psychological analysis of Göring and his minions, most of whom are still shockingly loyal to him and the party. The collection of actors is admittedly impressive and helps keep our attention even when the story does not. With a running time of 2.5 hours, Nuremberg is more of an important film than a good film, but for the performances, I’m still recommending the time investment.
The film opens in theaters on Friday.
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