Director: James Vanderbilt
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, and Michael Shannon
Rating: ★★★.5
James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg reimagines the historic trials of Nazi war criminals as a sharply staged psychological drama. Written and directed by James Vanderbilt — whose screenplay for Zodiac proved his fascination with moral grey zones — the film brings together a powerhouse cast led by Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, and Michael Shannon. What unfolds is part courtroom thriller, part moral study, exploring how charisma, ambition, and guilt can coexist in the shadow of unimaginable atrocity.
Set in the days following Adolf Hitler’s death in 1945, the film opens with Hermann Göring (Russell), the Luftwaffe commander and Hitler’s second-in-command, surrendering to Allied forces. From there, Nuremberg pivots to Douglas M. Kelley (Rami), an American army psychiatrist tasked with monitoring the mental health of the captured Nazis before their trial. What begins as routine observation turns into a battle of intellect and manipulation between Kelley and Göring — two men driven by ego, curiosity, and a dangerous desire for control.
The good
James directs with a mix of precision and spectacle. The courtroom scenes bristle with energy, the dialogue snaps with a rhythm reminiscent of Aaron Sorkin, and the moral tension rarely lets up. The visual texture — smoky rooms, measured silences, the weight of bureaucracy — evokes old-school Hollywood dramas but with a modern psychological edge.
Russell dominates every frame he’s in. His Göring is equal parts monstrous and magnetic, a man who understands performance as power. Russell gives him both the vanity of a politician and the menace of a general who knows exactly what he’s done. He delivers his lines with unnerving charm, turning even moments of levity into acts of quiet terror.
Michael lends weight as Justice Robert H. Jackson, the U.S. prosecutor determined to hold the Nazis accountable, while Leo Woodall provides the film’s emotional anchor as Kelley’s translator, a moral compass amid all the grandstanding. James’ script is at its strongest in the exchanges between Göring and Kelley — intimate conversations that blur the lines between curiosity and complicity, forcing the viewer to confront uncomfortable questions about how evil rationalizes itself.
The bad
Despite its gripping setup, the film occasionally undercuts its own gravity. The first act flirts too often with glib humor and stylish excess, as if afraid modern audiences might tune out without cinematic gloss. Rami’s performance, while committed, sometimes feels tonally misplaced — his portrayal of Kelley, with his quick wit and flirtatious swagger, doesn’t always mesh with the film’s darker tone.
The screenplay, at times, leans too heavily on exposition and polished exchanges, sanding off the raw emotion that the story demands. Even when James deploys actual archival footage from concentration camps — the film’s most sobering moment — the contrast between the real and the recreated highlights the movie’s glossy artificiality.
The verdict
Nuremberg is a compelling if uneven portrait of one of history’s most defining reckonings. James’ film succeeds as a character study — a clash between intellects and egos set against the backdrop of justice trying to find its footing. But its fascination with showmanship occasionally blurs the moral clarity it seeks to evoke.
Still, Russell Crowe’s chilling performance as Adolf Hitler’s number 2 elevates the film beyond its occasional missteps. He turns Göring into both a symbol and a warning — of how power thrives on persuasion, and how the language of patriotism can disguise monstrous intent. Nuremberg may not rewrite the rulebook for World War II dramas, but it remains a haunting reminder that the spectacle of justice can sometimes mirror the performance of guilt.
