Movie Review: ‘Nuremberg’

11/14/2025 by Corrye Van Caeseele-Cook

Plot: Based on the 2013 book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai, Nuremberg recounts the events leading up to the first Nuremberg trial, the infamous case that put members of the Nazi High Command on trial for war crimes. When psychiatrist Major Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) is re-assigned as the prison psychiatrist for the Nazi criminals, he’s tasked with determining the mental fitness of each prisoner. Among them is Reichsmarshall Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe), the highest ranking member of the German military and heir apparent to Adolph Hitler. As time progresses both Kelley and Goring develop a dynamic and dangerous relationship that examines morality, duty, loyalty, and the nature of evil. Concurrently, Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon) spearheads the formation of an international military tribunal. With pressure from multiple countries to convict these men, Jackson takes on role of lead prosecutor and faces the difficult task of trying soldiers for unprecedented crimes. Before long both Kelley and Jackson enter each other’s orbit and find they must work together so that Goring and his fellow prisoners will not slip the hangman’s noose.

Review: Several years ago in the wake of Inglorious Basterds, I remember having a fascinating conversation with my close friend John about Nazis. Specifically, Nazis on film and television. Since WWII (Hell even during WWII) Nazis have made for great media villains. From Casablanca, to The Great Escape, to Hogan’s Heroes, to Raiders of the Lost Ark–villainous Nazis have endured. I asked John why he thought that was the case. He paused for a moment and said, “Because they are the closest thing to the pure manifestation of evil we’ve seen in the last century. And evil is fascinating.” I found it a succinct and poignant response.

As much as Nazis have persisted in pop culture for decades, so has the conversation around Nazis and the nature of evil. In one camp you have people like Gustave Gilbert (played by Colin Hanks in a minor role) who believed all Nazis suffered from a unique and special psychopathy that was singular and uncommon. Another concept proffered by German historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt referred to “the banality of evil” as it pertains to Nazis. Essentially that Nazis like Adolph Eichmann were simply following orders and adhering to the laws in place. In other words, systems and bureaucracy were overriding factors, not necessarily a special psychology.

Yet, what if there was third, even more terrifying theory for the Nazis’ evil actions? A theory that becomes more compelling each passing year? That’s the theory explored by director James Vanderbilt in his brilliant film Nuremberg, and one I will address at the end of this review.

Riveting, horrific, and compelling, Nuremberg boasts an all-star cast with astounding performances. A throwback to a bygone era of movies, James Vanderbilt skillfully directs a movie that feels excised from the 1970s and thrown into 2025. With notable exceptions like last year’s Juror #2, courtroom dramas have gone the way of the dodo. Yet with Nuremberg, Vanderbilt reminds audiences that courtroom dramas can be provocative, introspective, but also wildly entertaining. If Nuremberg was released in 1995 instead of 2025, it would garner double digit Oscar nominations and rake in $100 million+ at the box office. Alas we are in an age where The Minecraft Movie rakes in almost a $1 billion and Gabby’s Playhouse gets a wide release but not Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein.

But I digress.

While an accomplished screenwriter for over twenty years, Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Basic, Ready or Not) directs only his second feature film here. Although critics have characterized his direction as “mechanical” and constructed like “an awards-bait period piece,” I couldn’t disagree more. What some call mechanical I call methodical. Every shot, every choice has purpose. Vanderbilt (who also wrote the screenplay) shoots Nuremberg with the pace of a dynamic political thriller but with a look and feel that consistently evokes the 1940s. Eve Stewart’s production design is flawless and Bartholomew Cariss’ costumes are first rate. This combined with DP Dariusz Wolski’s (The Crow, The Martian) phenomenal cinematography lend an air of verisimilitude you rarely get anymore.

What sets Nuremberg apart from other films of the same ilk is the balance between scintillating entertainment and deep philosophy. Shannon’s mano-y-mano fight with Goring on the stand is as good as advertised yet it also highlights a real-life incident of a man trying to justify the unjustifiable. The same holds true for other incidents including a scene where Robert Jackson asks for Kelley’s help in the blasted out stadium where the Nuremberg Racial Laws were first enacted. Ditto a revealing and heartbreaking scene late in the film between interpreter Sgt. Howie Triest (Leo Woodhall) and Kelley. Yet there’s also a harrowing section where Vanderbilt allows the real footage of the Nazi concentration camps to play out for an uncomfortably long time. There’s no need to compound the horror with stylistic movie tricks because the footage is in and of itself suitably horrific. It’s a reminder to all filmgoers that movies can tantalize and (despite some artistic license) educate.

Nuremberg‘s all-star cast also serves as a stark reminder of how a certain type of film has fallen out of favor. When you are rocking with no less than four Oscar nominees and Richard E. Grant gets fourth billing, you know you’re in the presence of greatness. Everyone in Nuremberg gets a chance to cook with gas. Whether it’s Michael Shannon’s Robert Jackson directly confronting Pope Pius XII to gain support of the Catholic Church or Grant coming to Jackson’s rescue when he interrogates Goring, you won’t lack for compelling acting moments. Leo Woodhall (The White Lotus) is also simply sensational as Kelley’s right-hand man Sgt. Howie Triest. He exudes a quiet dignity and a simmering righteous indignation I couldn’t help find compelling. There’s a moment late in the film where after a stunning reveal he extends an act of kindness to a Nazi prisoner I found touching in its humanity.

Yet it’s the relationship dynamic between Rami Malek’s Douglas Kelley and Russell Crowe’s Hermann Goring that captivates the most. The two develop arapport and affability that borders on friendship. Typically I’m not a huge fan of Malek’s work but his chemistry with Crowe is undeniable. It makes small moments where the two banter during a Rorschach test just as mesmerizing as the superb confrontation between Kelley and Goring after the Nazi concentration camp footage has been shown. Additionally, Malek’s performance adds a layer of nuance. Kelley’s motivations are not wholly noble with him seeing his current role as a profound opportunity for notoriety and book aspirations. It makes for a more fully fleshed out character.

As great as Malek is in Nuremberg, this is 100% Russell Crowe’s show. His portrayal of Hermann Goring reminds audiences why he’s one of the great actors of all-time. Far and away his best performance since Cinderella Man, Crowe absolutely disappears into the role. Crowe puts the real Hermann Goring on full display for the whole world, showing a man who’s charming, intelligent, cultured, and engaging. He’s also equally narcissistic, manipulative, ruthless, and utterly devoted to Adolph Hitler. What’s fascinating is that at times he makes persuasive arguments that the only reason he’s in the position he’s in is not because of moral inferiority, but because the Allies won and Germany lost. Yet it cannot excuse the atrocities Goring allowed despite his contentions. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Crowe. It’s a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination but if Sony Pictures is smart they will push for Crowe in the Supporting Actor category despite this really being a co-lead situation.

I mentioned at the beginning of this review a third theory regarding the evils acts of the Nazi regime. It’s a theory Kelley postulated that never really got any traction, but one that seems more accurate in 2025 than 1955. Namely, that the psychology of the remaining Nazi High Command, including Hermann Goring, was nothing special. Their psychological makeup was no different than a Canadian bureaucrat or a Texas farmer or a Chines plumber. And if that’s the case, it means what happened in Germany wasn’t unique. It could happen anywhere at anytime. Of all three theories I find that to be the most terrifying and immediate because I live in the United States of 2025 where fascist creep isn’t a theory it’s a fucking reality. This whole concept plays out in an amazing exchange between Triest and Kelley at a train station towards the end of the film. As Triest says, what happened to the Jews happened because people let it happen.

Lest I laud Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg too much, I did have a few issues with the film. For one the female characters are severely underdeveloped with For All Mankind‘s star Wren Schmidt getting the short shrift as Elsie Douglas. Fleur Bremmer fairs a little better as Goring’s wife Edda but not might by much. Additionally, Tom Eagles’ editing is occasionally a little too cute, with cuts that feel more in line with an Ocean’s Eleven type of film than a historical courtroom drama.

Minor quibbles aside though, Nuremberg stands as a stupendous and entertaining accomplishment that reminds us of our past while prophesizing our possible future.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See

Masterpiece