Nuremberg (2025)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  6 / 10

  James Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg” is a meticulously crafted historical drama that examines the moral and psychological complexities behind the post–World War II trials of Nazi leaders. Drawing on Jack El-Hai’s nonfiction novel “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist,” the film situates its narrative at the intersection of law, ethics, and the human capacity for evil. The result is a tense (and often overly cerebral) look at how the world tried to define justice after unimaginable horror. Set in the uneasy calm following World War II, the film focuses less on courtroom theatrics and more on the eerie, psychological chess match that unfolded behind the scenes.
  
  Rami Malek plays Lt. Colonel Douglas Kelley, a U.S. Army psychiatrist tasked with evaluating captured Nazi leaders before the Nuremberg Trials. He sees it as his chance to understand and maybe even catalog the roots of evil itself. His main subject is Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), who disarms Kelley with his casual cruelty and chilling charisma. Their scenes together crackle with tension, and both give strong performances despite their insistence to constantly chew the scenery. Surprisingly, it’s Michael Shannon that delivers the most subdued performance as Robert H. Jackson, the Supreme Court justice leading the prosecution. The film is well cast all around.
  
  Vanderbilt leans into a somber, smoky palette that makes the film feel like a history lesson. His direction is precise and restrained with a deliberate pacing that fits the story’s slow burning intensity. This isn’t a big, traditional courtroom drama, but a study in human nature, moral ambiguity, and psychological manipulation.
  
  The biggest problem with the film is that it sometimes feels too buttoned-up emotionally. You can sense the reverence for history, but a bit more rawness might have made it hit even harder. It drags on far too long and there’s too much story, but history buffs will find a lot of value in the details.
  
  With its themes of justice, guilt, and the unnerving banality of evil, “Nuremberg” gives a strikingly intelligent portrayal of one of history’s most consequential legal proceedings. Not only does it thoughtfully interrogate the nature of accountability, it raises questions about the ways societies continue to confront systemic evil.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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