There are so many scary movies out right now that should all serve as cautionary tales for our divisive and perilous political and social climate. Among them: Anniversary… A House of Dynamite… and now, Nuremberg, which reaches back in the past to remind us just how viable it is that a narcissistic, nationalistic leader could incentivize seemingly ordinary people to do the most vile, inhumane things. Or to be complicit, ignorant, or silent as atrocities unfold.
Nuremberg takes place in the immediate aftermath of WWII as the world learns the horrific scope of the Holocaust and grapples with how to bring those responsible to justice. Hitler had killed himself as Allied forces closed in on his bunker in Berlin. But there were plenty of others from the Nazi regime who could potentially be held accountable. The Nuremberg trials of 1945-46 weren’t just about justice for the millions of victims of the Holocaust. The trials were about understanding the how and why, and making sure such horrors would never occur again- anywhere in the world. The international tribunal was unprecedented, and the stakes could not be higher.
The film is based on the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai. It centers on the story of US Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) who is tasked with analyzing the mental state of about two dozen imprisoned, high-ranking Nazis awaiting trial at Nuremberg. Chief among them is former Reichsmarschall Herman Göring (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s second in command. The two engage in a psychological battle of wits and wills that lays bare traces of humanity amid evil, and paints a chilling picture of morality gone off the rails.
The second half of the film pivots toward a more conventional legal drama as the trial itself gets underway. Chief US prosecutor, Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) leads the team of Allied lawyers presenting the case, which includes horrific archival footage of the concentration camps. Göring takes the stand in his own defense. He is indeed evil.
Nuremberg is a fictionalized narrative of events based on accounts— as the film points out at the start— “of those who lived through it. And those who didn’t.” It benefits from a strong ensemble cast that includes Richard E. Grant, John Slattery, Colin Hanks, and Leo Woodall as a young American soldier who acts as a translator.
The biggest message the film has to offer is that the mistakes of the past are bound to repeat themselves if people don’t take note of the red flags and stand up against hatred. We’ve been down this road before, and it doesn’t end well for humanity.
Nuremberg opens in theaters November 7. Running time: 148 minutes.