As the Nuremberg trials are set to begin, a U.S. Army psychiatrist gets locked in a dramatic psychological showdown with accused Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring.
Director: James Vanderbilt
Cast: Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O'Brien, Colin Hanks, Wrenn Schmidt, Lydia Peckham, Richard E. Grant, Michael Shannon
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Rated PG-13 for violent content involving the Holocaust, strong disturbing images, suicide, some language, smoking and brief drug content.
Runtime: 2h 28m
Review:
Nuremberg is a throwback historical drama that's more than willing to lean on its stellar collection of performers led by a wonderfully nuanced turn from Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring. James Vanderbilt film is capably shot throughout with its aesthetic borrowing heavily from Saving Private Ryan and the like with a decidedly washed out, desaturated look overall. His approach gives the film a stage play sort of look and feel especially with the confined, claustrophobic prison sets which puts all the focus on the cast. Its unhurried pacing and dialogue driven approach might not be for everyone especially since the film can't avoid some clichéd tropes and clunky dialogue. Thankfully the cast is more than capable of rising above those pitfalls by turning in impressive performances across the board. Rami Malek's psychiatrist, Douglas Kelley, serves as the main character and the audience's entry point into the story. It’s a fascinating role for Malek since he's carrying his own agenda and motivation to work with Crowe's Göring. The character is complicated collection of contradictions which allows his overeager self-confidence to cloud his judgement, and it allows him to get too close to his subject. Once he's lost perspective it allows Russell Crowe's Hermann Göring to manipulate him with general ease before the extent of his complicity in Nazi atrocities become impossible to ignore. Crowe turns in one of his best performances in recent memory by making Göring a charismatic figure who is disarmingly human. He maintains a certain level of self-confidence even though he's on trial for horrific war crimes. It’s a nuanced turn that reveals itself over the course of the film which allows Crowe to play with a full spectrum of his character's personality. It’s the kind of turn that should garner some awards attention as it’s a study in subtly with Crowe only unleashing in earnest during the rather brisk trial sequence. Michael Shannon and Richard E. Grant are given a secondary story thread about the genesis of the trial and the possible pitfalls of failing to prosecute their case and allow Göring to perpetuate Nazi propaganda even in defeat. Shannon is excellent every time he pops up onscreen as he's perfectly cast as the determined Supreme Court Justice, Robert H. Jackson, who understands the scope of the trial and its historical import. Considering the film's lengthy runtime, it would have been well served to have fleshed out Jackson a bit more, especially since Shannon is in rare form, especially when he's paired with an underutilized Richard E. Grant. A few stumbles pop up as the central trial feels a bit rushed after all the set up since it’s over shortly after it begins with the film rushing to the finish line. The closing sequences brings everything full circle with a rather chilling warning about what's happened before and our current day reality which makes Nuremberg feel timelier.
B
