Nuremberg
Review by Mark Woodring
There have been countless recountings of the trials of Nuremberg, where both Nazi leadership and rank-and-file soldiers were brought to answer for the horrific crimes committed during the Second World War.
I can’t say that I’ve watched any of those versions, so this is my first, and I’d like to think that any liberties taken would be minimal and of no real consequence…
… but who’s kidding; they probably glossed this up eight ways from Sunday.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Friend of the Show Val Cameron discuss the film further. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
148 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by James Vanderbilt, Jack El-Hai
Directed by James Vanderbilt
Synopsis:
A WWII psychiatrist evaluates Nazi leaders before the Nuremberg trials, growing increasingly obsessed with understanding evil as he forms a disturbing bond with Hermann Göring.
But first: what a cast!
Russell Crowe, Rami Makek, Michael Shannon, and Richard E. Grant, just to name a few. Good so far.
BTW, full disclosure: I’m not a WWII scholar. I am not versed in the factual events of the Nuremberg trials except that humanity won and the Nazis lost.
As it should be.
So I’m going to be evaluating this film as a film, not as any kind of historical tome, but as a piece of entertainment.
Disturbing entertainment, to be sure, but entertainment nonetheless.
Crowe embodies Hermann Goring with a gravitas befitting the second in command behind Hitler. He is confident (arrogantly so), dismissive of “lesser men,” but also human, with a wife, daughter, and a firm conviction that he (and the Reich) were absolutely right.
The worst monster is always humanity, is it not?
Rami Malek plays the initially unsuspecting psychiatrist called in to evaluate the mental state of the Nazi prisoners to ensure they are “fit” to stand trial. Seeing an opportunity to enrich himself by writing the “definitive” text on the Nazis, he ingratiates himself to Goring in order to glean information and insight available to no one else, not even the Allies who have come together to establish the tribunal to address the heinous crimes committed during the war.
While the performances here, notably Michael Shannon as Justice Robert Jackson, who has the unenviable task of figuring out how to configure a court that doesn’t exist around case law which is also non-existent.
Shannon’s Jackson is devout in his belief it needs to happen, uncertain as to how, and plagued by infighting about its chances of success both at home and among the allies needed to even attempt it.
The performances are really solid, and the cinematography is good. What brings the film its true impact is the use of actual, historical footage of the liberation of many of the concentration camps, clearly depicting the true scope and extent of the atrocities.
It’s disturbing, whether you’ve seen it before or not. It is simply some of the most… I don’t even know if there’s a word strong enough to describe what it is.
Nuremberg as a film is compelling and disturbing, with good performances and continues to focus humanities eyes on the holocaust itself, despite the film being more focused on the legal wrangling that followed.
I recommend seeing Nuremberg, but be ready for some of the most disturbing footage you may or may not have seen before.
Nuremberg hits theaters this Friday, November 7, and stars Russell Crowe, Rami Makek, Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, Colin Hanks, Leo Woodall, and John Slattery.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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