Nuremberg

Nuremberg
Starring Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Leo Woodall, John Slattery
Directed by James Vanderbilt

There's been a lot of World War II movies, and not too many that focuses on the aftermath of it. Everyone knows the atrocities that the Nazis committed under Hitler's regime, yet somehow it doesn't hold as much weight as it should, because since then more villainous rulers have emerged and people have fallen under their tyrannical spell, turning neighbor against neighbor - but so far thankfully not to the extreme as the Nazis. What makes people follow such detestable rulers? Is it easier to seek retribution or justice? After the War, the world was more than prepared to line up the Nazi leaders and put bullets in their heads, but instead they decide to hold a trial - the first of its kind - that could either end with justice, or another worldwide war.

The War is over, and Hitler is dead. The Allies have won, and are preparing the long road to normalcy again - but the question remains as to what to do with Hitler's generals, leaders, and scientists. After Hitler's second-in-command, Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe), is taken into custody, Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon) learns that they plan to hold an International Military Tribunal to charge the surviving top Nazi leaders with war crimes, an event that has never happened before and the issue lies with charging individuals for crimes of great magnitude, and giving them a platform to spew their hatred. 

Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), a famed American psychiatrist, is brought to Germany to oversee the prisoners' mental health and also write a book that he hopes can leave an impression, and his biggest adversary is Goring himself. The two men come to intellectual blows as Kelley tries to break Goring's facade and see what makes him tick, while Goring manipulates Kelley to help deliver messages to his wife and daughter on the outside. As the trial begins, the world watches and hopes are high that justice will be served - but against a mastermind like Goring, it won't be easy.

There hasn't been any moment in history more studied than World War II, and the atrocities that were committed. Many wonder how so many people would follow a man so sick and sadistic as Hitler, and "Nuremberg" attempts to answer that question based on the real-life trial. When someone is charismatic, people will look past their own morals and follow blindly, and the movie touches on this when one man says, "it happened here because the people made it happen, because they didn't stand up until it was too late." Nowadays, the issue of a Tribunal for Nazi war criminals seems like a no-brainer, but at the time this was unheard of, and there was a worry that they'd be able to get off, or at least spread their hatred to a wider audience, depending on how charismatic and charming they were on the witness stand. It's a fascinating movie that I wasn't expecting to be as good as it was, mostly due to the 148 minute runtime, but it flew by faster than I was expecting.

The main focus of the movie lies with two men who, at first glance, couldn't be more different, but once we get to know them we see how much they really have in common. Russell Crowe has emerged in his later-day character driven roles as Hermann Goring, the detestable second-in-command to Hitler's regime. Again, on paper, it seems that this man would've easily been found guilty and no one would've batted an eye, but in reality Goring was a disarmingly charming individual who was always ten steps ahead of everyone else, so much so he turned himself in because he wanted to be arrested, so as to be able to more efficiently spread his corrupted gospel. Yet his hubris turns out to be his downfall, as it is with most dictators and wannabe dictators, when he comes into contact with an American psychiatrist who is as egotistical as himself.

That man is Douglas Kelley, played by Oscar winner Rami Malek in one of his best big screen roles ever. He arrives at Nuremberg prepared to get into the minds of the criminals and write a book on his experiences that'll garner him fame and popularity, and once he meets Goring he sees him as the ultimate adversary - the Moby Dick to his Captain Ahab. He feels Goring has slipped up early on when it seems he doesn't know English, but that's a ruse Goring uses to disarm his opponent instead. The two men spend a lot of time together alone, both trying to one-up the other in a masterful game of wits not seen on screen since Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, and it's a fascinating film to watch. Both Crowe and Malek give themselves entirely to their characters, and it's acting at its finest.

In doing a historical movie, it's more difficult to keep the viewers' interest because they know the outcome. We know Goring and his fellow compatriots will be found guilty, and we know their ultimate fates. So there's no surprises or real suspense to keep us involved, which is why the performances have to be above par. Crowe and Malek proved themselves more than capable, as does the remainder of the cast in their much smaller roles. No moment feels wasted or dull, and you're on the edge of your seat due solely on the performances themselves. 

The Score: A+